Minister for Transport Ong Ye Kung announced on Nov. 11 that Singapore and Hong Kong will start their air travel bubble (ATB) on Nov. 22, 2020.
Within hours of the announcement, the first week of ATB flights on Singapore Airlines (SIA) completely sold out, while the first week of ATB flights on Cathay Pacific are almost all sold out.
Only SIA and Cathay Pacific may operate ATB flights, and each airline is only starting with at most one flight a day.
Ticket prices surging
While flights were initially available in the afternoon after the announcement, at around S$500 for a return flight on either SIA or Cathay Pacific, flights are no longer available on SIA for the inaugural ATB flight to Hong Kong on Nov. 22.
In fact, all the SIA ATB flights within the first week of the inaugural flight are sold out, according to a search on Google Flights.
At the time of writing, the earliest ATB flight you can find on SIA will depart on Nov. 29, a full week after the first flight.
In addition, prices are rising fast.
SIA price
A return flight on SIA departing on Nov. 29 would cost you anywhere between S$777 and S$1,018, depending on your travel dates.
In comparison, return flights on SIA to Hong Kong can be found from S$482 onwards on dates before the travel bubble.
Cathay Pacific price
Similarly, flights on Cathay Pacific's ATB flights are selling fast.
At the time of writing, flights are only available from Nov. 26 onwards, and prices for a return ticket range from S$880 to S$1,502, depending on your travel dates.
Return tickets on Cathay Pacific on dates before the travel bubble can be found from S$422 onwards.
If you want to snag a ticket to Hong Kong, you better act fast.
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Top image via Singapore Airlines.