Hong Kong Express pivots from full-service airline to low-cost carrier
Skift Take
Tourism out of Asia is growing, but travelers worldwide are still looking to trim costs leading to the rise in low-cost carriers and the now evident decline of full service airlines.
Hong Kong Express Airways Ltd. plans to transform itself into a budget airline this year, joining the growing ranks of Asian carriers seeking to profit from the region's boom in low-cost flights.
The full-service carrier's president, Yang Jianhong, told The Wall Street Journal it aims to unveil in late May the details of its plan to turn the airline into a budget carrier by the third quarter.
"We see rapid growth potential for budget carrier services as penetration in Asia remains low compared with more developed markets in Europe and the U.S.," he said.
Up Next
Hotels
How Data Quality Issues Impact Global Hospitality Operations
There are wide discrepancies in data quality for hotel transactions across global regions, with the largest occurring in Asia-Pacific. Because hotels and agencies need to harness data quality to thrive, they must take a more nuanced regional approach to monitoring potential issues.
Sponsored 
Airlines
JetBlue Targets High-Spending Flyers as Industry Competition for Premium Travelers Heats Up
As airlines race to expand premium offerings, this move is a key part of JetBlue’s strategy to enhance loyalty and drive profitability.
Tourism
America's National Parks May Face Summer Worker Shortage
The U.S. National Parks Service hasn't seen staffing increase in tandem with surging visitation at many locations. The Trump's Administration's rescinding of job offers to temporary workers, plus other actions, may compromise the ability of rangers to manage crowds this summer.
Airlines
EU Policymakers Raise Concerns Over Slow Sustainable Aviation Fuel Production
The EU has big goals for sustainable aviation fuel, but big goals alone won’t solve the problem. Without major investment to produce more SAF and make it cheaper, these targets may end up being more talk than action.
Airlines
Finnair Warns of Pilot Job Cuts as Labor Talks Intensify
As labor negotiations restart, Finnair management is raising the stakes. The threat of pilot redundancies will be front of mind when further talks begin next week.