Air fares plunge amid Hong Kong protests, to as low as US$153 for return flight to Los Angeles

Fares from Hong Kong have hit unprecedented lows amid the drop in tourism caused by anti-government protests which led to a partial shutdown of city’s airport

Cathay Pacific has Vancouver flights for under US$550 and Air France flights to Paris for under US$500; tickets to Brunei can be had for under US$240

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Travellers queue to go through a security check before entering Hong Kong International Airport earlier this month following anti-government protests. With travel to and from the city down sharply, airlines have slashed fares to fill seats. Photo: Sam Tsang

Published: 12:15pm, 18 Sep 2019Updated: 10:00am, 1 Oct 2019

Last-minute travellers are being wooed with some ultra-cheap air fares from Hong Kong amid the anti-government protests in the city.

Hong Kong International Airport has reported its largest monthly drop in passengers in a decade. In August, when the protests caused a partial shutdown of the airport and the cancellation of almost 1,000 flights, passenger numbers fell by 12.4 per cent, according to figures released on Sunday by the Airport Authority.

Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific Airways revealed it suffered a 12 per cent decline in passengers flying out of Hong Kong in August, compared with the same period last year. A spokesman for the airline predicted a similar drop for September.

The airport remains fully operational, but with the protests making international headlines and with several countries having issued travel warnings for Hong Kong, bookings are down and there have been a number of cancellations. As a result, airlines have dropped fares to unprecedented lows in an attempt to fill seats.

“There are some incredible deals,” says Amrit Sethi, office manager of Hong Kong-based travel agent Excella Travel, adding that she has seen flights from Hong Kong to Los Angeles go for as little as HK$1,200 (US$153). “This is unheard of.”

Seats on Qantas Airways flights to Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne went for as little as HK$3,500 in early September. Photo: Alamy

Recent weeks have seen fares from Hong Kong fall to an all-time low as airlines attempt to fill seats. Tickets to Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne on Qantas Airways cost as little as HK$3,500 in early September, and Cathay Pacific air fares to several European destinations start from HK$4,120.