Melbourne to Hong Kong Flights

Hi Guys

This is a bit of a rant/commentary on what i've found for flights between Melbourne and Hong Kong.

It looks like prices for direct flights from either Qantas or Cathay range anywhere from $1200 - $1600 return.

It seems strange that for a relatively short flight, these companies charge an arm and a leg for it. I mean i can book flights from Singapore to Europe for $600 - it seems a bit ridiculous that Melb to HK is 2.5x more expensive than SG to Europe.

I've had a little bit of luck with Air Asia who offers flights for $780 return which I found last week but that price is no longer obtainable. (not to mention there is a stopover - which takes the flight time from 9 hours to 19 hours)

So my questions are:

1) When is the best time to buy these tickets? When do airlines generally release offers? (currently planning to travel in June)

2) Why is this route so damn expensive?

3) for those who have flown the same journey, how much were your tickets?

Thanks guys

Oneiricer