Flight Review: Greater Bay Airlines, Hong Kong to Osaka Kansai

Although I tend to prioritize flights from which I could accrue miles, occasionally the rare hat trick of new airline (i.e. one I haven’t yet flown) + convenient times + competitive price manifests. As you probably guessed, this time the hat trick was performed by Hong Kong-based Greater Bay Airlines.

Unoriginal name aside (will they be announcing San Francisco flights soon?), Greater Bay Airlines was founded in 2020, but started flying in July 2022. Don’t bother going to their official “Our story”/about us page; it hasn’t even been updated to reflect the completion of HKG’s third runway:

Outdated Greater Bay Airlines website; notice mention of “Central Government–” makes me think that a mainlander founded the airline

The airline is an LCC (low-cost carrier), but to what extent it is an LCC is another matter; I will clarify this later in the review.

Check-In

Greater Bay Airlines uses check-in area D at its HKG home base. To be candid, I had already checked-in for the HKG-Osaka (KIX) flight one day earlier, since I had flown in with them from Bangkok BKK. That should also explain why the featured image for this write-up was taken at BKK, and not HKG.

As mentioned nary a short paragraph ago, the carrier is an LCC, replete with rules for carry-ons and checked luggage. Yet, not once did check-in at Bangkok, nor gate agents in BKK and HKG make me weigh the bags. Neither flight was particularly full, so maybe that’s the reason? Then again, I can’t picture Ryanair, Viva Aerobus, or Frontier being so acquiescent.

Security + In-flight Meal (mentioned this early?!)

My KIX flight was around 08:30, but I deliberately made it to the airport early so as to have breakfast at a Priority Pass lounge. Unless you want to pay extra for a “meal” in-flight, grab something beforehand; otherwise, nothing will be served.

By the way, if you head to HKG security closest to check-in area D, scan your ticket, and then stick to the security queues to the right, you’re a sucker.
At around 06:30, due to the increasingly long queues, I happened to be the first one allowed into the left-most side of security, i.e. where nothing has to be taken out of the bags. There’s an obvious superficial difference in the scanners, so make a wise choice by turning left.

Where’s the Gate?

Based on the previous day’s flight, my flight that day, and the FIDS (screens showing flights), I got the impression that Greater Bay Airlines gets the shaft by having to use the satellite concourse.

Haven’t been there before? Well, for starters, don’t expect to be able to use a lounge while there (unless you’re flying Hong Kong Airlines).

You have to take the airside train:

I haven’t even gotten to my favourite part: the “observation deck:”

That's right: you, too, can observe passengers smoke cigarettes in a space no larger than an Emirates First Class Lav — That’s right: you, too, can observe passengers smoke cigarettes in a space no larger than an Emirates First Class Lav

Hong Kong, your laws are silly. Fines for spitting, but smoke anywhere outside. Singapore, you’re guilty, too.

But what about our tax revenue?

In-Flight

Entirely unremarkable. The interior of the aircraft was clean-looking, the seat was tolerable for the short 3.5 hour flight to Osaka, and best of all, I had no neighbors. One design flaw was that the lavatory sink was awkwardly placed, like a rush job.

Right, have some photos–