# Airfare to Hawaii from the East coast



## janej (Jul 30, 2018)

I've exchanged two weeks next May for Hawaii and started looking for airline tickets.   Our group will depart from DC and Detroit.   I have plenty of United Airline mileage but it does not look very attractive to use them for tickets already.    Our last trip to Hawaii, our younger son was could barely pull himself up, now he is a Junior in college.    I have no idea what is considered good price.   I need some help so that I can jump in before it is too late.

Many thanks for your help,

Jane


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## JIMinNC (Jul 30, 2018)

We booked our Feb/Mar 2019 trip back in April for $868/RT on American. That's for Charlotte to Honolulu and return from Kona to Charlotte. We were very happy with that fare for peak winter travel season.


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## holdaer (Jul 30, 2018)

janej said:


> I've exchanged two weeks next May for Hawaii and started looking for airline tickets.   Our group will depart from DC and Detroit.   I have plenty of United Airline mileage but it does not look very attractive to use them for tickets already.    Our last trip to Hawaii, our younger son was could barely pull himself up, now he is a Junior in college.    I have no idea what is considered good price.   I need some help so that I can jump in before it is too late.
> 
> Many thanks for your help,
> 
> Jane




Use Google Flight search to find the best deals. Sometimes the best deal maybe at an airport in a nearby city.


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## Egret1986 (Jul 30, 2018)

We booked our Feb 2019 trip in April also.  We were able to use miles and got a very good schedule in FC from Norfolk, VA to Maui on American.  We had each received 60,000 freebie miles in March for a credit card promotion offered to us during our flight to Cancun in January.  With the freebie miles and buying discounted miles during a promotion, it turned out to be a very good deal for us.  It makes me nervous to wait.  I try to get my tickets as soon as schedules open up, especially during high season.

We used 125,000 miles per roundtrip ticket.  I consider that a $1250.  It was great to be able to use miles because I believe the tickets would have been in the $2200+ range if paying cash.  It was one of those times that it just worked out.  

Good luck to you!


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## vacationhopeful (Jul 30, 2018)

The best ticket value to Hawaii (my first visit) for me was the lull between the attack by Iraq on Iran and the US reply. Under $400 RT. On Eastern Airlines. From PHL.

The ONLY issue .. no single travellers as the hotel room was included in the cost of the flight for a 5-7 night stay. Had to FIND a new friend ... it was a interesting trip but very platonic. We did a lot of very touristy things ... he was planning his honeymoon trip.

Hawaii was just about EMPTY of tourists .... we also took a day trip flying over to the Big Island to see the lava flowing in to the ocean. STOOD right on the overhang .. no boats or helicopter viewing. Walked by the Ranger Station ... maybe a 15 minute walk from the parking lot to the lava flowing.

January, 1991 trip.

If it wasn't Eastern Airlines .. it had to have been TWA. I belong to both of their travel clubs with discounted, last minute trip offers sent via USPS. No internet in those days.


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## pedro47 (Jul 31, 2018)

Egret1986 said:


> We booked our Feb 2019 trip in April also.  We were able to use miles and got a very good schedule in FC from Norfolk, VA to Maui on American.  We had each received 60,000 freebie miles in March for a credit card promotion offered to us during our flight to Cancun in January.  With the freebie miles and buying discounted miles during a promotion, it turned out to be a very good deal for us.  It makes me nervous to wait.  I try to get my tickets as soon as schedules open up, especially during high season.
> 
> We used 125,000 miles per roundtrip ticket.  I consider that a $1250.  It was great to be able to use miles because I believe the tickets would have been in the $2200+ range if paying cash.  It was one of those times that it just worked out.
> 
> Good luck to you!


Thanks Egret1986 for sharing this information about Norfolk, VA airport.  What was your connecting airport stops from Norfolk to Maui and the total flight time?


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## artringwald (Jul 31, 2018)

If you get an Alaska credit card for $75 annual fee, you'll get a buy one/get one free companion ticket you can use for Hawaii. Alaska has flights out of DC and Detroit.


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## NTP66 (Jul 31, 2018)

You're probably already past the point of getting the best value for using miles, since you really should book those at 300 days out (or whenever the airline you use releases them). $780 from IAD-HNL (1 stop) isn't bad at all, but the return trip is far from ideal (7am departure). That would be a hard pass for me, personally. Flying out of DCA is pretty expensive, and BWI has few options.


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## Egret1986 (Jul 31, 2018)

pedro47 said:


> Thanks Egret1986 for sharing this information about Norfolk, VA airport.  What was your connecting airport stops from Norfolk to Maui and the total flight time?



Heading to OGG 2 Stops (CLT/PHX) 14.48
Home from OGG 1 Stop (DFW) 11.57

This will be a second trip to HI, first for Maui.

When we went in 2015 to Kauai and Big Island, we did things lots differently.  Flying to HI, we stopped overnight in San Jose to break up the trip.  We used Alaska Airlines for a free companion ticket, in economy most legs of the trip.  

After reading posts in another thread (and getting those free 120,000 points just in time), we opted for flights straight through in First Class.  I'm very happy with the schedules and out-of-pocket costs.  While I was checking for the flight times, these tickets now have a cash price of $3400/pp.  However, I would still be able to get the same schedule and use same number of miles.  There's still availability.




NTP66 said:


> You're probably already past the point of getting the best value for using miles, since you really should book those at 300 days out (or whenever the airline you use releases them).



That's my thoughts about using points/miles.  However, as noted above, in my case with AA, 3-1/2 months after I purchased my tickets, there's still availability for the same schedule using same number of miles.  The cash price of the tickets increased since buying.


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## pedro47 (Jul 31, 2018)

Thanks Egret1986, you have really help us in planning a vacation to Hawaii. We are applying for an Alaska Airline credit card.

Looking at a one day staying in San Francisco or San Jose to break up the long flight.


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## NTP66 (Jul 31, 2018)

Egret1986 said:


> That's my thoughts about using points/miles.  However, as noted above, in my case with AA, 3-1/2 months after I purchased my tickets, there's still availability for the same schedule using same number of miles.  The cash price of the tickets increased since buying.



Were they MileSAAver or AAnytime awards? That's where I was going with it. You'll likely still find AAnytime availability, right up to departure (that was the case for my most recent trip), but it costs more miles going that route. MileSAAver awards are less than half of AAnytime.


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## artringwald (Jul 31, 2018)

pedro47 said:


> Thanks Egret1986, you have really help us in planning a vacation to Hawaii. We are applying for an Alaska Airline credit card.
> 
> Looking at a one day staying in San Francisco or San Jose to break up the long flight.


Make sure Alaska has flights you want before applying for the credit card. They do change the $75 upfront. The good news is that the companion coupon is usually available shortly after your application is approved.

Another Hawaii tip is you have some AA miles, it doesn't take many to book interisland flights. They have a partnership with Hawaiian, so many interisland flights are available.


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## Theiggy (Jul 31, 2018)

artringwald said:


> If you get an Alaska credit card for $75 annual fee, you'll get a buy one/get one free companion ticket you can use for Hawaii. Alaska has flights out of DC and Detroit.



Wow do they fly out of NY? Are there restrictions/blackouts? 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Luanne (Jul 31, 2018)

Theiggy said:


> Wow do they fly out of NY? Are there restrictions/blackouts?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


You can check the Alaska Airlines website to see exactly where they fly.  New York is one of the choices for flights.

https://www.alaskaair.com/

I don't think there are black out dates, or restrictions for the companion fare.


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## pedro47 (Jul 31, 2018)

Looks liked we need to travel to Washington, DC for Alaska Airlines. Thanks for the information and suggestions.


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## JIMinNC (Jul 31, 2018)

artringwald said:


> Another Hawaii tip is you have some AA miles, it doesn't take many to book interisland flights. They have a partnership with Hawaiian, so many interisland flights are available.



That's what we're doing for our Feb/Mar 2019 trip...paid cash for the flights over and back since the fare was reasonable and no AA MileageSaver Awards were available on the desirable flight times. (Are they EVER available for good flights? Seems not for us.) Each inter-island segment on Hawaiian is 7500 AAdvantage miles, so we booked all three inter-island segments for the two of us for only 45,000 total miles.


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## Egret1986 (Jul 31, 2018)

NTP66 said:


> Were they MileSAAver or AAnytime awards? That's where I was going with it. You'll likely still find AAnytime availability, right up to departure (that was the case for my most recent trip), but it costs more miles going that route. MileSAAver awards are less than half of AAnytime.



I was thinking that they were MileSAAver (40,000); however, you are correct that they are AAnytime (67,500).  Not as big of a difference in awards as I usually see.  I guess that's why I thought that they were MileSAAver.  Usually, the amount of awards for AAnytime doesn't make sense.  This time it did (especially with the free miles).


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## krj9999 (Jul 31, 2018)

All depends on what you are willing to pay, vs. what you value a United mile at.  Especially from DC area.  And sounds like United is your only FF option available, which looks like at best is 45k miles round trip.  Not sure which islands you are flying into or out of, or day of week you would be traveling.  I do see the nonstop currently available from Dulles to HNL on Saturdays in May; with $840 roundtrip purchase price (though always a possibility that flight could be discontinued between now and May) - but don't expect to see saver award availability on that flight; at least at this point in time.  One challenge I always have booking so far in advance is schedule changes, especially when travel involves multiple flights.

We also have broken up trips to Hawaii (leaving BWI in evening, going to west coast then next morning flight to Hawaii).  At least gets our bodies going the right direction with the time change (vs. getting up early to catch a flight and spend all day flying).

If you want to look into Alaska companion, that's fine.  But bear in mind flight options and layovers may not be as great.  So you should probably see what flight options are available before considering further.

I will also say Southwest is supposed to have scheduled service to Hawaii by that time (which might lead to lower prices to the islands; as long as oil prices don't spike further in the meantime).  But remains to be seen when booking will become available.

Absent using FF miles or companion pass, anything under $800 for round-trip is reasonable at this point from DC.  Under $700 very good in my opinion.  DTW I can't comment on.



janej said:


> I've exchanged two weeks next May for Hawaii and started looking for airline tickets.   Our group will depart from DC and Detroit.   I have plenty of United Airline mileage but it does not look very attractive to use them for tickets already.    Our last trip to Hawaii, our younger son was could barely pull himself up, now he is a Junior in college.    I have no idea what is considered good price.   I need some help so that I can jump in before it is too late.
> 
> Many thanks for your help,
> 
> Jane


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## Egret1986 (Aug 1, 2018)

krj9999 said:


> One challenge I always have booking so far in advance is schedule changes, especially when travel involves multiple flights.
> 
> We also have broken up trips to Hawaii (leaving BWI in evening, going to west coast then next morning flight to Hawaii).  At least gets our bodies going the right direction with the time change (vs. getting up early to catch a flight and spend all day flying).



Schedule changes.  Yes, fingers crossed none take place.  Forgot about those.    They can really screw up a plan.

Yes, first trip to HI, we stopped in San Jose overnight and then flew out the next morning.  It was definitely nice to have that break before continuing the journey.

This time we're going to try the "get up early and fly all day." 

Travel days are naturally our worse days on vacation.  I can't imagine what 15 hours of straight travel will do to us.  My thought was First Class will help.  Yes, it will help, but ......


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## NTP66 (Aug 1, 2018)

You're all but guaranteed to have schedule changes on flights to Hawai'i. It has happened every single trip for us, but most of the time hasn't been a problem. This year was an anomoly, as I used AAnytime miles for our seats, and American wanted to charge me for the same MCE seats after the flights changed, even though I purchased the tickets on the last day before their new policy went into effect (no free MCE with AAnytime tickets). They corrected it, but it took a phone call to get done.

As for stopping over, we did that two years ago at LAX. Never. Again. It was the first time we had stayed the night before flying to Maui the next morning, and the lag between time zone changes completely screwed us all up. We went back to flying straight through (PHL->LAX->OGG) this year, with much better results. To each his own there.


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## Luanne (Aug 1, 2018)

NTP66 said:


> You're all but guaranteed to have schedule changes on flights to Hawai'i. It has happened every single trip for us, but most of the time hasn't been a problem. This year was an anomoly, as I used AAnytime miles for our seats, and American wanted to charge me for the same MCE seats after the flights changed, even though I purchased the tickets on the last day before their new policy went into effect (no free MCE with AAnytime tickets). They corrected it, but it took a phone call to get done.
> 
> As for stopping over, we did that two years ago at LAX. Never. Again. It was the first time we had stayed the night before flying to Maui the next morning, and the lag between time zone changes completely screwed us all up. We went back to flying straight through (PHL->LAX->OGG) this year, with much better results. To each his own there.


We stop in San Francisco and spend two night there coming, and going.  We have the time now that we are retired, and our older dd lives in that area, so it gives us a chance to spend some time with her.

Our worst schedule changes have occurred when a flight was completely cancelled.  One time our flight from Maui to Denver (then on to Albuquerque) was cancelled.  We were re-routed on a flight from Maui to Chicago, then Chicago to Albuquerque.  It was after this disaster that we started flying to the San Francisco area and spending a couple of nights there.


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## controller1 (Aug 1, 2018)

Egret1986 said:


> Travel days are naturally our worse days on vacation.  I can't imagine what 15 hours of straight travel will do to us.  My thought was First Class will help.  Yes, it will help, but ......



First Class is what we use our airline miles for.  Yes a splurge but for trips in excess of 8 hours I believe the splurge is worth it!  The difference in how I feel after the flight is noticeable.


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## vbk (Aug 4, 2018)

janej said:


> I've exchanged two weeks next May for Hawaii and started looking for airline tickets.   Our group will depart from DC and Detroit.   I have plenty of United Airline mileage but it does not look very attractive to use them for tickets already.    Our last trip to Hawaii, our younger son was could barely pull himself up, now he is a Junior in college.    I have no idea what is considered good price.   I need some help so that I can jump in before it is too late.
> 
> Many thanks for your help,
> 
> Jane



We fly out of Newark every year and usually pay from $775-850 from Newark to HNL, usually direct about 11 hours. Then we pay about $75 each way to Kauai. We don't book far in advance because our work schedules do not allow. This year for our August 2018 trip we used United miles bought in April; 45,000 miles to Kauai for each ticket with one stop in HNL. We couldn't travel on a Saturday, which worked for us.


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## taterhed (Aug 4, 2018)

consider this:

The non-stop DCA or EWR flights to HNL (when they run...not year round and limited travel days) are at least 10:41 or more.  That's a long, long, long, time on one airplane if you're not used to it.  Plus, it your destination isn't HNL, then you've got another 3 hours of travel to go.

I'd strongly suggest you'd be better served with a DC (WAS) to SFO/LAX and spread the love.  Build a slightly longer layover in SFO/LAX to allow for flight delays and give yourself time for a long walk, a potty break, a glass of wine  and some non-recirculated air.  This also has the advantage of taking you direct to HNL or LIH or OGG or ITO etc... and not just HNL.

Just my 2c


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## Seaport104 (Aug 18, 2018)

vbk said:


> We fly out of Newark every year and usually pay from $775-850 from Newark to HNL, usually direct about 11 hours. Then we pay about $75 each way to Kauai. We don't book far in advance because our work schedules do not allow. This year for our August 2018 trip we used United miles bought in April; 45,000 miles to Kauai for each ticket with one stop in HNL. We couldn't travel on a Saturday, which worked for us.



I fly out of Newark nonstop using United. $775-$850 is the lowest I've seen. Typically with advance booking it's $950 - $1050 round trip nonstop both ways to HNL. First class RT lowest I've seen is $2,100- $2,200 (one leg first class $1,576)

45,000 miles each way using miles in economy 95,000 miles each way business/first class (nice lie down seats). I have seen super saver 22,500 miles in economy but have yet to see super saver business/first class at 50% off miles. 
Last year I scored and was able to book economy nonstop going to HNL 22,500 miles for that leg. I splurged and for my brother's family's xmas gift "paid" for three of their tickets going  and going back went first class with the lie down seats.


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## T_R_Oglodyte (Aug 18, 2018)

pedro47 said:


> Thanks Egret1986, you have really help us in planning a vacation to Hawaii. We are applying for an Alaska Airline credit card.
> 
> Looking at a one day staying in San Francisco or San Jose to break up the long flight.


If you book this as a single trip, connecting in SFO or SJC, you will be offered only a specific set of connecting flight options.  If you want to actual spend some time to break up the flight, book it as a multi-city flight, e.g., origin->SJC; SJC->Hawaii; Hawaii->origin. 

The multi-city itinerary might cost more for the primary ticket, but the companion fare will be the same.  There might also be some differences in airport fees.


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## artringwald (Aug 18, 2018)

T_R_Oglodyte said:


> If you book this as a single trip, connecting in SFO or SJC, you will be offered only a specific set of connecting flight options.  If you want to actual spend some time to break up the flight, book it as a multi-city flight, e.g., origin->SJC; SJC->Hawaii; Hawaii->origin.
> 
> The multi-city itinerary might cost more for the primary ticket, but the companion fare will be the same.  There might also be some differences in airport fees.


For several years we've been doing overnight stop overs on the west coast on the way over and back from Hawaii. Multi-destination bookings are usually pretty close to round trip prices. Some of the differences may depend on the travel days.


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## Luanne (Aug 18, 2018)

artringwald said:


> For several years we've been doing overnight stop overs on the west coast on the way over and back from Hawaii. Multi-destination bookings are usually pretty close to round trip prices. Some of the differences may depend on the travel days.


We do this as well, but we book on different airlines for each leg. Meaning we fly from Albuquerque to the San Francisco Bay Area (Oakland) on Southwest Airlines, usually using points.  Then we fly Alaska Airlines from Oakland to Maui using my companion fare, or points.


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## Egret1986 (Nov 13, 2018)

NTP66 said:


> You're all but guaranteed to have schedule changes on flights to Hawai'i. It has happened every single trip for us, but most of the time hasn't been a problem. This year was an anomoly, as I used AAnytime miles for our seats, and American wanted to charge me for the same MCE seats after the flights changed, even though I purchased the tickets on the last day before their new policy went into effect (no free MCE with AAnytime tickets). They corrected it, but it took a phone call to get done.
> 
> As for stopping over, we did that two years ago at LAX. Never. Again. It was the first time we had stayed the night before flying to Maui the next morning, and the lag between time zone changes completely screwed us all up. We went back to flying straight through (PHL->LAX->OGG) this year, with much better results. To each his own there.



Well, it's happened......the guaranteed schedule changes on flights to Hawaii.   We had First Class tickets.  Checking schedules, about the best we can change to, at this point, is Premium Economy.  We had First Class seats.   Aaahhhhhhhhh!  

Any strategies out there?  We're flying on AA and used miles.  I'm trying not to freak out because that's not going to help.   What's the best that I could expect AA to do for us?


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## NTP66 (Nov 13, 2018)

Egret1986 said:


> Well, it's happened......the guaranteed schedule changes on flights to Hawaii.   We had First Class tickets.  Checking schedules, about the best we can change to, at this point, is Premium Economy.  We had First Class seats.   Aaahhhhhhhhh!
> 
> Any strategies out there?  We're flying on AA and used miles.  I'm trying not to freak out because that's not going to help.   What's the best that I could expect AA to do for us?


Call AA and let them know what happened. If you already had confirmed FC seats (miles or cash), they should be able to get you back into FC without much effort unless the new flight is crazy oversold already.


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## Egret1986 (Nov 13, 2018)

NTP66 said:


> Call AA and let them know what happened. If you already had confirmed FC seats (miles or cash), they should be able to get you back into FC without much effort unless the new flight is crazy oversold already.



All the possible options, online, seem to have no First Class left except a couple of flights and those have Main Cabin seats on most legs of the flights and have much longer travel times.  I put the tickets on hold for 24 hours if I get desperate.  I really hope that there's other options.  What was once great seats and flight times has turned into options that are undesirable.  I guess my best option is going to be calling and hope for a good outcome.  Thanks.


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## controller1 (Nov 13, 2018)

Egret1986 said:


> All the possible options, online, seem to have no First Class left except a couple of flights and those have Main Cabin seats on most legs of the flights and have much longer travel times.  I put the tickets on hold for 24 hours if I get desperate.  I really hope that there's other options.  What was once great seats and flight times has turned into options that are undesirable.  I guess my best option is going to be calling and hope for a good outcome.  Thanks.



As @NTP66 said, call AA and do so ASAP.  You're not the only one in this situation so you need to act quickly. Additionally, if you had AAnytime awards, AA will make room for you in First even if no mileage awards are available online. If no First seats are available even for purchase, it will be more difficult. But the thing you need to do is CALL and do it NOW.


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## Egret1986 (Nov 13, 2018)

controller1 said:


> As @NTP66 said, call AA and do so ASAP.  You're not the only one in this situation so you need to act quickly. Additionally, if you had AAnytime awards, AA will make room for you in First even if no mileage awards are available online. If no First seats are available even for purchase, it will be more difficult. But the thing you need to do is CALL and do it NOW.



Thank you.


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## Egret1986 (Nov 14, 2018)

I thought that I would be proactive and spent a good deal of time yesterday and last night looking at AA flights (cash) available for my dates in First Class.  I put the flights on hold for 24 hours.  The alternative flights that I found were acceptable.  Unfortunately, I was unaware that they would be unwilling to move me to other First Class flights.  They were only willing to refund my points.  As anyone knows, this is prime time for Maui and it's less than three months away with limited seating, bad schedules, much higher costs/miles than when I purchased the tickets in April.

I don't have experience with these types of schedule changes and assumed that they would be interested in getting us into available First Class seats for our dates since AA changed the original schedule.  It would have been impossible since a connecting flight leaves one hour before we arrive to that airport.

I don't know what to do at this point.  I can't afford to buy new tickets now.  The options that AA offered were abysmal at best.  We've never been to Maui.  I've considered cancelling the trip.  We would lose money on the accommodations.   We bought early to ensure that we could obtain First Class seats.  That's the only way that I want to fly for such a long travel time.  It was all set......I thought.  It looks like Economy or cancellation.


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## controller1 (Nov 14, 2018)

Egret1986 said:


> I thought that I would be proactive and spent a good deal of time yesterday and last night looking at AA flights (cash) available for my dates in First Class.  I put the flights on hold for 24 hours.  The alternative flights that I found were acceptable.  Unfortunately, I was unaware that they would be unwilling to move me to other First Class flights.  They were only willing to refund my points.  As anyone knows, this is prime time for Maui and it's less than three months away with limited seating, bad schedules, much higher costs/miles than when I purchased the tickets in April.
> 
> I don't have experience with these types of schedule changes and assumed that they would be interested in getting us into available First Class seats for our dates since AA changed the original schedule.  It would have been impossible since a connecting flight leaves one hour before we arrive to that airport.
> 
> I don't know what to do at this point.  I can't afford to buy new tickets now.  The options that AA offered were abysmal at best.  We've never been to Maui.  I've considered cancelling the trip.  We would lose money on the accommodations.   We bought early to ensure that we could obtain First Class seats.  That's the only way that I want to fly for such a long travel time.  It was all set......I thought.  It looks like Economy or cancellation.



Are you elite with American?

Is this the outbound flight from the mainland to Maui???


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## MOXJO7282 (Nov 14, 2018)

We're doing coach Newark to Maui in August and we were able to get 22.5k savers for the 4 of us. On way home doing 1st for 95k each and still need to buy 1 seat or wait  for more miles.  It is a shame that about 10 years ago it was easy to get 1st class saver seats for 75k RT for the lay flat seats. Now they make you break the bank for crappy 757 seats.


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## Egret1986 (Nov 15, 2018)

controller1 said:


> Are you elite with American?
> 
> Is this the outbound flight from the mainland to Maui???



No Elite Status.

Yes, outbound to Maui is from ORF on East Coast.


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## controller1 (Nov 15, 2018)

Egret1986 said:


> No Elite Status.
> 
> Yes, outbound to Maui is from ORF on East Coast.



I'm sure you've thought of this and looked into it, but in case you haven't . . . are you able to get to your connecting city the night before so that you can continue on your originally scheduled flights in First?


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## Egret1986 (Nov 15, 2018)

controller1 said:


> I'm sure you've thought of this and looked into it, but in case you haven't . . . are you able to get to your connecting city the night before so that you can continue on your originally scheduled flights in First?



Thank you for your input.  I was hoping there was some type of secret code word or something to be shared by Tuggers, I guess. 

Yes, earlier in the thread, I was considering the "uninterrupted" straight flight to Maui.  Our one previous trip to the islands, we stopped in San Jose and flew out the next morning on Alaska Air.  We were trying to do something different this time and we almost made it (not really).   Almost perfect schedules, perfect seats, costs worked, etc.  

I've naturally been obsessed with this since the notification.  Yep, there's some decent "Economy" schedules with bad and worse seats that we could get.  But 15 to 18 hours trying to get somewhere and being in Economy just makes me want to cancel the trip.  I've looked at schedules for flying out of a different city (two hours away).  I'm really trying to use miles and I'm pretty limited at this point as to what's available.  Yes, I can fly first class to the connecting city (SAN, SFO, SJC) and then fly out the next day on Hawaiian or Alaska.  I definitely want to fly FC to Maui.  Those tickets would be added costs, along with the hotel night's stay.  It would be about $1500 in additional costs because of this schedule change. A better schedule coming home in FC means a shortened stay in Maui (it will become an 11 day stay vs 13).  I've got several potential one way flights on hold (using miles).

I've checked and I did get protection on my RCI points and can cancel up through check-in day with no loss of points.  So that's a good thing if we cancel.  However, that would mean a whole lot of miles and points to use up.  The pickin's out there for both this coming winter to warm places are slim and none.  

I'm going to do some more analyzing and figure this thing out.  This just wasn't expected and I have been knocked akilter. 

In the grand scheme of life, it's "just a thing" to be dealt with and then move on with the outcome.

I gotta feeling we'll be checking out Maui in February; some way, some how.


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## Egret1986 (Nov 19, 2018)

Update.  I posted in the Vacation Travel forum regarding my schedule change and how that would affect my car rental reservation.  Rates are crazy high compared to when I made my reservation in April. 

This evening, I was able to get the airline agent to switch my flights to arriving and departing one day early.  We will be in FC, as originally booked.  There will be no additional costs.  The agent indicated that in the future, if a similar situation arises, then ask to speak to a supervisor.

I had a nudge and encouragement from Tugger Sandy in the other thread.  I'm thankful the call with AA went well.  My original schedule was optimal, but this one is acceptable.

We're back on track for our Maui trip.  With a couple more tweeks (hotel room for one night and car rental adjustment), we'll be set once again!


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## controller1 (Nov 19, 2018)

Egret1986 said:


> Update.  I posted in the Vacation Travel forum regarding my schedule change and how that would affect my car rental reservation.  Rates are crazy high compared to when I made my reservation in April.
> 
> This evening, I was able to get the airline agent to switch my flights to arriving and departing one day early.  We will be in FC, as originally booked.  There will be no additional costs.  The agent indicated that in the future, if a similar situation arises, then ask to speak to a supervisor.
> 
> ...



Excellent resolution!  Enjoy your trip!


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## artringwald (Nov 20, 2018)

We just got notice that one of our flights back from Hawaii had changed. However, the date, flight #, departure, and arrival times are all the same.


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## slip (Nov 20, 2018)

artringwald said:


> We just got notice that one of our flights back from Hawaii had changed. However, the date, flight #, departure, and arrival times are all the same.



I have gotten a notice for a one minute time change before.


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## Firepath (Nov 20, 2018)

artringwald said:


> We just got notice that one of our flights back from Hawaii had changed. However, the date, flight #, departure, and arrival times are all the same.


Do you still have the same seats?


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## artringwald (Nov 20, 2018)

Firepath said:


> Do you still have the same seats?


I had to check, but yes, same seats.


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## NTP66 (Nov 20, 2018)

Glad this worked out for you. It's worth noting that this is precisely why I check my seat assignments every Monday when I schedule a trip to Maui right up until we leave. The airlines don't have to notify you of any schedule/plane changes until a certain period before departure (I forget how long, but probably within 30-45 days). This has helped me catch plane and departure/arrival time changes on every single trip we've taken over the past 6 years. Five minutes of effort weekly is absolutely worth it, IMO.


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## Egret1986 (Nov 20, 2018)

NTP66 said:


> Glad this worked out for you. It's worth noting that this is precisely why I check my seat assignments every Monday when I schedule a trip to Maui right up until we leave. The airlines don't have to notify you of any schedule/plane changes until a certain period before departure (I forget how long, but probably within 30-45 days). This has helped me catch plane and departure/arrival time changes on every single trip we've taken over the past 6 years. Five minutes of effort weekly is absolutely worth it, IMO.



That's great information to know.  I didn't realize that.  Yikes!  You're right, five minutes of effort weekly is absolutely worth it...".  This is a very big trip for us and most people.  We knew it would be expensive going in; however, didn't take into consideration the potential risks of a schedule change to that extent.  Now I know.  

Now to begin the exciting part of planning our days and nights on Maui.


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## JIMinNC (Nov 20, 2018)

Our AA flights to Hawaii for Feb/Mar have changed twice since we made the original reservations. We are paying cash rather than miles, so we had more options to choose from when the flights they put us on were less acceptable

The first change put us on a horrible connection home from Kona, but since it was an AA-initiated change, there were able to get us on the Boeing 777 that flies nonstop from Kona to DFW and then on to CLT. The great thing was, that was the flight we originally wanted way back when we booked, but back then, the fare on those flights were about $150 - $200 higher than the flights we originally booked. But since AA messed up our return, we were able to get the flights we had originally preferred. We lucked out on that one.

The second change just happened a few days ago. It wasn't a significant schedule change, but was a significant equipment change that totally changed our seating. On our flight out to Honolulu, we are connecting through Phoenix. Originally the flight from CLT to PHX was on a Airbus A321 and we had great Main Cabin Extra exit row seats. But they just upgraded that CLT-PHX leg to a wide body Airbus A330-300 and put us in the middle section between the two aisles, still in MCE but with no window. Fortunately, we noticed it in time and were able to switch to two MCE window/aisle seats together - the same two seats we had on a recent flight on the same aircraft type from Rome to CLT. So, we got lucky again. Since we also fly on an A330-300 from PHX to HNL, given the way AA uses their A330 wide-bodies, I am pretty sure the aircraft that we fly from CLT to PHX will be the same plane we fly on to HNL a couple hours later - just as a different flight number. They are using the CLT-PHX leg to reposition the plane from their A330 operations base at CLT to PHX for the Honolulu flight.


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## TXTortoise (Nov 27, 2018)

We’ve had two minor time changes for our SAT-DFW-OGG trip in late Feb. As usual, making sure the seats didn’t get scrambled is my first thought.  We’ve managed FC on AA the past two years, but are trying their new Premium Economy out of DFW this time.  Cash price point when first released was $1250, which was close to what coach with checked bags and MCE upgrade was going to be.  With FC you really need to research the plane you are on as the product varies dramatically as it’s domestic FC, a marginally FC product by any domestic carrier. 

A minor, but somewhat costly nit, is that with no PE from SAT to DFW you either get coach or have to upgrade to MCE. Marginal choice for a 60 minute flight, but the free bag still applies as it’s ticketed as PE. 

Also, I found that Google Flights didn’t accurately offer the routing I purchased, showing a higher premium because Google assumed a FC upgrade charge sir the SAT-DFW legs. Always validate and cross-shop the primary airlines website.


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## Henry M. (Nov 27, 2018)

I fly Premium Economy on the 777 DFW-FRA often, and find it acceptable. Much better than MCE further back in the plane. Room in FC is better, but PE seat size is enough for me to be comfortable. The arm rests are more than 2x the width of the arm rests in the back.

MCE in the 777 is lacking in width. They’ve added an extra seat in each row, making the seats and aisles very narrow. I find the MCE leg room perhaps manageable, but now the shoulder room is an issue if you have a couple of 6’+ guys next to each other. The arm rests are so narrow that two people can’t share them. It is not possible for two wide-shoulder people to not rub shoulders.


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## rickandcindy23 (Nov 27, 2018)

United has already changed our flight NS from SFO to Maui once.  I decided the flight change was actually not a bad thing for us.  When Alaska decided to stop the flight on Saturdays from OGG to SJC, they just adjusted the arranged flight to fly into OAK, which is fine.  It required a phone call.  I don't like making phone calls.  

We used our FF miles to fly 1st home from Oakland through Seattle to Denver.  I figured we get the FF points free, so might as well use those.  SW didn't have any cheap options from Oak to Denver for anything other than late at night.  I didn't want to stay in Oakland until 7:30 PM.  First class is always preferable.  

Now that our SW companion pass is expiring at the end of next month, it's going to be first class for most of our trips.  Anything 3.5+ hours or longer, it's first class from now on.


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## TXTortoise (Nov 27, 2018)

emuyshondt said:


> I fly Premium Economy on the 777 DFW-FRA often, and find it acceptable. Much better than MCE further back in the plane. Room in FC is better, but PE seat size is enough for me to be comfortable. The arm rests are more than 2x the width of the arm rests in the back.
> 
> MCE in the 777 is lacking in width. They’ve added an extra seat in each row, making the seats and aisles very narrow. I find the MCE leg room perhaps manageable, but now the shoulder room is an issue if you have a couple of 6’+ guys next to each other. The arm rests are so narrow that two people can’t share them. It is not possible for two wide-shoulder people to not rub shoulders.



Good point... and why, with me at 6’3” and 245, my wife is kind enough to take the middle seat in a three across config. 

Just wish we got the extra PE perks for domestic service like the international flights do, e.g., food upgrade, Bose, etc.


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## pedro47 (Nov 28, 2018)

Thanks everyone for sharing some excellent Tips & Information. We are planning for our granddaughter college graduation to Hawaii in 2020.


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