REACHING CAPACITY: Opened in 1998, Hong Kong International Airport handled 50.9 million passengers in 2010. © Lim Cheng En

The Airport Authority Hong Kong says the Hong Kong International Airport's (HKG) two-runway system will reach capacity before 2020, some 15–20 years earlier than projected. Last week the AAHK released a 20-year development blueprint for Hong Kong International Airport to solicit feedback on the airport's future development direction.

The Hong Kong International Airport Master Plan 2030 outlines two development options for public consultation. One option proposes a short-term plan to keep the current two-runway system and expand existing facilities slightly to provide extra capacity until 2030. A second, and more expensive, option is to build a third runway to meet projected growth in passenger and cargo numbers beyond 2030.

If it gets the go-ahead, the third runway is projected to cost USD 11 billion at today's prices (over USD 17 billion when inflation is taken into account) and take 10 years to complete.

The Association of Asia Pacific Airlines and Cathay Pacific have been among the first to voice their support for the third runway. Cathay Pacific CEO John Slosar said that HKIA is "a victim of its own success".

"Hong Kong is facing a very real danger of giving away its competitive advantage if it does not move quickly and decisively on the need to build the third runway," said Slosar.

Environmentalists have voiced concerns about the third runway option and are expected to question the need to reclaim an additional 650 hectares of land off Lantau Island — close to the marine park specifically set up to protect Hong Kong's iconic pink dolphins (Chinese white dolphins) when HKIA was built.

A three-month public consultation exercise commenced June 3. Stakeholders and the public are invited to submit their views and comments to the Social Sciences Research Centre of the University of Hong Kong.

All Nippon Airways and Lufthansa are launching a strategic joint venture on Japan–Europe routes after ANA received anti-trust immunity approval from the Japanese Ministry of Land Infrastructure and Transport. The joint venture should improve the level of service offered to passengers by allowing ANA and Lufthansa to work together on schedule coordination and joint product sales. Customers should also benefit from improved transfers and connections. The two carriers aim to introduce the new joint venture within the 2011 winter timetable. This latest agreement between the two Star Alliance members follows the launch of a similar joint venture between ANA and United Airlines on trans-Pacific routes in April.

Accor has outlined its plans to expand its network of hotels in Indonesia with 21 additional properties. The group currently operates 40 hotels in Indonesia and has 13 hotels under construction. During 2011, Accor will open seven hotels: Pullman Jakarta Central Park, Mercure Banjarmasin, Mercure Bali Kuta Harvestland, Mercure Padang, Ibis Bali Kuta, All Seasons Bali Denpasar and All Seasons Yogyakarta. The 21 new hotels announced last week include Pullman- and Novotel-branded properties in Jakarta and an MGallery boutique resort in Bali. The new properties will add 4,526 new rooms to Accor's hotel network throughout the Indonesian archipelago.

Finnair launched its new daily service to Singapore (SIN) on May 30. The carrier has also added five flights per week to its Hong Kong (HKG) schedule for the summer. Finnair will fly 12 times a week between Helsinki (HEL) and Hong Kong through Oct. 9. The Scandinavian carrier continues to expand its routes within Asia, promoting the option of taking the shortest route between Asia and Europe through Helsinki (HEL). Finland's geographical location and lower air traffic also enables Finnair to offer its customers fast and smooth connections.

Oneworld alliance partners American Airlines and Cathay Pacific Airways have expanded their codeshare agreement. The Hong Kong-based airline will add 11 new destinations to its network in the United States. Cathay Pacific's CX code will be placed on selected American Airlines domestic flights between Chicago (ORD) and nine American cities: Atlanta (ATL), Charlotte (CLT), Cleveland (CLE), Columbus (CMH), Detroit (DET), Kansas City (MCI), Minneapolis-St Paul (MSP), Philadelphia (PHL) and Pittsburg (PTS). The latest arrangement will also cover American Airlines services from Los Angeles (LAX) to Phoenix (PHX) and Salt Lake City (SLC). Tickets for the new codeshare services are already on sale for travel commencing Sept. 1 when Cathay Pacific begins its new daily service between Hong Kong (HKG) and Chicago.

Korean Air will launch its Airbus A380 services between Seoul (INC) and both Tokyo (NRT) and Hong Kong (HKG) on June 17. The first A380 operator in Northeast Asia, Korean Air is offering a three-class layout with 407 seats in total. The airline will gradually expand its A380 service to popular short-haul routes in Asia, such as Bangkok (BKK) in July, followed by long-haul routes to New York (JFK) in August, Paris (CDG) in September and Los Angeles (LAX) in October. Korean Air has ordered 10 A380 aircraft with the first five to be delivered by the end of 2011 and the remaining five by 2014.

Make your next stay with The Leading Hotels of the World even more special by joining The Leaders Club today! Enjoy special benefits, privileges and recognition each time you reserve through The Leading Hotels of the World and stay at any of our 430 hotels. Join Now.

Marriott Rewards members can earn their next flight faster with Marriott's Quadruple Miles promotion. For a limited time, members who choose to earn airline miles in participating frequent flyer programmes will receive quadruple the miles for stays at any of more than 3,400 Marriott International hotels in 70 countries, starting from their second stay. In many cases, members will earn up to eight miles per U.S. dollar spent. The Quadruple Miles promotion runs through Aug. 31. Members can register online at MarriottRewards.com/quadmiles. Participating airlines include British Airways, Cathay Pacific, United Airlines and Air Canada and Star Alliance member airlines.

Stay two nights at any Mandarin Oriental hotel this summer and receive up to USD 100 per day per room to spend during your visit wherever you like in the hotel — from the restaurants and bars to the guestrooms and spas. Guests staying in suites will receive up to USD 200 per day. The Luxury Breakspromotion is available for stays of two nights or more at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group's 41 properties located in city centre and resort destinations worldwide.

Through June 30, Emirates is offering a business-class fare from Hong Kong (HKG) to Bangkok (BKK) from HKD 3,712 on Emirates' daily Airbus A380 service. Flights must be booked online through the Emirates' Hong Kong website. Passengers must begin their journey before June 30 and stay for a minimum of two days. There is no fuel surcharge and the fare includes ticket taxes and Hong Kong security charges.

Following last year's successful launch of the Global Hotel Alliance experience-based rewards programme GHA Discovery, GHA is introducing new rewards for time-challenged travellers. GHA Discovery Experience Express is aimed at business travellers with just a few hours to spare between meetings and flights. More than 100 Experience Express activities have been designed by GHA member hotels to provide exclusive access to cultural and off-the-beaten path activities in two hours or less. The Experience Express awards vary by membership level — the higher the membership level, the more exclusive the reward.

Fly business class on Qatar Airways from Hong Kong (HKG) this summer and receive a Four Seasons Hong Kong dining voucher worth HKD 1,000 to use at any of the hotel's acclaimed restaurants. Business-class fares to Europe include Manchester (MAN) from HKD 27,374, Barcelona (BCN) from HKD 28,044, Paris (CDG) from HKD 28,900 and Buenos Aries (EZE) from HKD 43,289. Travel must take place between June 18 and Aug. 30; the dining voucher must be used before July 20. Visit Qatar Airways, Hong Kong for details.