Flying High... HK Express!

With the forever moving goalposts that continues to be Post-Pandemic travel in China, I booked my HK Express flight from Ningbo to Hong Kong with cautious optimism. Even six months on from the Mainland's official border reopening, it continues to be a guessing game for those who are living in within that border. Thankfully, both sides played ball this time in June 2023! 加油! 

Another China Customs APP Declaration? This time they didn't require me to declare my actual seat? Were they mad? I had gone through a lot of stress in February 2023 at Heathrow Airport, transiting in Hong Kong and then finally arriving into China's Shanghai, I wasn't about to deviate from the specified Epidemic Controls! No! Excited and then some, I was about to leave China's Mainland border for the first since I had left in 2020 for a very different reason, that pre Hong Kong passport check didn't fill me with any uncertain dread, it was all holiday bliss! Ningbo's Lishe International Airport really didn't impress me with that desolate International passenger concourse, things really need to develop quick-time! I'm not being critical, I'm saying what I saw! My HK Express aircraft was already at Ningbo Airport at the gate from the previous nights arrival from Hong Kong's Chek Lap Kok International Airport. That aircraft photo cements that Ningbo really needs to clean those airport windows, for real! Beijing's spoiled me! 

My timings had been on-point, I had checked in and progressed through security within record time. Without any entertainment nor distractions in the Departure Lounge area, well the time before boarding did slightly drag but I was much too excited to be over critical because that massage chair relaxed me. Boarding was a little late but proceedings were dealt with in a quick fashion, with the crew onboard before time the pre-prepared flight meant we didn't incur any lasting ground delays. HK Express embodied a kind of East Asian version of 'easyJet' but not 'Ryanair!' Pushing back a little later than scheduled didn't have me feeling mad, the purposeful Cantonese and English flight announcements from the crew made me chuckle inside because a certain resistance to use Mandarin could be detected. Soaring into those Zhejiang skies, the Mainland would be out of my peripheral for three days or so! I was thirsty, I had already perused through that in-flight refreshment menu! Holiday's had arrived and I wanted a beverage, baby!

With my HK bound flight only taking me less than two hours, I made my cash order with the quickness! I was thankfully able to order and pay with Chinese RMB tender, it really felt strange for me to be coughing up for my drinks and snacks with actual cash money! I ordered two craft beers to start with, truth be told I hadn't enjoyed breakfast that morning because it was much too early and Ningbo Airport didn't have adequate post-security facilities. Embracing that holiday tipple a few thousand feet up over China's Mainland, I enjoyed a packet of cheesy Doritos and then some Meiji chocolate covered grapes. You already know that those two beers didn't last very long, I made the best of my time by ordering a third Hong Kong craft beer! It felt bizarre to be actually flying to Hong Kong as a tourist by air with plans to exit the airport for once, that was a cause for celebration! It was great to count those Hong Kong Dollars, embracing a new currency rather than WeChatPay. Cheers to HKG! Cheers to HK Express! Cheers to life! 

The cabin crew that were onboard my HK Express flight from Ningbo were friendly and present within the cabin. Their duties appeared to be light as many of the Mainland passengers had already packed their own snacks, circumnavigating from the already available onboard refreshments. The crew members were Multilingual with both English, Cantonese and Mandarin in their vocal repertoire. Their uniforms were smart causal, with white trainers worn instead of heels or dress shoes. I liked the informal vibe, rocking their white and purple mixed colours, the feeling onboard that HK Express flight from Ningbo was one of relaxed cool! I had no complaints with the crews service, that morning flight down to Hong Kong was too quick to judge the whole service. For sure, proceedings were more relaxed compared to my previous Cathay Pacific flights down to Hong Kong. For the price of the ticket on a return basis, I had no rhyme or reason to complain about the service or crew. The return flight to Ningbo was fine!  

There was no denying that I had serious 'FOMO' as my outbound pint-sized aircraft made its descent into Hong Kong International Airport. I never usually mind being on an aisle seat but I had really wanted to get a snap of the descent into Hong Kong because the weather looked knockout fantastic! The realisation that my Hong Kong comeback trip was about to become real in a matter of moments filled me with a lot of excitement. I was thankful for that random act of kindness, because the lady who was sitting on my closest window took the above photo without any fuss. Judging from her work, the weather looked just as warm as it was feeling from the cabin as our HK Express flight released the landing gear and adjusted the thrust both ready for landing. I felt fresh and that wasn't because I had downed three cans of lager, I had never landed into Hong Kong without taking a 12 hour flight from the U.K and that was giving me major excitement because I was actually going to be leaving the airport. HK, I was more than excited! 

That super short technically 'International' flight had landed from Ningbo without any delays, the ground time felt significantly longer than what it had felt back in Zhejiang Province. Hong Kong International Airport looked as if it was going under another phase of development, on a scale like never witnessed before it felt truly fantastic to reunited with this huge transport hub under less stressful circumstances. Disembarkation was swift, people really needed to count their blessings and also to chill their beans because that plane wasn't going to leave them stranded, the crew were already over such behaviour! HK Express had swiftly transported me from Ningbo to Hong Kong in one piece, I was for sure impressed with all of those 'HK Express' quirks present! Getting stamped into Hong Kong Special Administrative Region felt very correct, the land border from Shenzhen could never! Changing up my RMB currency and bagging a data roaming sim card had to be done, I was still technically in China but I wasn't. Oh, I loved it still! 

Like a breath of fresh air, I was able to rediscover HKG Airport on my return HK Express leg of my journey back to Ningbo. My HK Express flight was scheduled on-time but you already know that 'Lan Kwai Fong' had gotten me into a right hungover state, after finding the bar downstairs from 'Check In', I made those two pints of Stella Artois two of my four drinks for the day! That China Customs APP Declaration made another 'eye roll' of an appearance, sticking to my guns I politely requested to add my official seat to that declaration. Please allow me to backtrack for one moment because aside from HK Express's efforts, I hard approved of Hong Kong's own Airport MTR railway from Hong Kong Station, I needed such convenience to get me from hungover point to point on that departure day! Those familiar travellators took me right back to that first 2018 meeting when I had just landed from Beijing in-transit to Manchester, U.K! Where was my HK Express boarding gate actually located? After trekking over the 'Sky Bridge'...

Yes, that 'Sky Bridge' revealed my Mainland China bound departure gate, I reluctantly checked my bag in as a 'Gate Bag' because it was evident that people had gone crazy with their shopping purchases. Comprehension of what sensible cabin baggage should be had evidently been lost on those passengers? Quite! Before I headed for that HK Express boarding procedure, I enjoyed a sublime seasoned sausage roll with an iced coffee from 'Pacific Coffee', I was getting HK withdrawals before departure! Landing before bedtime, that evening departure with HK Express served up two more cans of lager for me to retox! Those snacks helped me soak up that 'Saturday Night Sesh!' The utter contrast between HKG and NGB Airports saw me fly through Ningbo's compact Immigration and Baggage Claim procedures. I dodged those questions because I used my Chinese skills whilst other foreigners dug their problems only deeper holes. HK Express served me what I had paid for, on-time flights with tasty drinks and snacks! 多謝 in Cantonese! 

Where To Next?! 

Desperately Seeking Adventure