My Flight to Hong Kong & back to London

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I flew British Airways from London Heathrow to Hong Kong. The flight was just a little over 12 hours but after 8 hours in the air at an altitude of 37,000 ft, we had to descend slowly to 24,000 ft due to the Chinese Airforce Exercise Drills a drop which caused my ears and fellow travellers to pop. Due to the change in altitude we then experienced turbulence which was not nice. Eventually, when we levelled off to our normal altitude it was all well. Other than that little turbulence and ear popping experience, the whole flight, which normally takes 11 hours and 45 minutes on average, was very smooth.

Upon arrival in Hong Kong, we were allocated a gate straight away for a quick disembarkation. The Immigration formalities was brief but the traveller has to queue for roughly 15-20 minutes to be seen by an officer. The baggage retrieval is quick and trolley/carts are easily accessed from the carousel. The customs formalities are straightforward.

Hong Kong Airport is efficient and modern. It has a train service that takes you right in the heart of Hong Kong Island and bus service that connects you to your final destination. A taxi service is also available.

If like me, you are flying from London Heathrow, you can fly direct to Hong Kong with British Airways, Cathay Pacific Airlines, Qantas Airways and Virgin Atlantic. There are several airlines covering London to Hong Kong flights but these may not offer a direct flight, unlike the three airlines I have mentioned.

British Airways offers three flights per day; at 18:55, 20:25 and 22:05 hrs, seven days a week.

Cathay Pacific Airlines offers four flights a day on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursday at 12:05; 18:05; 21:15 and 21:55hrs respectively and three flights a day on Sunday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturdays at 18:05; 21:15 and 21:55hrs respectively.

Qantas Airlines has a flight to Hong Kong from London Heathrow which departs at 12:25hrs daily.

Virgin Atlantic
has a flight to Hong Kong from London Heathrow which departs at 21:30 hrs daily.

The time difference is +8 hrs in Hong Kong or you can refer to the website worldtimeserver.com for time difference and weather if you travel from a country other than the UK. Due to the 8 hour time difference, you will feel very tired when you get to Hong Kong. Make sure you get some sleep inflight, drink lots of water and making sure you avoid alcohol other than when you are having your meal and cut back on caffeinated drinks to arrive in Hong Kong in tip top shape.

The flight coming back to London is slightly longer due to the headwinds by 30 minutes or slightly more; not forgetting that the airport is always congested at Heathrow therefore arriving aircraft generally have to wait for a stand to be available.

The immigration formalities in London if you are a non-European passport holder can take up to an hour on average.

I hope you find the information in this journal helpful and I thank you for taking the time to read my blog.

More About Hong Kong

Take care of yourself and God bless you all.

Alan Aldana