# Hawaii Flight Questions



## suzanne (May 13, 2011)

We will be flying from SE Florida to the Big Island. Would we be better off to fly to LA spend couple nights then fly from LA to Hawaii or just fly from Florida to Hawaii without stopover? Also would it be cheaper flights from LA to Hawaii than from Florida?

Suzanne


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## teepeeca (May 13, 2011)

More than likely, it is cheaper to fy from Los Angeles to Hawaii than from Florida to Hawaii.  I would suggest that you fly from Florida to the west coast (Los Angeles, San Francisco area, or Sacramento) and stay for a few days, to get adjusted to the local time, and "see the sights".

Many times, there are "fare sales" from the west coast to Hawaii (round trip) that will result as a lesser charge than flying directly from Florida.

Tony


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## jestme (May 13, 2011)

The air fare direct and back from Florida is cheaper than a stopover. Having said that, I would fly out direct, (there is a non-stop from Miami), and then fly back with a stopover in LA or Vegas and spend the extra bucks to get it. The flight back is really long, and a day or two break in LA or Vegas makes it a lot easier on the body with the 5 hour time change and the usual overnight red eye to the other side of North America.


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## tompalm (May 14, 2011)

I do HI to FL about every year for the last 20 years and never stop in route.  It is too much trouble going through airport security and getting a hotel room for a night.  I have never been able to take two separate fares and make it cheaper than one trip fare that will get you to Hawaii.  

The challenge for you is getting to the big island in two legs.  I think US Airways is doing it through Phoenix, but I haven't really looked at it lately.  

If you really want to see LA or Vegas for a few nights, than make a stop and stay at least two nights or more.  Jet Blue use to have great deals from Miami to Long Beach and then take Hawaiian out of LAX to Hawaii and that might be cheaper than any two other combos, but it will not be cheaper than buying one ticket on Delta, United, American, US Airways, etc...

Regarding fare sales from the west coast.  Hawaiian just ran one for $350 round trip during the off season and that is about as cheap as it gets.  You have to be on their email list to get the specials, and buy the ticket within a couple days, or they get sold out.  Add that to any flight you can find to Vegas, LA, or Phoenix and see if it is cheaper than $700.  That is the cost I just saw going to Orlando at the end of May.

Going back to Florida, the jet lag will be bad, but there is no way around it.  Even if you do it in two days, you will still feel it.


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## suzanne (May 15, 2011)

Thanks for your help. I will start checking both ways next year as soon as they start publishing fares.

Suzanne


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## LisaRex (May 15, 2011)

I fly from Ohio and wouldn't consider stopping and trying to adjust to the time.  Too much hassle.

Besides, being an island, Hawaii's pulse is directly linked to the sun. When the sun rises, the island awakes.  When it sets, it sleeps.  Since sunset is early --  between 6 and 7:30pm (11pm or so Florida time) -- it's actually a fairly easy adjustment for those coming from the east coast.  You'll beat the sun up most mornings, and when the sun sets, you'll be ready for bed.  So go to bed!  

It's when you get BACK to Florida, which moves to clocks instead of the sun, that you'll feel like someone hit you repeatedly with a sackful of lava rocks.  

For this reason, I always try to book flights that arrive during the afternoon.  Unless you're lucky enough to book a non-stop flight, it takes about 10-12 hours to get to Hawaii.  You'll be very tired when you arrive, and it's ten times worse if it's dark outside when you arrive.  So if a flight is available that'll get you on Maui before 4pm, take it.  

Also, don't hesitate to book early morning excursions.  If you have to be at a dock by 7am, don't groan.  You'll have been up since 4am, so 7am is a breeze! Similarly, don't book a 7pm Mama's Fish House reservation early on in your trip or you'll end up with your face in your plate.


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## tompalm (May 17, 2011)

I think the priority for flights should be on price and how many stopovers that you have to make.  If it turns out that you have a late departure out of Kona, like 6:00 p.m. or later, you should consider making your flight reservations a day early, or getting a cheap hotel room close to the airport for the last day you are in Hawaii.  Kona is very warm in the afternoon and the airport is outdoor open air.  It is hard to relax all day waiting for a flight.  It makes a big difference being able to relax prior to getting on a late flight.  Also, there is not much to eat at the airport, just a snack bar.

If you are leaving out of Hilo, it is a lot better.  The airport is indoor and air-conditioning.  The airport is on the east side of the island and it is not so hot in the afternoon.


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## LisaRex (May 17, 2011)

tompalm said:


> If it turns out that you have a late departure out of Kona, like 6:00 p.m. or later, you should consider making your flight reservations a day early, or getting a cheap hotel room close to the airport for the last day you are in Hawaii.



Ah, I hate that last day when you are orphaned from check-out to the time your red eye departs. Here are a few alternatives to consider:

1) Inquire about day rates at your hotel.  This will allow you to stay in a room until 5 or 6pm, for about half the rate of an overnight stay.  

2) Check out as normal, but ask the front desk to hold your luggage for a few hours until your flight time. That will free you to explore the island without worrying about thieves stealing your luggage. Most hotels offer this service. 

3) Most resorts will allow you use of their facilities on the day of your check-out, so take advantage of this. Use the outside shower and bathrooms to rinse off and change prior to leaving for the airport.  Or, better yet, inquire if the hotel has a lounge or fitness room with showers that can be used for late departing guests.  Some even offer complimentary hospitality suites, which you can reserve by the half-hour to shower and change prior to departure.  

4) Book a poolside cabana on the last day.  That way, you won't have to worry about reserving a spot by the pool, and gives you a home base.


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## MuranoJo (May 18, 2011)

For our upcoming Sept. trip where we have a Sat.-Sat. week and only redeye return flight options, I decided to take the Friday redeye instead of checking out early Saturday and then being 'orhpaned' for most of a day before the Saturday redeye.

We've always entertained ourselves before when waiting for the redeye (i.e., took a helicopter ride), but would have been there 2 weeks, so we'll get home Sat. morning vs. Sunday--and go to work on Monday.


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## suzanne (Jun 5, 2011)

Sorry for the delay in getting back to this post, we have been on vacation to Vegas and Sedona.  Since we have lots of time before airfares become available for next November, 2012. I have some more questions for you all. Which airport should we use coming from SE Florida, KOA or Hilo? Is there a ferry boat that runs between the Big Island Hawaii and Oahu? We would like to fly into Hawaii and then take a ferry over to Oahu spend a week there then take the ferry back and spend a 3rd week on Hawaii. If no ferry is it very expensive to fly from one to the other? There are some sites on Oahu that we would really like to see.

Thank you all for your help for our first trip to Hawaii.

Suzanne


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## Luanne (Jun 5, 2011)

suzanne said:


> Sorry for the delay in getting back to this post, we have been on vacation to Vegas and Sedona.  Since we have lots of time before airfares become available for next November, 2012. I have some more questions for you all. Which airport should we use coming from SE Florida, KOA or Hilo?


KOA is the "major" airport and has direct flights to most major cities on the mainland.  If you fly out of Hilo most likely you would need to go through Honolulu.



> Is there a ferry boat that runs between the Big Island Hawaii and Oahu?


No.  I'm not sure what inter-island flights are running these days.


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## DonM (Jun 6, 2011)

suzanne said:


> ... We would like to fly into Hawaii and then take a ferry over to Oahu spend a week there then take the ferry back and spend a 3rd week on Hawaii.
> Suzanne



That's over 400 miles round trip between islands- even a high speed ferry would take many hours.


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## tompalm (Jun 10, 2011)

The Ferry is long gone and the airfare to the big island is the most of all islands because it is a longer flight.  I think it is running about $150 round trip and don't expect that to change very much.  

Usually, the best deals on flights from the mainland are the ones that go to Honolulu because there are way more flights and the fare is very competitive.  So, if you are flexible, I recommend flying in / out of HNL and taking a flight over to the big island during your vacation.  

The morning news just announced that United is starting more service from LA to Hilo and sometimes you can get a good fare on new service like that.  However, the best thing to do is just shop around and get the best airfare you can and then decide on where to stay.  If you can travel off season, it will save a lot of money.


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## suzanne (Jun 10, 2011)

Thank you for the updated info. Have sent for tourist info on all the Islands. Looks like what DH wants to do is fly to Oahu, spend week there see touristy sites, then do inter-island flight to the Big Island for a week,  inter-island flight to Maui a week there (maybe) I'm thinking 2 weeks on Big Island instead of week on Maui, then go back to Oahu for flight home.

 We have the HGVC booked on Big Island for Sat to Sat. Nov. 10, 2012 So now am on RCI watch for the other 2 weeks.  I'm really have fun researching and figuring out all this stuff. I hope that as time goes on more resorts will show up on RCI. I hope to get the resorts locked in by March/April so when airfares show up I can grab if its a good deal. Thank goodness we made a decision on where to go next year very early.

Suzanne


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## tompalm (Jun 10, 2011)

Resorts on Oahu are very difficult to get.  You might want to rent from an owner.  If you do Oahu vacation first, and then fly to Maui or Kona and back to Oahu would be the way to go. There are a couple flights each day that go between Maui and Kona. 

I would recommend doing a week on each island.   When you finish your vacation and have to catch a flight back to FL, the flight out of HI will be a redeye, or late afternoon.  It makes it a lot easier to catch a late morning flight to Oahu and relax a little before having to get on the mainland flight.  Also, if Oahu is your first vacation, you will be happy that you don't have to travel any more when you finally get to Oahu.  Last of all, I think that the cheapest airfare will be to Oahu and the flight time will be shorter between Kona and Maui.


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