HK Express Continues to Soar with Stellar Performance in February

HK Express continues its excellent performance in 2017 with strong passenger growth, good On-Time Performance, an impressive load factor and robust ancillary revenue in February compared to the same month last year.

For the third month in a row, the low-fare airline HK Express hit a load factor of 90% — a clear sign that HK Express continues to fill its planes and operate at near-optimal efficiency. The low-fare airline clocked an outstanding average load factor of 89% over the past 12 months.

Passenger growth rates rose again in February on a year-on-year basis with a total of 263,102 guests flown, marking a 10.94% increase compared to the same month last year. Over the past 12 months, HK Express flew 2,985,886 guests across its network, which marks a 23.49% increase compared to the previous 12 months ending February 2016.

HK Express has developed a reputation for its strong On-Time Performance (OTP) and February’s 79.3% OTP rate solidifies its position as one of most on-time airlines in Asia. Furthermore, HK Express reported an OTP of 76.8% in the past 12 months and 77.3% on average year-to-date.

In terms of guest complaint rates, HK Express is pleased to report a nominal rate of 0.09% in February, marking a 25% drop compared to the same month last year. In the past 12 months, the rate remained low at 0.11% on average.

Ancillary revenue continues to thrive, hitting 23.36% of total revenue in the month of February and 23.39% over the past 12 months. Ancillary services such as the U-Fly Pass and U-Biz corporate programme contributed to the strong ancillary revenue performance, with more guest services to be expected later in the year.

The free U-Biz corporate membership programme has been well received by business travellers, thanks to its many benefits and bundle pricing. U-Biz is perfect for guests who are looking for flexible cancellation and rescheduling options, late check-in, priority boarding, free seat selection, 30kg checked baggage, 2x reward-U points, $25 inflight meal credit — presenting excellent value for money.  

 We are constantly enhancing our ancillary services and are thrilled with the positive response,” says Andrew Cowen, Director and CEO of HK Express. “Our guests choose us for our convenient, affordable flights, superlative safety standards and operational reliability. Meanwhile, our ancillary services enable us to continue providing the lowest fares in the region by unbundling choices, so our guests can select what they truly need or want when they fly. This also diversifies revenue streams for our business and motivates us to augment our offering to guests. 

There’s more good news to come in the first quarter of 2017. HK Express has received excellent feedback on its new Saipan route, which was launched in January. To meet strong demand, the low-fare airline plans to increase flight frequency between Hong Kong and Saipan at the end of March.

* Departures <15 minutes of scheduled departure time from Hong Kong (industry standard measure of punctuality)
** Guest Complaint Rate is calculated based on the number of complaint case per number of carried guests.