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HKG AIRPORT EXPRESS TRAIN MOBILE APP… P O ST MAR T Y N S INC L A IR Is there an official mobile app for the Hong Kong (HKG) Airport Express so I can buy a ticket pre-arrival from HKG to Kowloon? I downloaded Klook – are they as good as any?
➜ TR A V EL S FOR FUN It appears the answer is yes:
mtrmobileapp.com/en/
other-function.php
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➜ CHR IS IN MAK A TI An Octopus card is the most convenient because once you’ve got credit on it you can use it to pay for just about all transport in Hong Kong, as well as other purchases such as convenience stores, McDonalds, etc. But if you buy through Klook or
something similar, you can get quite substantial discounts on Hong Kong Express tickets. For example, a one-way ticket from the airport to Hong Kong Station costs HK$110 (US$14) using an Octopus card, but you can get it on Klook for HK$75 (US$9.6).
➜ F LOR IANF LYER Octopus is generally the way to go. I don’t know these Klook people, however if there are two or more people travelling together it can often be cheaper buying at the counter in Hong Kong airport – they often have promotions and the like. Also, young children with Octopus cards often (perhaps always?) travel for free.
DOES CHOOSING A MEAL RUIN YOUR CHANCE OF AN UPGRADE? P O ST B U G A D VI SOR I’ve always heard that requesting a special meal – as in gluten free, vegetarian, kosher, halal, etc – meant that your
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chances of an upgrade were ruined, since the equivalent wouldn’t be available in business class. But how about selecting one of the standard meals in advance? In my example, I have two seats on a
British Airways (BA) flight from London Gatwick (LGW) to Orlando (MCO) in premium economy (or World Traveller Plus) – one a Gold Executive Club member and one Silver, so perhaps in the running for an operational upgrade. Under “Manage My Booking” we can choose from one of two standard meals. If we choose one of these meals, does that impact our chances of an upgrade?
➜ R F ER GUS ON The short answer is that yes, if you order a special meal you will still be considered for an upgrade. The policy changed about six months ago and originally it was the case that if you ordered a special meal you wouldn’t be considered for an upgrade. If you order a special meal and the upgrade happens on the same day as your departure, you may still receive the special meal you ordered in your original cabin. Neither will your upgrade chances be impacted if you pre-order a regular meal choice.
➜ L U G ANOP IR A TE I’ve also heard it does with any airline, not just BA. If they upgrade you, it would mean someone who takes your seat on a full flight will get your meal choice instead of the standard meal, so best to have a good meal beforehand (or after) and hope for the upgrade.
➜ HANDB A G If you are on a BA flight and you do get upgraded, and you ordered a special meal that you would still like to have, then mention it to the cabin crew. If, for instance, you ordered a kosher meal, it would have been loaded and if you are not offered it, then it will still be sitting in the World Traveller galley. If you still want it, mention it as early as possible.
CATHAY PACIFIC DATA BREACH – WORSE THAN BRITISH AIRWAYS… P O ST DE RE K194 8 Having just read about a data breach at Cathay Pacific (CX) affecting nine million plus people that happened in March, I wonder what the comments will be about this, compared to the vitriol hurled at British Airways (BA)? Just asking?
➜ STE V E S C O O TS According to CX it was over nine million passport numbers and Hong Kong identity card numbers, but credit card details were just a few hundred expired ones. I don’t see this in the same light as British Airways – anyone who travels is always giving out passport details every time they check in to a hotel, so chances are all our passport details are out there somewhere.
➜ IANF R OMHK G The data accessed was “passenger name; nationality; date of birth; phone no; email address; passport no; identity card no; FFP membership no; customer service remarks and historical travel information”. That is one hell of a lot of information
and seems more than enough to indulge in some comprehensive identify theft. The worst bit? This data was accessed in March! Seven months ago! And they’re only telling people about it now! CX can hardly fail to be aware that
responsible companies disclose this sort of issue promptly, and clearly made a decision not to – one can only wonder why, and what triggered it now. BT
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