, Columnist
When Even Cathay Goes Budget, the Trend Is Clear
Plane tickets just aren’t worth what they once were, forcing airlines to seek more revenue from add-ons like baggage fees and meals.
If you can't beat them, join them.
Photographer: ANTHONY WALLACE/AFP/Getty Images
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There’s always been something grimly appropriate about the world’s most unequal rich society being home to one of its least affordable aviation sectors.
Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. has historically been so resistant to the idea of budget airlines that the city’s dominant carrier once fought (and won) a three-year regulatory battle to stop Qantas Airways Ltd. from setting one up in the territory.