Hainan Airlines to launch non-stop China flights to Ireland and Scotland

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Later this year Hainan Airlines is going to connect Beijing to Ireland and Scotland with their first ever direct flights on this route.

Hainan Airlines will offer a four times weekly service Beijing-Dublin-Edinburgh-Beijing on Thursdays and Sundays and Beijing-Edinburgh-Dublin-Beijing on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Before you ask, it does not seem possible to book Dublin-Edinburgh on its own.

The airline will launch the first flight on 12th June operating an Airbus 330-300.

Dublin Airport’s Managing Director Vincent Harrison said:

“Hainan’s new Dublin-Beijing route links not just our two capital cities, but also our two countries. It is great news for tourism and trade and this improved connectivity will create new jobs throughout Ireland”.

In addition Hainan Airlines is launching thrice-weekly flights from London Heathrow to Changsha later this month with recent prices as low as £1,190 for a return flight in business.

Everyone who books a flight via the Hainan Airlines website by December this year will automatically get Silver Status in their loyalty scheme – though this will only be useful on Hainan Airlines flights as they are not part of a major airline alliance.

Category

General

This article is closed to new posts. Discussion continues in the HfP Forums.

John says:

21 Mar21 March 11:34

Rob, I know this is from Mail Online, the home of rubbish travel stories but…

Thai’s found a pretext for banning obese people from business.

Terrible if you’re sitting in economy and they end up beside you, admittedly.

And, yes, I know some people have medical conditions. But if you find someone spilling into your personal space, it’s usually the long term consequence of junk food consumption, rather than illness.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5525523/Thai-Airways-bans-obese-passengers-new-planes.html
- Cate ⛱️ says:
  
  21 Mar21 March 12:43
  
  ‘Terrible if you’re sitting in economy and they end up beside you, admittedly.’
  
  Oh indeed! Tell me, is it true that economy passengers wash their socks in the lavs and put them out to dry on the armrests?
  - John says:
    
    21 Mar21 March 15:14
    
    Not what I meant at all.
    
    Often fly economy in Europe, less often in North America.
    
    Overweight passengers unwilling to buy an extra seat – and instead spilling into neighbour’s already cramped space – is an increasing problem (and safety risk).
    
    Thai have done the right thing by business passengers, they should do the same for economy passengers.
    
    Other airlines should copy.
    
    This is not fat-ism, incidentally!
Alan says:

21 Mar21 March 13:44

If you buy IHG points, how long does ittake to show in your account as usable?
- Liz says:
  
  21 Mar21 March 16:16
  
  Instantly! I bought mine yesterday and they were there straight away.
  - Alan says:
    
    21 Mar21 March 18:57
    
    Thanks. Unfortunately I left it too late and the last room at 40,000 for our dates in New York has disappeared.
- Azza says:
  
  21 Mar21 March 18:43
  
  I bought 26k points at lunchtime today followed by an email confirmation immediately, advising that everything had gone through ok. However, still none of the purchased points are showing on my account 6 hours later. Doesn’t look like you can rely on an instantaneous transfer each time.
  Am now dreading calling the IHG Helpdesk / Call Centre (at some point in the near future).
JohnT says:

21 Mar21 March 14:04

Quick query for IHG ambassador, presume the guaranteed upgrade won’t get you into club lounge unless booked rate already includes it?
- Genghis says:
  
  21 Mar21 March 14:24
  
  Correct
  - Rob says:
    
    21 Mar21 March 14:39
    
    IHG is particularly rubbish about this. Some hotels will ‘upgrade’ you to a Club Room – identical to a normal room in almost every way – but then refuse you Club access because you were upgraded. Abu Dhabi did this to me. Others, to be fair, will let you use the lounge if you’re upgraded to a club room.
    - Kathy says:
      
      21 Mar21 March 15:29
      
      At Sydney they let me stay in my ‘upgraded’ Club room for nights not booked on the Club rate/booked on points, instead of making me move to a new room mid-stay, but only allowed me Club access for nights I had booked a Club rate – unless I paid the Club access supplement of 200 AUD.
      
      They’ve basically unbundled Club access from the actual room you book, so you can be in a ‘Club’ room without access but you can book any room and get Club access by paying the supplement. That might work for some people using points – if there’s 2 of you, you would normally buy the hotel breakfast and have a few drinks in the hotel bar of an evening, then you’d probably get your money’s worth.
- CV3V says:
  
  21 Mar21 March 15:25
  
  Had the ‘upgrade’ to a club floor room, but no lounge access given. Worthless. Booking a room with club access, then getting an upgrade on that has reaped some decent rooms, often to a suite.
  - Kathy says:
    
    21 Mar21 March 15:32
    
    Depends on the hotel, I think – at some the upgrade is basically a better view.
The Original Nick says:

21 Mar21 March 20:00

Slightly O:T, I’ll be staying at the IC Toronto Centre on points. Has anyone any experience of the Club Lounge there? I will pay for access if It’s worth it.