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Travel Blog: Taking a Courier Flight from Hong Kong to LondonPublished on Jan 31, 2008 by Marc888 |
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1. Chapter: Flying from Hong Kong to London. |
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It was early December and I was keen to book a flight to take me from Hong Kong to the UK to visit some friends and family over the Christmas and New Year period. I had been staying in Hong Kong for some months and so this was to be just a short break for a week or two. I headed to Tsim Sha Tsui, a busy area of Hong Kong which is located at the tip of the Kowloon Peninsular and which is very popular with visitors. The main reason I was there was because I had previously spotted a number of travel agents offering special deals. These were nestled in some of the small side streets along the famous Nathan Road, a wide boulevard that runs almost directly down through the middle of the peninsular.
Tags for this Travel Blog Chapter: flyingfromhongkongtolondon |
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2. Chapter: Charlotte Travel, Tsim Sha Tsui |
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My first stop was at Charlotte Travel which was located quite close to Tsim Sha Tsui MTR Station. This was quite a nice travel agent and the staff spoke good English. Predictably as this was quite a busy time of year it was busy and I had to wait for a member of the staff to become free. That was not too much problem though, as the waiting area was very comfortable and the travel agent offered complimentary drinks. I guess it is a way for them to keep their customers from going elsewhere and it worked in my case, though my reason for staying was maybe more due to the fact that I was too lazy to walk around the streets looking for another place!
Tags for this Travel Blog Chapter: charlottetravelagents |
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3. Chapter: Flying during a busy Period |
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Eventually it was my turn, but as soon as I mentioned I wanted to go to London over the Christmas period, the face of the travel agent clerk said it all in an instant. Sure enough the words that followed were, as expected, to the effect that all the flights on the dates that I was looking to go on were full. Indeed even people booking several months before had been facing the same problem, as most of the flights were booked up as early as late summer. I was offered a number of other dates, notably ones well after the New Year and towards the middle of January, which unsurprisingly were so empty that I could almost have had the entire plane to myself.
Tags for this Travel Blog Chapter: hongkongflightatchristmas |
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4. Chapter: Business class and first class |
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However, of course these dates would be unsuitable for my plans. I was also offered seats in business and first class, but alas, not only my budget wouldn’t stretch to the higher prices, my common sense also wouldn’t!. I found that business class seats were on average 3 to 4 times the price of even the economy plus fares, and first class seats were typically around 8 to 10 times the price. Even if I could afford them comfortably I am really not sure I would ever spend so much money for what amounts to just an extra few inches of space (in business class at any rate), and a fancy meal.
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5. Chapter: Alternative destinations when all flights are full. |
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Still it seems that that plenty of people were prepared to pay the higher prices because even some of the first and business class seats were sold out on some dates. I imagine that some people booked the higher priced seats just to secure passage. After a few minutes of politely asking the clerk to double and triple check, it was clear that all of flights for the dates I wished to book were indeed full. I didn’t want to give up though, so I decided to look at possibly going to another destination and then getting a flight from my intermediate stop to London. I first looked at Paris and then Rome.
Tags for this Travel Blog Chapter: hongkongflights |
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6. Chapter: Hong Kong to Rome or Paris |
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Whilst a number of airlines plying the actual Hong Kong to London Route do have stops on route, usually they are mid way along in such places such as Dubai or India. Typically these flights are operated by the National airlines of the countries that are mid way along the route, such as Gulf Air or Emirates. Choosing a flight with stopovers usually works out cheaper as the flight is much more tiresome with the mid-route interruption. Still my choice to look at Paris, and Rome as final destinations meant that I was now looking at a completely different route to that of the Hong Kong London flight. Namely these alternative destinations would now hopefully open up the Hong Kong to Paris and Hong Kong to Rome flights, with or without stopovers. The idea being that this should give me a substantial amount of extra choice.
Tags for this Travel Blog Chapter: hongkongtorome hongkongtoparis |
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7. Chapter: Weighing up the expense of connections |
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I was even open to going to quieter, less popular destinations such as the Hong Kong to Athens route. Anyway, the search restarted with these other routes and sure enough some seats could be found, but the prices were still quite a lot higher than I wanted to pay. It seems that with less competition on these routes, the prices tend to remain firm and the airlines have several tiers of classes and hence several pricing ranges on a given flight. I also had to factor in the cost of the additional flight to take me from for example Rome to London, and/or the possibility of these flights being full and/or more expensive than normal.
Tags for this Travel Blog Chapter: flightconnectionstohongkong |
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8. Chapter: Making a reservation without paying |
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Still, this methodology of choosing a alternative airport to fly to did serve to remind me that there is often a way to get to a destination even when all flights to it seem to be full. Even with the high prices to Paris being unpalatable I booked a flight. I didn’t have to pay anything to get the reservation but I was told that since it was a busy period and since my booking was quite near to the time of my departure (only 3 weeks or so), I would have to pay within 5 days or the booking would be cancelled. I actually didn’t expect that I would take this flight but at least I had a reservation in my back pocket, if all else failed.
Tags for this Travel Blog Chapter: flightreservation |
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9. Chapter: The airline reservation system |
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Indeed I have employ this method quite a few times, and in quiet periods I have found that a reservation can be secured and held for several months, assuming the flight is that far away in time. Typically airlines only start to get twitchy and either cancel reservations or ask for a deposit around 14 days before departure. It is quite incredible that the airlines can work on this system. I could not imagine any other business being as successful if they were to allow arbitrary bookings and cancellations without payment, but the airlines seem to still fill their planes and at the same time offer a lot of flexibility for would-be travelers by offering free reservations for extended times which can be cancelled at will. Quite a feat!
Tags for this Travel Blog Chapter: airlinereservations |
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10. Chapter: A stroll along Canton Road |
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Anyway by now I was sensing that the waiting room was getting ever busier, and having taken up arguably more than my fair share of the clerk’s time, I left. I took a stroll down Nathan Road and then swung left into a small road that took me into Canton Road, a large street that runs parallel to it. There I was able to wander around the large shopping mall and stop for a coffee in one of the numerous coffee shops. Whilst enjoying my coffee I was able to grab a complimentary copy of the daily newspaper, the South China Morning Post, and after reading about the days events, found myself browsing though the classified section with particular focus on the many flight offerings that were there.
Tags for this Travel Blog Chapter: cantonroad |
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11. Chapter: An advertisment for a courier flight |
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Most of the travel agents looked to be offering similar deals, but I did notice an advertisement for a courier flight to London. I had heard about these previously, but had never actually looked into it much. Essentially it entails traveling on a normal scheduled flight but as an impromptu employee of a cargo company essentially accompanying a cargo consignment. Of course it does beg the question, why don’t these companies just send their cargo by way of standard air freight flight? The answer is that sending goods on normal cargo flights can take quite a long time especially as regards customs, whereas cargo that is sent on a passenger flight can go virtually instantly. The only catch being that there must be a passenger accompanying it.
Tags for this Travel Blog Chapter: courierflight |
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12. Chapter: Jupiter Air Courier Flights |
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With this state of affairs always in force, and with a never ending stream of time sensitive cargo being shipped around the world that must meet its destination the very next day, there is a constant need for couriers to accompany the goods. Jupiter Air was the company offering the courier flights and so I gave them a call. I was invited to come to their office to check availability and since I was quite curious to see exactly what I would be getting myself into I did just that. Jupiter Air’s office was actually quite a large place, and they seemed to be used to dealing with members of the public who were available to fly with them.
Tags for this Travel Blog Chapter: jupiterair |
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13. Chapter: Courier Flight Discounts |
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In normal times courier flights can work out considerably cheaper than standard seat on a scheduled flight, but the amount of discount depends less so on the actual seasonality of flights and more so on simply how many people turn up to fill the vacant slots that the courier company needs to fill. If there is a waiting list of people looking to act as courier for a given flight, then the discount is quite small compared to just flying normally. Of course the courier company normally does offer some sort of incentive for people to go with them as opposed to just enjoying a normal hassle free scheduled flight, but there are some busy times of the year when people will pay the full fare for a courier flight arrangement just to secure a seat. It was that time of year for me!
Tags for this Travel Blog Chapter: courierflightdiscounts |
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14. Chapter: How courier flights work |
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At other times, when cargo needs to be sent and the courier company is scratching around for a person to accompany it, it is possible, apparently, to get a very deep discount or even a free flight! The courier companies do of course maintain an advance booking system much like the regular airlines, and in this way that can at least ensure that they have people booked in for each of the flights that they wish to send cargo on. As an aside, if the courier company is completely stuck and no one is booked in to fly, and if no one comes forward to fly with them on a given day, they normally send one of their office staff on the flight at the very last minute!
Tags for this Travel Blog Chapter: howcourierflightswork |
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15. Chapter: Registering as a courier |
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Since it was peak season, I was not expecting either to get a flight nor to get a discount, but I figured that it would hurt to register, and even if I wasn’t successful on this occasion at least I could maybe get a cheap or free flight in the future. However, as luck would have it, there was a flight available for my chosen outbound date and it was priced just slightly below the standard economy fare for a Hong Kong to London flight. Not only that, but it was considerably cheaper than my more expensive Hong Kong to Paris route that I had just reserved at the travel agents and at the same time a much less complicated flight.
Tags for this Travel Blog Chapter: registeringasacourier |
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16. Chapter: Booking a courier flight |
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I asked a few more questions such as would I be able to see what I was being a courier for, and how the process worked, but after getting the assurances I needed that all was above board I booked in for the flight. Since the courier company operated an in house booking system, I had to pay for the ticket immediately however it was such as good deal that I was pleased to do so. I was told to arrive as normal at the check in desk on the day of departure in question, but to meet the Jupiter Ground staff who would be waiting for me. I left the office very pleased with my find and headed back to the apartment where I was staying.
Tags for this Travel Blog Chapter: bookingacourierflight |
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17. Chapter: The day of departure |
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Nearly three weeks passed, and the departure date was upon me. I was told that I could pack a standard suitcase for myself even though I was accompanying other cargo, but that I had to strictly adhere to a 20kg limit. I used a pair of bathroom scales to pre check the weight of my baggage before leaving the apartment on the morning in question so as to ensure that I wouldn’t inconvenience the ground staff. At Hong Kong’s International Airport I met the Jupiter air ground staff who simply helped me to check in.
Tags for this Travel Blog Chapter: takingaclourierflight |
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18. Chapter: Hong Kong to London via Bangkok |
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The flight was to take me to Bangkok first and then on to London. Sometimes there is a consignment to go from Hong Kong either to Bangkok or all the way to London, but on this day the consignment was actually going to be loaded on at the start of the second leg of my flight at Bangkok’s International Airport. Whilst flying to London via Bangkok it is not a direct route, it was quite a nice way to do this flight since the first leg was only 2 and a half hours, and this allowed the main sector from Bangkok to London to be an uninterrupted non stop flight of around 10 hours.
Tags for this Travel Blog Chapter: hongkongtolondonviabangkok |
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19. Chapter: Arriving in Bangkok |
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Whilst the connection can also be very quick, on this occasion, I was required to stay overnight in Bangkok. I boarded the flight as normal and took my seat. The flight was with Thai airways, and it was a nice flight. Indeed it was exactly as per a standard flight with the airline. After 2 hours and 40 minutes, I found myself on final approach to Bangkok’s International airport, and after arriving and passing through immigration and customs as normal, I met with the local Jupiter staff there, who gave me hotel vouchers for my stay overnight. All of this was free, and even the transit to the hotel was laid on.
Tags for this Travel Blog Chapter: hongkongtobangkok courierflight |
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20. Chapter: The Quality Suites, Bangkok |
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I stayed at the Quality Suites hotel which was quite near to the airport, and this place provided me with an absolutely huge suite, comprising 2 bedrooms, a lounge and a large bathroom. The location was quite far from the centre of town, and in any case I was fairly tired, so I just went out to a nearby restaurant and enjoyed a meal there before turning in for an early night. The next morning I headed back to the airport and rejoined with the Jupiter staff. They were very friendly but also efficient. At check in I was able to catch my first glimpse of what I was accompanying. It was an enormous amount of goods comprising of dozens of washing machines sized pallets.
Tags for this Travel Blog Chapter: thequalitysuites bangkok |
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21. Chapter: My first view of the consignment I was accompanying |
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It appeared that the courier had certainly got their money's worth out of me, as I imagine the courier fees for all of this cargo amounted to a small fortune. This was certainly big business and I could now understand how the courier flights system was able to provide such good deals. Notwithstanding the massive load, for me, the process really wasn’t taxing, since all I had to do was sign some documents and receive a pouch which contained the manifest for the goods I was accompanying. I was then sent on my way to complete my check in formalities and immigration as normal.
Tags for this Travel Blog Chapter: courierflight consignment |
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22. Chapter: Arriving at London Heathrow |
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Again, this was another standard Thai Airways flight, non stop to London Heathrow. The only difference for me is that I got a cheaper seat. Indeed you could argue that the true benefit, on this occasion at least, was that I got a seat at all. After the overnight long haul flight from Bangkok to London, I arrived at Heathrow airport at around 6am, whereupon I went through the standard procedure of immigration and customs, though, still clutching my pouch of manifest documents. My only other requirement under the terms of being a courier was to hand the documents back to the Jupiter office staff after emerging from the airport.
Tags for this Travel Blog Chapter: arrivingatlondonheathrow |
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23. Chapter: Visiting the Jupiter Air office in London |
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The office was in an adjacent building and within walking distance, and as I braced myself against a chilly December British wind, I found myself in the office which appeared to be having its busiest time of day, in spite of the fact that dawn had barely broken. I proudly announced that I had just come from Bangkok, but of course the staff were absolutely not impressed, as it was just an other uneventful day for them at the office! The clerk at the front desk relieved me of the document pouched and told me that I could be on my way. I left the office and caught a taxi from the airport into central London.
Tags for this Travel Blog Chapter: courierflightfromhongkong |
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24. Chapter: Completion of my courier duties |
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This was in fact the completion of all of my duties under the agreement, and for my return trip back to Hong Kong, via Bangkok, I was able to enjoy a completely normal flight without any courier duties at all.Although on some flights inbound and outbound accompaniment is necessary, this is actually quite rare, and so for me, my services were only required for outbound flight. I was even allowed to change the date of the return flight as I would be able to do with a normal ticket. That’s because, the ticket I had with the airline was in fact a standard ticket.
Tags for this Travel Blog Chapter: courierticket returnflight |
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