Virgin Australia to operate flights between Melbourne and Hong Kong from July 2017

in

Following the strategic alliance between Virgin Australia and HNA Aviation, Virgin Australia has just announced plans to introduce its first flights to Hong Kong from Melbourne starting from 05 July 2017. The airline company will operate five flights per week on an Airbus A330-200 with 255 seats with a 2-4-2 configuration in Economy cabin. 

Click HERE to check out Virgin Australia!

Virgin Australia A330 Business Class | Photo Credit: Virgin Australia 

Virgin Australia A330 Business Class | Photo Credit: Virgin Australia 

Flights will depart Melbourne five-times a week at 12:35AM every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday and at 10:25AM as well as 09:40AM on Mondays and Wednesdays respectively. The return flight from Hong Kong will depart at 07:50PM every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday, arriving in Melbourne at 08:20AM the next day.

Flight distance from Melbourne to Hong Kong is approximately 4,590 miles and the flight duration is slightly under 10 hours. If you are thinking about redeeming some of your Velocity Points, it will only cost you 59,500 Points one-way on Business which is not bad at all! 

Featured
Singapore Airlines unveils New Airbus A350-900 Medium Haul Aircraft - Adelaide is the Launch Destination
Singapore Airlines unveils New Airbus A350-900 Medium Haul Aircraft - Adelaide is the Launch Destination

Singapore Airlines has just announced Adelaide as the launch destination for their new Airbus A350-900 medium-haul aircraft. The aircraft will be fitted with 303 seats across two cabin class - 40 seats in Business Class and 263 seats in Economy Class - and it will be equipped with the recently launched regional Business Class and Economy Class cabin products. The new A350-900 will operate as SQ279 from Singapore to Adelaide and SQ278 from Adelaide back to Singapore from 17 December 2018 (subject to regulatory approval).

Trip Report: Emirates EK352 Business Class 777-300ER - DXB to SIN (Dubai to Singapore)
Trip Report: Emirates EK352 Business Class 777-300ER - DXB to SIN (Dubai to Singapore)

Emirates is my carrier of choice in 2018 and that is mainly due to the fact that their Business Class fares are a lot more affordable than say, Singapore Airlines and also because the product itself is quite good. I have only quite recently obtained MVP Gold status (which gives me 100% bonus miles on eligible flights) on the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan program by crediting all my business class flights on Emirates (and then some) towards it. This is the final segment for my flight from New York back to Singapore (via Dubai) and it may be long overdue but I thought it might be interesting to people who are curious about the 777-300ER product on Emirates.

Singapore Airlines offers Mobile Boarding Passes via Google Pay - First Airline in Asia-Pacific Region
Singapore Airlines offers Mobile Boarding Passes via Google Pay - First Airline in Asia-Pacific Region

Singapore Airlines is the first airline in Asia-Pacific to offer the added flexibility of saving mobile boarding passes on Google Pay - the digital wallet platform and online payment system developed by Google. Customers (with an Android mobile device) traveling on Singapore Airlines will be able to check-in on their computer or mobile device from 48 hours to 1.5 hours before their flight departs and they will be able to download the boarding pass to their mobile devices if they are departing from selected cities.

Order Duty-free Items up to 60 Minutes before Departure from Singapore with KrisShop
Order Duty-free Items up to 60 Minutes before Departure from Singapore with KrisShop

Customers departing on eligible Singapore Airlines and SilkAir flights will soon be able to pre-order duty-free merchandise up to 60 minutes prior to the scheduled time of flight departure out of Singapore. Effective from 05 September 2018, customers departing Singapore on select SilkAir flights on weekdays between 10:00AM and 4:00PM will be amongst the first to enjoy such an offering.

AIR Yoshinoya Authentic Beef Bowl to return to Japan Airlines - New Sweets in Business Class
AIR Yoshinoya Authentic Beef Bowl to return to Japan Airlines - New Sweets in Business Class

Traveling on Japan Airlines over the new couple of months? Passengers traveling in Economy and Premium Economy will get to enjoy the famous AIR Yoshinoya Authentic Beef Bowl on long-haul international flights between 01 September 2018 and 30 November 2018. Additionally, with effect from 01 September 2018, a new menu will be rolled out as four new chefs from RED U-35 are introduced.

Trip Report: SilkAir Business Class MI615 737-800 - REP to SIN (Siem Reap to Singapore)
Trip Report: SilkAir Business Class MI615 737-800 - REP to SIN (Siem Reap to Singapore)

Getting from the Park Hyatt Siem Reap to Siem Reap International Airport (REP) took only 20 minutes on a car. However the Business Class check-in area for SilkAir is the same for passengers who have already completed internet check-in as well as KrisFlyer (and Star Alliance) Elite Gold. Therefore, you might be queueing in this 'premium line' for a bit. Anyhow, once you manage to get your bags checked-in, clearing immigration is a breeze. Read more about my Business Class experience on SilkAir!

Singapore Airlines and Canyon Ranch to promote Wellness and Relaxation on the World's Longest Flight
Singapore Airlines and Canyon Ranch to promote Wellness and Relaxation on the World's Longest Flight

Launching on 11 October 2018, the world's longest flight will be operated by Singapore Airlines between Singapore and New York (Newark) - the flight time is 18 hours and 45 minutes. Singapore Airlines and Canyon Ranch, the world’s premiere integrative wellness brand, have forged a partnership to re-invent ultra-long-haul travel with a focus on wellness cuisines, rest and relaxation, and general well-being on the world’s longest flights.

Trip Report - Japan Airlines Business Class SKY SUITE III JL37 - HND to SIN (Haneda to Singapore)
Trip Report - Japan Airlines Business Class SKY SUITE III JL37 - HND to SIN (Haneda to Singapore)

When I visited Tokyo back in May, I travelled back to Singapore on Japan Airlines - I have been flying JAL rather frequently (this was my fourth Business Class flight) this year since it costs a lot less to redeem my miles on it than on Singapore Airlines. More importantly, I have found the food served in Business Class on day flights to be comparatively better than Singapore Airlines (if you are picking the Japanese meal). Read about my Business Class experience on Japan Airlines from Tokyo back to Singapore!

Singapore Airlines to operate Non-stop Flights between Singapore and Los Angeles on Airbus A350-900ULR in November
Singapore Airlines to operate Non-stop Flights between Singapore and Los Angeles on Airbus A350-900ULR in November

With the first A350-900ULR due for delivery in September, Singapore Airlines has just officially announced the operation of non-stop flights between Singapore and Los Angeles from November this year. The flag carrier airline of Singapore has already announced the recommencement of the world's longest flight from Singapore to New York two months ago and together with this newly-announced service, Singapore Airlines will link Singapore and the US with 27 weekly non-stop flights by the end of 2018.

Trip Report: KLM Business Class KL835 777-300ER - SIN to DPS (Singapore to Denpasar)
Trip Report: KLM Business Class KL835 777-300ER - SIN to DPS (Singapore to Denpasar)

While I typically do advocate the use of airline miles for Business Class and First Class flights, I managed to snag up a pretty good deal on KLM Business Class flights for me to take my family down to Bali for a long weekend. On this trip, I booked the Business Class tickets for approximately S$500 per passenger (return-ticket) which is only a fraction of what Singapore Airlines charges (read about my Business Class experience from Singapore to Bali on Singapore Airlines here!) so that to me is a great deal! Check out my first experience with KLM’s Business Class product!