Two Low-Cost Giants, One Route; Who Takes the Crown?

With the continued growth of airlines in the Asian subcontinent particularly low-cost carriers, we take a look at two stellar performers: HK Express and AirAsia. Our comparison focuses on flights between Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong, with HK Express operating from Kuala Lumpur Subang Airport (SZB) and AirAsia from Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), both arriving at Hong Kong International (HKG).

What We’re Comparing:

• Price

• Flight departure and arrival times

• Onboard upgrade options

• Baggage costs

• Seat pitch and recline

• Safety

To ensure fairness, we reviewed return flights from SZB and KLIA to HKG for Monday, November 3rd, returning Sunday, November 8th.

HK Express
Flight time was 4 hours 10 minutes. The outbound flight departed at 21:30, arriving at 01:45, with the return flight at 16:20, landing back at SZB at 20:30.

The ticket price, including a 20kg checked bag and carry-on, was 1,166 MYR (2,174 HKD). I pre-ordered a rice or pasta meal with a bottle of water for an additional 82 MYR (153 HKD) and selected seats at 40 MYR each way (150 HKD total).

This brought the total to 1,328 MYR (2,476 HKD / $481 AUD).

AirAsia
Flight time was 4 hours, with two outbound options: 07:20 (arriving 11:15) and 13:30 (arriving 17:30). Return options were 12:00–16:00 or 18:15–22:15, with negligible price differences between them. AirAsia offers a bundle including a meal, drink, 20kg checked baggage, and seat selection.

Adding this to the base fare brought the total to 1,337 MYR (2,493 HKD / $484 AUD).

Aircraft & Comfort
Both carriers operated Airbus A320 aircraft. Seat pitch was 28 inches with an 18-inch width. Neither airline provides complimentary amenity kits, blankets, or pillows. There is no inflight entertainment, Wi-Fi, or in-seat power.

Safety
Both airlines score 7/7 for safety. HK Express, however, was named the world’s safest low-cost airline in 2025. Neither has yet completed AirlineRatings’ onboard audit to qualify for a 7-star-plus rating.

The Conclusion
This is truly a like-for-like comparison: inflight experience, pricing, and safety ratings are virtually identical. The main difference lies in the departure airport—Subang (SZB) is closer to Kuala Lumpur city and smaller in size, which can mean a faster, smoother journey compared to KLIA.

For this author, the combination of Subang’s convenience and HK Express’s title as the world’s safest low-cost airline makes it my top pick. However, if I needed a daytime arrival into Hong Kong and the price remained the same, I would choose AirAsia.