HK Express Review: My Honest Opinion of Hong Kong Express

The beauty of having Hong Kong as a travel hub is flying with HK Express. Also known as Hong Kong Express Airways Limited, the budget airline operates flights to many destinations in Asia, including Japan, Taiwan, Vietnam, South Korea and Thailand.

I’ve known of HK Express for the past ten years and have seen many flight deals and credit card promotions. I flew with HK Express at least twenty times. Needless to say, I have enjoyed many trips and saved a lot of money.

In this post, I want to share my honest review of HK Express, including my recent flight experiences and everything I know about the budget airline. I’ll also share how you can save money by flying with HK Express.

My HK Express review is an opinion of my own, and I did not receive any compensation. I only want to share what I love. 
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. If you buy something through them, I will receive a small commission at no additional cost. Thank you for supporting this website. For more information, please read our disclosure for more info.

Where does HK Express Airline fly to

Currently, HK Express flies to the following places in Asia:

• China – Beijing, Changzhou, Ningbo, Sanya, Wuxi, Yiwu
• Japan – Fukuoka, Hiroshima, Ishigaki, Komatsu, Nagoya, Okinawa, Osaka, Sendai, Takamatsu, Tokyo
• Malaysia – Kota Kinabalu, Kuala Lumpur, Penang
• Philippines – Clark, Manila
• South Korea – Busan, Daegu, Jeju, Seoul
• Taiwan – Kaohsiung, Taichung, Taipei
• Thailand – Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket
• Vietnam – Da Nang, Hanoi, Phu Quoc

HK Express also offers cross-boundary transport to destinations in the Greater Bay Area (GBA). These places include:

• Macau
• Zhuhai
• Zhongshan
• Guangzhou
• Shenzhen
• Shenzhen Airport
• Dongguang Humen

How is Hong Kong Express Airways

I’ve been on at least 20 HK Express flights over the past 10 years or so. I’ve included the latest reviews of the last few flights and a summary of my experience with HK Express Airline.

Individual experiences with HK Express flights

Summary: My HK Express experiences

Reasons Why I like HK Express Airline

1. HK Express flights are affordable

HK Express flight prices are very competitive. Currently, HK Express airfare has four tiers, from Ultra Lite (cheapest) to Max (most expensive). Each tier includes a specific number of personal item and checked luggage. Here are the four tiers:

• Ultra Lite – one personal item*
• Lite – one personal item + one cabin bag*
• Essential – one personal item + one 20kg checked bag
• Max – one personal item + one cabin bag + one 32kg checked bag + standard seat booking

* must have a combined weight of 7kg or less
* personal item (small handbag, laptop bag, small backpack; must fit under seat and not exceed 40cm (L) x 25cm (W) x 20cm (H) (15.7″ x 10″ x 8″)
* cabin bag (must fit in the shared overhead compartment and not exceed 56cm (L) x 36cm (W) x 23cm (H) (22″ x 14″ x 9″)

You can really take advantage of the cheap price if you purchase the Ultra Lite or Lite seat. But make sure you can pack under 7kg. Otherwise, purchase Essential or Max.

2. Ability to book a one-way and open-jaw ticket

You can book a round-trip, one-way, or open-jaw ticket with HK Express.

The beauty is the flexibility of flying into one city and flying home from another. It all depends on the route or itinerary to your destination. The flexibility of an open-jaw ticket is a clear selling point.

And the price of a one-way HK Express ticket is not inflated like other commercial airlines. For some major airlines, booking a one-way ticket costs more than booking a round-trip ticket. I’m not sure why the pricing is this way. But I see the advantage of booking with HK Express because the one-way ticket price is not inflated.

3. HK Express Travel Routes in Asia

HK Express operates flights to many destinations across Asia. The list of cities may change periodically based on demand, but the budget airline flies to many popular destinations in Asia. I particularly like travelling to Japan, Taiwan, and HK Express flies to many cities in both countries.

The list of destinations will change over time, so check the travel routes before planning your trip.

4. Incredible HK Express promotions

I have seen many low-cost airline promotions where the deal is fantastic, but you only have one hour to book for a travel period one year away. Okay, I am exaggerating a bit, but my point is that some low-cost carrier promotions are hard to take advantage of.

With HK Express promotions, the booking period is quite generous. And the travel period is long, i.e. sometimes the travel period can be up to six months! One time, I booked a return trip to Japan in January for a trip in September. I only paid $150USD!

Moreover, there are credit card promotions for using certain Hong Kong credit cards, such as HSBC. I haven’t saved much with this promo, but it’s come in handy a few times.

Overall, I saved a ton of money flying with HK Express in the last few years. I calculated – I paid $510USD for seven flights. If I bought my tickets through other competitors, I would spend at least $1,585 for the same flights. I saved $1,075USD! That is a 67% savings!

5. Safety for Hong Kong Express Airline

HK Express is IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) accredited and a member of the Flight Safety Foundation.

But it probably doesn’t mean much to me and the general public. And to be honest, I didn’t look up any safety records or other Hong Kong Express reviews. I may have done that briefly in the past, but I didn’t research it much.

Recently, HK Express was ranked the World’s Safest Low-Cost Airline in 2026 by AirlineRatings, citing its spotless safety record and strong safety culture. This is the second consecutive year HK Express has achieved this title.

Besides the official rankings and records, I do feel the airline takes safety precautions seriously from a passenger perspective. I can see the flight attendants comply with all the safety precautions before closing the door and taking off. They follow instructions and procedures to create a safe environment for all the passengers.

The Downside of HK Express

However, there are five negatives associated with HK Express. Let’s dissect this, shall we?

1. Check-in Baggage Fees

The beauty of a low-cost carrier is its affordable fares, which are typically lower than those of other airlines. However, you will have to pay for each piece of luggage you check in.

When you purchase your ticket online, book a ticket with check-in luggage option (Essential or Max ticket) if you are planning to travel with more than a 7kg carry-on bag.

If your ticket did not include checked baggage and you need to check your bag at the counter or gate, this is possible, but it will incur a fee above your initial booking.

Moreover, excessive baggage weight (over 30kg) and sports equipment are additional costs. Please review the full listing of baggage fees before booking your ticket.

Occasionally, the staff at the check-in counter and terminal gate might check your carry-on bags. During the last few trips, I saw the new carry-on baggage measuring stand at the check-in counter and terminal gates. I didn’t see staff using it to measure passengers’ backpacks and carry-on luggage. But I saw two instances in which the staff used the device to check whether a baby stroller could fit in the overhead compartment. Both times, they couldn’t, so the stroller had to be checked in (I think).

2. Purchase a seat or get one randomly assigned

It is possible to secure a seat on any HK Express flight. You can choose a Comfort Seat (first row or emergency exit rows), Upfront Seat (row 2-10) or a Standard Seat for a fee.

The price to reserve a seat varies based on when you purchase it. It is the cheapest at the time of your initial booking, more so between initial booking and check-in, and even more when you call customer service or at the check-in counter.

If you do not secure a seat during any of these times, your seat will be assigned by the system at random.

I always pick a seat when I purchase a ticket, so I’m not too sure about the intricacies of the random assignment. I read online that seat assignments start at the back of the plane and move forward.

However, on one of my last flights, the seat assignment placed everyone in the same rows, leaving many empty. Not sure what the reason was. Also, flight attendants told me I couldn’t move seats and had to stay at my assigned seat.

If you like to know where you will sit on the plane, or don’t want to be stuck in the middle seat, then pay a bit more to secure a seat so you can have the peace of mind of knowing where you will be sitting during the flight.

3. In-flight experience

The fleet for HK Express includes Airbus A320CEO, A320NEO, A321CEO and A321NEO aircrafts, in an all economy class layout (3+ 3 seats). Each plane has a capacity of 180 to 230 seats.

Generally, I find the HK Express in-flight experience to be okay. I expected the basics and minimal because it is a budget airline so my expectations weren’t very high.

However, here are some details to be aware of:

• HK Express standard seat legroom (pitch) is 28-30 inches. It is slightly narrower than the standard pitch, which is 30-32 inches. If you prefer more legroom, select the Comfort Seats (first row) or exit rows.
• The new A321 NEO plane has seats that do not recline. I found this odd, but it doesn’t bother me if the flight time is short.
• The cabin feels tighter and louder when the plane is full. I noticed this on one of my last flights when the HK Express flight had a codeshare flight with Cathay Pacific. The cabin was full, and everyone was talking. It felt a bit chaotic. Hopefully, it was a one-off experience.
• Each seat has an individual air nozzle. The air conditioning level is sufficient.
• No tv.

4. Purchasing in-flight food

Your HK Express ticket does not include in-flight food. However, you can pre-order food (up to 28% discount) when booking your ticket, or purchase it on the plane with an Octopus Card or a credit card.

As for the food, it is okay and not super expensive. The HK Express menu has hot and cold Asian meals, beverages (regular and alcoholic) and snacks.

I’m not sure whether it’s a disadvantage for HK Express not to serve food, especially on short flights. It would be nice to have food on longer flights, as all other major airlines offer it (though their prices are higher).

And you cannot bring your own food and beverage onboard. However, I don’t think the flight attendants will be upset if you bring a candy bar. Just don’t bring a whole take-out container of food.

5. Cannot earn any frequent flyer points

HK Express used to have its own frequent flyer program. That was eons ago.

Today, HK Express partners with Cathay Pacific where you can use your Asia Miles (Cathay’s frequent flyer program) to redeem flights. You can choose Miles Plus Cash (a mix of Asia Miles and cash) or Full Miles for redeeming your HK Express flights.

However, you cannot earn any Asia Miles for flying with HK Express. That’s a shame. I fly with HKExpress few times a year and it goes towards nothing. But at least the cost of the ticket is significantly lower than other commercial airlines.

Best way to take advantage of HK Express promotions

In the past, I found many travel deals and promotions through the HK Express email newsletter. Make sure you sign up for the HK Express newsletter and find out about the latest travel promotions.

Also, browse the HK Express website and see if there are any current deals. The website doesn’t have a section for last-minute tickets, but the homepage will display the current offerings.

Is HK Express for you?

Air travel can be quite expensive, but if you can take advantage of promotions and fly with low-cost carriers, you can save a ton of money.

Flying with HK Express is perfect for you if you are:

• Based in Hong Kong or travelling from Hong Kong to other popular Asian cities
• Flexible when you can travel
• Flexible to where you can go
• Travel with a 7kg or less carry-on bag plus personal item to take advantage of the cheap airfare
• Want the flexibility to book one-way tickets or open-jaw tickets

My HK Express review: yay or nay?

Definitely a yay! Even though there are a few downsides to flying with HK Express (seat and baggage costs and a basic in-flight experience), I still recommend HK Express for its affordability and the range of destinations. I’m not an affiliate of HK Express, but I just genuinely like them.

And I know sometimes finding cheap tickets online isn’t always straightforward, but it has been such a saving grace for me since I am based in Hong Kong and the budget airline flies to most places I want to explore at incredibly low prices. So choosing another airline seems ridiculous.

And recently, HK Express was ranked as the World’s Best Low-Cost Airline for 2026 by AirlineRatings. That’s a big achievement, given how many budget airlines there are around the world.

So, I hope you find my HK Express review useful. Let me know in the comments if you like HK Express and have memorable experiences flying with this budget airline.

Ready to plan your trip to Hong Kong? Here are some of my go-to travel planning resources:
* Book your flight: find flight deals on Skyscanner and book HK Express flights for other connections in Asia
* Book accommodation: find the best Hong Kong accommodations on Agoda or Booking
* Buy insurance: Safetywing is my go-to provider for travel insurance, as it covers many things. I will never travel without the Nomad Insurance Package because it protects me against unforeseen events. Get a quote today.
* Order a SIM card: order a SIM card in advance, collect it upon arrival, and set up your mobile phone before arriving at your destination.
* Join tours: check Klook or Get Your Guide for the best tours in Hong Kong.

Thank you for reading my HK Express review

I have many posts on Hong Kong and you might also like these other posts on solo travel and hiking in HK:

HK solo travel posts

• Everything you need to know before travelling to HK by yourself
• 11 Hong Kong off-the-beaten-path hidden gems
• Where to stay in Hong Kong: 6 boutique hotels
• Hong Kong food culture: must-eat food
• Best places to watch sunset in HK

HK hiking and day trip posts

• Lamma Island Family Walk from Sok Kwu Wan to Yung Shue Wan
• How to take a ferry to Lamma Island
• Cheung Chau 1-day itinerary
• Peng Chau 1-day itinerary
• Short and easy hiking trails in Hong Kong
• Victoria Peak Hike
• Dragon’s Back Hike
• Red Incense Burner Summit on Braemar Hill
• Macau itinerary for solo travellers

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queenie mak

Hi, my name is Queenie, and I’ve been a solo traveller for 20+ years and currently based in Hong Kong. Follow me on my adventures through Instagram and my blog!