Facebook fans to pick inaugural budget flight destination for HK Express

After announcing an abandonment of its full-service model, HK Express is positioning itself in the aviation market as the only low-cost carrier (LCC) based, operated and managed out of Hong Kong.

Potential competitor Jetstar Hong Kong—a joint venture between Qantas Airways' Jetstar Group, China Eastern Airlines and Shun Tak Holdings—is still securing regulatory approval.

To build momentum and drum up excitement for HK Express, a Facebook page has been set up by its PR agency SPRG for a 'Dream Destination' competition.

The competition invites Facebook users to decide where the repositioned carrier flies to for its inaugural budget flight in October.

Participants can choose from Kaohsiung, Tokyo, Seoul, Kathmandu, Shanghai, Singapore, Guam or Surabaya.

Entries will be judged on the reasons given for selecting a particular city. To win four free tickets, their reasons must be original, creative and entertaining.

Running until 31 July, the competition is targeted at attracting a "considerable number" of Facebook fans by September 2013, after which more special offers and fare discounts will be added to further promote the low-cost carrier.

"For one of the first times in Hong Kong’s aviation history, it is over to the people of Hong Kong to decide the route of an airline by voicing their preferences online," Andrew Cowen, deputy chief executive officer designate of HK Express, said in a press release.

The airlines plans to offer budget flights to Kunming, Chongqing, and Kota Kinabalu, in addition to existing flights to Guilin, Taichung and Sanya. The carrier is now reconfiguring five of its A320 aircraft to fit more economy-class seats.