Hong Kong and Singapore is starting an “air travel bubble” between the two regions. There will be several flights a week between Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific Airways from 22 November—and the flights on the first day is already sold out.
What is the “air travel bubble”?
The “air travel bubble” would be able to let you travel without needing to quarantine, but it would still require a lot of paperwork. COVID-19 tests should be taken within 72 hours prior to departure and applications for travel approval should be done online at least seven days ahead of time. If travellers become COVID-19 positive in either city, they would need to bear the full cost of any medical treatment provided to them.
According to the Singapore Minister for Transport Ong Ye Kung, this was the first travel bubble of its type and may be used as a template for other countries, if successful. He also said that the travel bubble will help “ensure a brighter future” for the Singapore and Singapore Airlines.
“I suspect travellers might well be quite careful in the beginning before they gradually become more confident. I suspect that many Singaporeans and Hong Kong-ers will take a wait-and-see attitude until after awhile you can do one test less perhaps,” said Ong.
There will be flights twice a week on Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific on 22 November—slowly rising to daily flights from 7 December. A maximum of 200 people will be permitted on each flight.
Singapore Airlines
On 10am in 11 November, prices went on sale on Singapore Airlines’s website, starting from SGD 800 (RM2,450.78) for the flights. However, prices steadily increased to more than SGD 1,100 (RM3369.83) at about 3pm for the 22 November flights.
By 4pm, no seats for the flights on 22 November were available on Google Flights according to Channel News Asia. However, when I checked on Google Flights today, I could still see an available one-way Singapore Airlines flight starting from RM1,798—way cheaper than when it was first introduced.
Cathay Pacific
The Cathay Pacific website showed that their “air travel bubble” flights in the week of 22 November were mostly booked out. Economy fares were going at more than SGD 900 (RM2,754.94)—and according to Google Flights, all seats for Cathay Pacific have been sold out.
As part of the “air travel bubble” arrangement, both Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific will be offering the same month-long special in-flight menu of local dishes from both regions. They include dim sum, soya sauce chicken noodle, carrot cake and nasi lemak.
Travellers are required to wear masks on the flights. There are also measures to reduce direct contact between crew and passengers—like the removal of hot towel service.
Both Hong Kong and Singapore have brought their COVID-19 outbreaks largely under control. On average, there are about under 30 daily cases in Hong Kong, and under 20 daily cases in Singapore. That contrasts with many nations in Europe, as well as the U.S., and even here in Malaysia.
According to travel data provider OAG, the route between Hong Kong and Singapore was the among the busiest international air routes in 2019. There were 13,654 flights a year operated by four carriers.
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