# The problem with Hawaii....



## KauaiMark (Dec 5, 2014)

...getting a good airfare.

I've been watching the air fares since mid summer for our trip in April/2015. Trying to find fares in the range of $300-$400ea from NorCal (including fees&tax) is pretty much impossible anymore. 

The airlines have figured out the timeshare slots of Fri/Sat/Sun check in/out days are prime for jacking the rates. So it looks like to save some money on flights, we're spending it on extending 2-days earlier and coming back 2-days later.

We'll probably end up spending the same amount but this way we get more beach time. ( Now where is my AirBnB bookmark  )

...Mark


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## DeniseM (Dec 5, 2014)

Do you use a credit card that generates frequent flyer miles, or discounted tickets?  We use the Alaska Airlines card, and the Starwood AMEX, and in the past have used Hawaiian airlines.  Both Alaska and Hawaiian have special offers for members.

We put every cent we spend on the credit cards, and then pay them off at the end of the month so we pay no interest.  We seldom buy an airline ticket.

Alaska has a direct flight from San Jose to Kauai that leaves about 7 am and gets you there before noon.


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## vacationtime1 (Dec 5, 2014)

If you get an Alaska Airlines VISA card, you get a 2 for 1 coupon every year; the companion fare is $119.  The card is free the first year and about $80 thereafter.  Using that 2 for 1, you can go from San Jose to Kauai for $300-$400 round trip per person.

Remember that $300-$400 is an absurdly low fare; we saw it during the depths of the recession in 2009, but that should not be considered current reality.  The airlines have reduced capacity in order to support higher prices.  

That said, this month, one can fly SFO to OGG (Maui) for <$300 round trip, non-stop, on some Hawaiian flights.  Even for the flight leaving tomorrow, for those able to take advantage of some of the Sightings/Distress exchanges posted.


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## Icc5 (Dec 5, 2014)

*Most Vacation Areas*



KauaiMark said:


> ...getting a good airfare.
> 
> I've been watching the air fares since mid summer for our trip in April/2015. Trying to find fares in the range of $300-$400ea from NorCal (including fees&tax) is pretty much impossible anymore.
> 
> ...



We've been doing this for several years now.   Not just Hawaii but any vacation area.  We did the same recently to Branson and then to the Dells.
Bart


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## MommaBear (Dec 6, 2014)

The problem with Hawaii is having to leave. The problem with my family is now I have a grandchild and have given up my dream of spending two months a year there.

However, I digress... I agree with doing flights during the week. The money I save pays for the extra hotel room, which means I am there longer! I also have automatic fare alerts sent to me So I can respond quickly to flights. I do think now that the economy has rebounded we will no longer get the great deals we saw 5 years ago.


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## Ken555 (Dec 6, 2014)

KauaiMark said:


> ...getting a good airfare.




Horrible sensationalist thread title. 


Sent from my iPad


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## BocaBoy (Dec 6, 2014)

KauaiMark said:


> The airlines have figured out the timeshare slots of Fri/Sat/Sun check in/out days are prime for jacking the rates.



The airlines are pricing it based on the supply and demand for their product, but I don't think it is primarily timeshare check in days that are responsible for that weekend demand.  Those same days are prime travel days for many working travelers, who can get 2 weekends out of one week of vacation from the job.


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## easyrider (Dec 6, 2014)

Im surprised no one has mentioned the loud birds in the morning. Every morning this trip I have a flock on my lani rail 1st thing in the morning. They are fun to watch but not so much to hear at 6:30 am.

Airfare isn't a problem for us. We use Alaska Airlines with multiple accounts and multiple companion tickets and occasionally miles. I don't remember how long its been since we purchased a full price airfare anywhere.

Bill


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## Craigvince (Dec 6, 2014)

DeniseM said:


> Do you use a credit card that generates frequent flyer miles, or discounted tickets?  We use the Alaska Airlines card, and the Starwood AMEX, and in the past have used Hawaiian airlines.  Both Alaska and Hawaiian have special offers for members.
> 
> We put every cent we spend on the credit cards, and then pay them off at the end of the month so we pay no interest.  We seldom buy an airline ticket.
> 
> Alaska has a direct flight from San Jose to Kauai that leaves about 7 am and gets you there before noon.



We took the 7am flight out when we went to Kauai a couple weeks ago. It was great. We had almost all day on the Monday we got there and most of the day on the Monday we left. The only problem was paying for the extra time on the car rental.


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## dougp26364 (Dec 6, 2014)

KauaiMark said:


> ...getting a good airfare.
> 
> I've been watching the air fares since mid summer for our trip in April/2015. Trying to find fares in the range of $300-$400ea from NorCal (including fees&tax) is pretty much impossible anymore.
> 
> ...



Cry me a river. From our airport, it's impossible to get airfare to the islands for less than $1,100 per person any day of the week. And that's crummy flight times with two layovers.


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## easyrider (Dec 7, 2014)

Another problem with heading to Hawaii for us anyway, is the time zone change of being two hours behind our time zone. I find myself ready for bed kind of early over here. Most travel we do involves time differences of being ahead so staying up late is easy.

Or maybe its those beautiful obnoxious birds not letting me sleep in. idk. They are here every morning. 

Bill


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## Deb from NC (Dec 7, 2014)

dougp26364 said:


> Cry me a river. From our airport, it's impossible to get airfare to the islands for less than $1,100 per person any day of the week. And that's crummy flight times with two layovers.



Same here...if I could find a flight to Hawaii for under $1000 I would be thrilled ...not to mention the 2 (or more ) stops to get there.   if only it wasn't so fabulous once you got there I could just stay on the East coast...LOL!!!!


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## Ron98GT (Dec 7, 2014)

KauaiMark said:


> ...getting a good airfare.
> 
> 
> 
> ...




We go to Hawaii at least once every year, nonstop, from Las Vegas, in fact we're in/at Ko'Olina right now. $300 to $400 per person RT is totally unreasonable, at least with Hawaii Air.  I'd be happy if I could keep it under $600 (for 1 island), but add on multiple island and there isn't a chance.

As stated, try Alaska Air.


Sent from my iPad Retina using Tapatalk


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## bastroum (Dec 7, 2014)

Ron98GT said:


> We go to Hawaii at least once every year, nonstop, from Las Vegas, in fact we're in/at Ko'Olina right now. $300 to $400 per person RT is totally unreasonable, at least with Hawaii Air.  I'd be happy if I could keep it under $600 (for 1 island), but add on multiple island and there isn't a chance.
> 
> As stated, try Alaska Air.
> 
> ...



Just curious what airline flies to Hawaii anymore from Las Vegas under $600 except Allegant to HNL?


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## Luanne (Dec 7, 2014)

bastroum said:


> Just curious what airline flies to Hawaii anymore from Las Vegas under $600 except Allegant to HNL?



Check both Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines.  Both fly from Las Vegas to Hawaii.  Hawaiian Airlines goes through Honolulu, Alaska routes through various cities.  You can find flights on both for under, or close to, $500 round trip.


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## linsj (Dec 7, 2014)

easyrider said:


> Another problem with heading to Hawaii for us anyway, is the time zone change of being two hours behind our time zone. I find myself ready for bed kind of early over here.
> 
> Bill



That's nothing. It's four hours from Chicago and five during daylight savings time.


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## amycurl (Dec 7, 2014)

What's your recommendation for a flight leaving Christmas Day from ATL? We were thinking we could get a later in the day flight, and that, leaving from a hub, we could do it with just one stop.....


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## LisaRex (Dec 10, 2014)

linsj said:


> That's nothing. It's four hours from Chicago and five during daylight savings time.



I'll raise you an hour.  Hawaii is 5 hours behind Cincinnati and 6 hours during daylight savings time.  I'm so glad that we now have the option of staying at a midrange hotel (Courtyard) the day we arrive, because it's a complete waste to pay all that $$$ for what amounts to a bed and a shower.  

Most days we go to bed around 7, which actually isn't too bad because the islands really slow down after the sun sets.   It's only difficult when we have an event (e.g. Warren and Annabelle's) that keeps us up til 10pm. 

Airfare hovers around $1100 pp, though lately I've seen fares in the $900s, which is a welcome change.  I'm sure collapsing fuel rates will help fares. 

Re booking with points: I haven't paid full fare since our first visit to Hawaii.  I usually can book at least two of us with points.  I also have an annual companion certificate with Delta because I have the Platinum Delta card, but it isn't good for travel to Hawaii. (I thought I read awhile ago that you couldn't use the Alaska Air companion certificate to fly to Hawaii, but I guess I'm mistaken.  Perhaps it was first class?)  For our next trip in Dec 2015, I might use miles and/or the companion certificate to get us to either Vegas, LAX, or SFO, then pay cash from there.   I hate using 100k+ miles on one economy seat.


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## vacationtime1 (Dec 10, 2014)

LisaRex said:


> I'll raise you an hour.  Hawaii is 5 hours behind Cincinnati and 6 hours during daylight savings time.  I'm so glad that we now have the option of staying at a midrange hotel (Courtyard) the day we arrive, because it's a complete waste to pay all that $$$ for what amounts to a bed and a shower.
> 
> Most days we go to bed around 7, which actually isn't too bad because the islands really slow down after the sun sets.   It's only difficult when we have an event (e.g. Warren and Annabelle's) that keeps us up til 10pm.
> 
> ...



The Alaska two-for-one is still valid for Hawaii, but they stopped allowing its use for first class tickets a couple of years ago.  It was great while it lasted.


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## easyrider (Dec 11, 2014)

I don't know how you east coasters do the time change dealio. It seems harder for me every year.

I did realize another problem with Hawaii. Im ready to have some fun and all of the bars are playing Hawaian music. I can't hula. What is an middle aged classic rock enthusiast to do ?

Hawaiian music makes me want to go to sleep. 

I stayed at a friends house in Orchid Estates just south of Hilo last night. The area is plagued with noise. Its something they are used to but those frogs make noise all night long. Then the chickens that escaped during the last big storm are scattered throughout the tropical rain forest and pre dawn they start up with their racket. Since electricity cost so much the windows stay open so you hear everything.

I think we got it wrong about Hawaiians being laid back. They are just sleep deprived. 

Bill


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## winger (Dec 20, 2014)

One problem is Hawaii is so close for us living in California, it is very tempting to go back to frequently, but there are so many other places to go visit before the kids grow up and leave the nest : (


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## gnorth16 (Dec 20, 2014)

Sorry Mark, but very little sympathy when I'm searching and almost any Fri/Sat/Sun return from SFO is $700.  I think $700 R/T to Hawaii is a good deal.  Maybe your expectations are too high???

The prices are as low as $600 flying out of San Jose.


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## Larry (Dec 21, 2014)

From NY it's a 5 hour time difference. I used ff miles from United for a ticket  for myself plus two free inter island tickets with United on Hawaiin airlines. Now for the bad part;

My wife's ticket cost me over $1300 going on aa and going home on Delta. We did not fly together because I left before she did and I am going home 2 days after she leaves because she is still working and I am retired plus I needed to travel the dates available for ff tickets.

My flight was terrible. I had a 3 hour scheduled layover in SF that turned into a 9 hour layover. I arrived in Mauii at 2AM instead of 7:30 PM. So with the 5 hour time difference plus not checking in until 4am after landing, baggage claim, rental car pick-up and 45 minute drive to resort my trip door to door was 27 hours.

Then when I flew from Maui to kona my 35  minute scheduled flight had an over 3 hour delay.

This is my third trip to Hawaii and unless this trip gets a lot better over the next 3 weeks I am not sure if it's worth coming back.


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## pedro47 (Dec 21, 2014)

MommaBear said:


> The problem with Hawaii is having to leave. The problem with my family is now I have a grandchild and have given up my dream of spending two months a year there.
> 
> However, I digress... I agree with doing flights during the week. The money I save pays for the extra hotel room, which means I am there longer! I also have automatic fare alerts sent to me So I can respond quickly to flights. I do think now that the economy has rebounded we will no longer get the great deals we saw 5 years ago.



The real problem with Hawaii is that I am not in Hawaii for Christmas. Merry Christmas to all and a Happy New.


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## LisaRex (Dec 22, 2014)

Larry said:


> This is my third trip to Hawaii and unless this trip gets a lot better over the next 3 weeks I am not sure if it's worth coming back.



Yikes!  

I used to accumulate ff miles just to fly to Hawaii.  Then (and I sound like a commercial here) I did some research and switched to a generic travel card, because the redemption rate was so much better. I initially chose Capital One Venture card because, in addition to an incredibly sweet sign-on bonus (they matched your FF miles, up to 100k -- a promo I doubt they'll ever repeat), you earn 2 points for every dollar you spend. Then you can book ANY itinerary on ANY airline and simply pay off that balance (all or nothing, no partial payments) with bonus miles @ a redemption rate of 100 miles = $1.)  So armed with 130,000 miles, I could book $1300 in airfare for free.  No hunting around for low tier award tickets.  No having to fly out on a Wednesday when my TS stay started on a Saturday.  It was very liberating.

Once I exhausted my CapOne miles, I switched my spending to the Chase Sapphire.  You earn 1 miles in a lot of categories and 1 point in others.  But the great thing is that you can book air, hotel, or activities with points.  I've used them for all three.  And you can redeem for part points/part cash, too.  For instance, I just spent the weekend in Nashville.  The hotel was $389/night. So I used 30,000 Chase Miles to get it down to $80/night.  

If you do decide to return to Hawaii, Once you get back, I'd really suggest looking at alternatives to FF miles.  Neither earning nor redemption is as attractive as it used to be in the heyday. (Of course, if you have them sitting around because of your business travel, that's another story.)


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## artringwald (Dec 22, 2014)

With a Fidelity Amex card and a Fidelity account, you get 2% back on every purchase, with the rebates automatically deposited into your account. You can spend the money any way you like. :whoopie:


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## b2bailey (Dec 22, 2014)

The problem I am having with Hawaii right now...has to do with returning to the 'real' world where people, for the most part, are not as considerate and kind as many of those in Hawaii. I do think there is that sweet spirit there that is referred to as Aloha spirit. On the other hand, there was a very rude drunk man on a Oahu city bus with me. He got in my face about how 'tourists should rent cars and leave the buses for the locals' -- it was a very crowded bus and many were standing. I couldn't hold my tongue, so I replied back to him..."is this an example of the Aloha spirit that I hear so much about?" After he moved away to another part of the bus a dear woman came over to me and said: "I apologize for that man, he was not a good representation of us." I told her I understood because I have found that drunk people can be obnoxious anywhere.


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## Larry (Dec 22, 2014)

LisaRex said:


> Yikes!
> 
> I used to accumulate ff miles just to fly to Hawaii.  Then (and I sound like a commercial here) I did some research and switched to a generic travel card, because the redemption rate was so much better. I initially chose Capital One Venture card because, in addition to an incredibly sweet sign-on bonus (they matched your FF miles, up to 100k -- a promo I doubt they'll ever repeat), you earn 2 points for every dollar you spend. Then you can book AN
> 
> Once you get back, I'd really suggest looking at alternatives to FF miles.  Neither earning nor redemption is as attractive as it used to be in the heyday. (Of course, if you have them sitting around because of your business travel, that's another story.)



I know but I used to travel a lot on United for business but not anymore so I used  up most of my United miles for this trip.


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## letsgosteelers (Jan 2, 2015)

Does anyone know if Alaska has any non-stop flights to Hawaii??

I'm just seeing LAX to Seattle, then Seattle to HI


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## sjsharkie (Jan 2, 2015)

letsgosteelers said:


> Does anyone know if Alaska has any non-stop flights to Hawaii??
> 
> I'm just seeing LAX to Seattle, then Seattle to HI



Check the route map. 

I don't think they do, but they do fly from SAN to Hawaii. 

Ryan

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk


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## DeniseM (Jan 2, 2015)

San Jose to Kauai


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## Ken555 (Jan 2, 2015)

letsgosteelers said:


> Does anyone know if Alaska has any non-stop flights to Hawaii??
> 
> 
> 
> I'm just seeing LAX to Seattle, then Seattle to HI




San Jose, Oakland, and San Diego to Maui. I with they had LA as well, since I need one-way for later this year (unless more award seats open up) and it's just $189 from Oakland but other carriers from LA are over $400 on the same day. Waiting and watching... Might even use the Hawaiian SVN 5% discount for the first time (for about $385) if nothing appears in the next few months...


Sent from my iPad


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## klpca (Jan 2, 2015)

Ken555 said:


> San Jose, Oakland, and San Diego to Maui. I with they had LA as well, since I need one-way for later this year (unless more award seats open up) and it's just $189 from Oakland but other carriers from LA are over $400 on the same day. Waiting and watching... Might even use the Hawaiian SVN 5% discount for the first time (for about $385) if nothing appears in the next few months...
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad



I'm pretty sure that they have a seasonal direct from San Diego to Lihue. Maybe its permanent now? That's what I am planning on taking in July.

Btw Ken, maybe you can get a cheap Southwest flight to Oakland to catch the flight.


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## Ken555 (Jan 2, 2015)

klpca said:


> I'm pretty sure that they have a seasonal direct from San Diego to Lihue. Maybe its permanent now? That's what I am planning on taking in July.
> 
> 
> 
> Btw Ken, maybe you can get a cheap Southwest flight to Oakland to catch the flight.




Yes, thanks for the suggestion. I've considered that but the daily flight from Oakland leaves at 7:xx am, and there's no flight earlier from the LA area that would get me there in time for that flight so I'd have to go the night before...which would just increase my overall cost and inconvenience. The San Jose flight leaves at 9:45 so that would be an option. However, the savings might be as much as $65 and...it's not worth it. I'd rather just pay the extra and leave from LA. I'm also unclear (since the rules changed in the last five years or so) if southwest or AA would transfer my bag to Alaska or if I'd have to claim it first, etc etc. Potentially this would be a hassle, waste of time, and possibly even finding my bag miss the flight...unless I went the night before. 

Of course, I'm really trying to setup a business meeting in SF for the days prior to this so I'd already have a reason to be up north. That would make these issues all go away. 


Sent from my iPad


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## klpca (Jan 2, 2015)

Ken555 said:


> Yes, thanks for the suggestion. I've considered that but the daily flight from Oakland leaves at 7:xx am, and there's no flight earlier from the LA area that would get me there in time for that flight so I'd have to go the night before...which would just increase my overall cost and inconvenience. The San Jose flight leaves at 9:45 so that would be an option. However, the savings might be as much as $65 and...it's not worth it. I'd rather just pay the extra and leave from LA. I'm also unclear (since the rules changed in the last five years or so) if southwest or AA would transfer my bag to Alaska or if I'd have to claim it first, etc etc. Potentially this would be a hassle, waste of time, and possibly even finding my bag miss the flight...unless I went the night before.
> 
> Of course, I'm really trying to setup a business meeting in SF for the days prior to this so I'd already have a reason to be up north. That would make these issues all go away.
> 
> ...



I agree about the hassle. You just never know where someone's tipping point is on the hassle vs cost decision.   Btw, I am pretty sure that Southwest doesn't interline bags. So add that to the hassle factor.

I am pretty thrifty, but direct flights are convenient. I usually go ahead and pay more for the convenience. But it kills me.


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## Ken555 (Jan 2, 2015)

klpca said:


> I agree about the hassle. You just never know where someone's tipping point is on the hassle vs cost decision.   Btw, I am pretty sure that Southwest doesn't interline bags. So add that to the hassle factor.
> 
> 
> 
> I am pretty thrifty, but direct flights are convenient. I usually go ahead and pay more for the convenience. But it kills me.




Exactly. Today Hawaiian has a special with round trip LA to Honolulu for $387, and I think a bit more to Maui. One way fares to Maui are just $224. Hopefully they'll offer something like this for later in the year, as well. I'm patient.


Sent from my iPad


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## Luanne (Jan 2, 2015)

Ken555 said:


> Exactly. Today Hawaiian has a special with round trip LA to Honolulu for $387, and I think a bit more to Maui. One way fares to Maui are just $224. Hopefully they'll offer something like this for later in the year, as well. I'm patient.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad



Dd and sil are joining us on Maui for a week in March.  By being flexible with their dates they were able to get direct flights from San Jose to Maui on Hawaiian for $377.84 each (base price).  With tax they are paying $423.59 each round trip.


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## Ken555 (Jan 2, 2015)

Luanne said:


> Dd and sil are joining us on Maui for a week in March.  By being flexible with their dates they were able to get direct flights from San Jose to Maui on Hawaiian for $377.84 each (base price).  With tax they are paying $423.59 each round trip.




Yeah, the new pricing is only effective to March. I need a later date...


Sent from my iPad


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## letsgosteelers (Jan 2, 2015)

dammit!!!  this thread is making me wanna book hawaii!!

STOP IT ALREADY :annoyed:


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## cgeidl (Jan 3, 2015)

*Fly to and fro Hawaii free*

All you have to do is join the 1% in the military and Space available flights are free from many locations. Also free after 20 years of service! Join today.
Tickets recently are under $400 from the Bay Area to Hawaii RT for popular winter months,


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## sjsharkie (Jan 3, 2015)

dougp26364 said:


> Cry me a river. From our airport, it's impossible to get airfare to the islands for less than $1,100 per person any day of the week. And that's crummy flight times with two layovers.



...but you live in the "Air Capital of the World".

I flew to ICT for 6 months every week on business.  I'd chuckle every time seeing that at the airport ... after connecting through DFW/ORD since there was no direct flight from SFO.

-ryan


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## mauitraveler (Jan 3, 2015)

letsgosteelers said:


> Does anyone know if Alaska has any non-stop flights to Hawaii??
> 
> I'm just seeing LAX to Seattle, then Seattle to HI



Oakland or San Jose to Maui.


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## Luanne (Jan 3, 2015)

mauitraveler said:


> Oakland or San Jose to Maui.



When I was looking for flights for my dd and sil from the Bay Area to Maui the only direct flights I found were on Hawaiian.  Nothing on Alaska.  Maybe it's just certain times of the year?  This was for March, 2015.


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## mauitraveler (Jan 3, 2015)

Luanne said:


> When I was looking for flights for my dd and sil from the Bay Area to Maui the only direct flights I found were on Hawaiian.  Nothing on Alaska.  Maybe it's just certain times of the year?  This was for March, 2015.



It probably is for certain times of the year.  However, I just checked for February and March, 2015, and there are still direct flights available from Oakland and San Jose to Maui, although they leave very early in the morning.  Have you already booked his flight?


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## puppymommo (Jan 3, 2015)

The cost of airfare from the Midwest to Hawaii is the main reason we have not been back since we moved from HI to the Mainland in 1996. My niece is graduating from UH Manoa in May 2017, so hopefully we will be able to go for that and then spend a week on Kauai.  DD who was born there, hasn't been back since she was about a year and a half old.

The cost of a place to stay is not so much of an issue with timeshare options and friends I could stay with. 

So it is on my calendar for 2017. Now that it is 2015 it doesn't sound so far away. Unfortunately my RCI deposit expires May 2016. I'll either have to pay to extend it or save up my Wyndham points for a stay in Waikiki, which is relatively close to the university.


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## Luanne (Jan 3, 2015)

mauitraveler said:


> It probably is for certain times of the year.  However, I just checked for February and March, 2015, and there are still direct flights available from Oakland and San Jose to Maui, although they leave very early in the morning.  Have you already booked his flight?



If you're asking me, yes they booked their flights.  Got direct roundtrip San Jose to Maui for $423.59 each (includes tax).  Flight leaves at 7:20 a.m. and gets into Maui at 10:00 a.m.

Checking Alaska Airlines now for comparison.  The direct flight from San Jose to Maui (which I swear I didn't see before) is showing as $398 each and it looks like that includes tax.


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## mauitraveler (Jan 3, 2015)

Luanne said:


> If you're asking me, yes they booked their flights.  Got direct roundtrip San Jose to Maui for $423.59 each (includes tax).  Flight leaves at 7:20 a.m. and gets into Maui at 10:00 a.m.
> 
> Checking Alaska Airlines now for comparison.  The direct flight from San Jose to Maui (which I swear I didn't see before) is showing as $398 each and it looks like that includes tax.



Luanne,
They got a great rate!  Hope they get to see some whales while they are on Maui!
Happy travels!  CJ


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## Luanne (Jan 3, 2015)

mauitraveler said:


> Luanne,
> They got a great rate!  Hope they get to see some whales while they are on Maui!
> Happy travels!  CJ



We will definitely be taking at least one whale watch trip, possibly more. Dh and I will be there for two weeks, the "kids" just for one.  Last time dh and I were on Maui in March we went out twice with the Pacific Whale Foundation.  Fabulous trips.


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## HudsHut (Jan 3, 2015)

KauaiMark said:


> ...getting a good airfare.
> 
> I've been watching the air fares since mid summer for our trip in April/2015. Trying to find fares in the range of $300-$400ea from NorCal (including fees&tax) is pretty much impossible anymore.
> 
> ...



HNL used to be around $300 - $400 RT from the Bay Area.

We are looking at any of the 3 Bay Area airports to HNL for our dates.
The airfares have been $684-$694 since we booked the exchange. 

Still waiting for a sale. Hawaiian has had several sales, but have only included travel dates as far out as March.

I thought Southwest was going to add flights to Hawaii, but no sign of them yet.


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## KauaiMark (Jan 3, 2015)

*I hope SouthWest does get into the mix*



hudshut said:


> HNL used to be around $300 - $400 RT from the Bay Area....I thought Southwest was going to add flights to Hawaii, but no sign of them yet.



..and bring the bags fly free feature with them


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## PDXGolfer (Jan 3, 2015)

letsgosteelers said:


> Does anyone know if Alaska has any non-stop flights to Hawaii??
> 
> I'm just seeing LAX to Seattle, then Seattle to HI


Alaska has direct flights from Portland (OR) to several of the Hawaiian Islands.


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## squeegeeman (Jan 5, 2015)

If you live on the coast-and specifically Portland, it's hard to beat the convenience of Alaska.  The best Alaska direct flights to me are those wonderful late afternoon/evening ones.  Emptier planes, less outbound island traffic, and you get a free day if you plan right.  In winter (Nov-April) PDX-OGG is 3x a week); PDX-KOA  is 2-3x a week and the PDX-SEA-LIH is 3x a week.

What I will usually do is close up my business at 3:30 PM sharp, park my car or take an airport shuttle at 4 PM, catch the 6:35 PM out of Seattle, and arrive in Lihue at 10:45 PM.  The rental car places stay open an extra half hour just for us, as we are the last jet to arrive on Kauai.  Wake up for that sunrise, and enjoy the full day on island.

Just avoid the redeye returns, unless you can sleep on a plane; or you can grab a relatively-easy-to-get first class upgrade.

I'm hiking back out to Kalalau Valley on the 15th...


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## daventrina (Jan 12, 2015)

One problem with Hawaii is that if you are moving there ... you have to a) move there before your kids have kids or b) move the whole family 

Another is that the cars have become ridiculous. Our trip last October, me paid nearly as much in fees, taxes and charges and rental fees  

Most of all ... it is so depressing to come back to California even after three weeks.

It does help when we have a return trip planned or at least scheduled. For now, it isn't scheduled and is probably at least 12-18 months away


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## RSchwartz (Jan 24, 2015)

*Airline Frustrations*

Our frustrations with the airlines is not so much with what it costs us to fly from Minneapolis but rather on the number of times our reserved flight times have been changed.

We confirmed a Maui flight 10-months before our vacation begins this upcoming March using Delta Airlines.  My wife was able to use ff miles while I bought my ticket for just under $1,000.  The flight we bought had us arriving in Maui just before 5:00 pm.  This would allow us to pick up a car and check into our Kaanapali resort well before 7:00pm.

Delta has changed our flight six times now.  Our current reservation gets us in after 9:00 pm which means checking into our resort around 11:00 pm (4:00 am Minneapolis time).  I have contacted Delta about this and they did offer to refund our fare or reschedule to another flight, which we did.  The problem with rescheduling is that on one of the three legs of the flight we no longer sit next to each other and Delta could only get us to HNL and not Maui. So we purchased our own tickets to Maui so we can again arrive around 5:00 pm.  When I asked Delta if there was a chance for a seventh flight time change, the response was that seeing how we are only 8 weeks from departure the chances of a change is minimized but not out of the question.

Anyone else have a similar problem with airlines changing over and over again your flights to and from Hawaii?  We are so happy with our Hawaiian vacations that we put up with these constant changes but it sure can be frustrating.


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## DaveNV (Jan 24, 2015)

RSchwartz said:


> Anyone else have a similar problem with airlines changing over and over again your flights to and from Hawaii?  We are so happy with our Hawaiian vacations that we put up with these constant changes but it sure can be frustrating.




It's happened to me a number of times, and not just on flights to Hawaii.  Last Fall I had our very convenient morning nonstop flight to Hawaii (that we'd had reserved for months ahead of time, with great seats), arbitrarily switched by the airline to one that didn't leave till almost 12 hours later, with terrible seating, and arriving very late at night.  In order to get the arrival time I wanted, we had to switch our nonstop Seattle to Maui flight to one that went Seattle to Sacramento, then on to Maui. It added another three hours to the flight time, and seating was still lousy. But at least we got to Maui at a reasonable hour.

My bigger complaint about the experience was the airline didn't tell me about the flight time change.  I had to discover that on my own. If I hadn't checked things, I wouldn't have known things had changed.

Even worse, a few years ago a late afternoon return flight nonstop to Seattle from Montana after a Yellowstone trip was changed by the airlines to a very early morning departure instead.  To make that flight, we'd have given up the entire last day of our vacation, and had to get up at about 3:00AM to drive a hundred miles in the dark to get to the airport in time. When I asked the airline what we could do, they suggested we just catch the flight on the previous day instead, before the schedule was changing.  That would mean canceling our overnight at the Old Faithful Lodge in Yellowstone, which was a planned high point of the trip. Not an acceptable option for us.

The best correction of that little fiasco required taking a connecting flight through Portland, with a two hour layover, then on to Seattle, arriving very late evening. We didn't get home until well after midnight.  Serious PITA.

Dave


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## artringwald (Jan 24, 2015)

Last December we booked United flights to LA for a cruise. They changed the return flight from 6 PM to 10 AM which we would not be able to make in time after departing from the cruise. When I called, they said they could put us on a later departure that had 3 stops and didn't arrive in MSP until the next morning. I asked the agent "Is that a trip you would want to take?". She ended up issuing a full refund of the tickets. We then booked non-stop flights on Delta, and the prices had gone down, so it cost less than the original United flights. 

It's a hassle, but I usually check every month when I book a flight far in advance. Our flight to Hawaii next month has changed twice since we booked it, and they didn't notify us either time.


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## KauaiMark (Jan 25, 2015)

*Update using AirBnB...*



KauaiMark said:


> ...getting a good airfare.
> We'll probably end up spending the same amount but this way we get more beach time. ( Now where is my AirBnB bookmark  )
> ...Mark



Finalized our plans for 4 extra days for our Kauai trip in April. Staying 2 extra nights in Poipu and 2 nights in Princeville)

Air only on Fri/Sat/Sun $1488 (includes taxes)
Air mid week + 4 extra AirBnB nights: $1571 (includes taxes)

Difference: $83


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## NTP66 (Feb 11, 2015)

I envy those of you on the west coast who have it easy in terms of pricing and timing. We fly out of Philly, and the cheapest ticket I've ever booked to Maui was $750 back in September of 2011; we average right around $1000/ticket. Next year will be the first year we bring our toddler along with us, so it only gets worse. We mainly fly US Airways, with a single layover in Phoenix.

We do have other options, such as flying nonstop from NY to Honolulu, and then catching a Hawaiian flight over to Maui, but I think it winds up being close to the same cost as what we're currently doing with more hassle. Doing a search right now shows that flying from Newark to OGG with a single layover is actually $184 cheaper per ticket, and it's on American so I could continue earning miles. Ideally, I could stay with American and eventually use miles for one ticket every once in a blue moon. I'd like to think that the surveys I take all the time to redeem miles will eventually be worth it.  Two-stop tickets are $200-225 cheaper per ticket, but I really don't see that as a good option with a 3 year old in tow. And even then, I think I'd honestly pay the extra to cut out a stop.


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## SmithOp (Feb 11, 2015)

you could also do extra days in CA and book our cheap flights, Hawaiian has a $149 one way special right now SFO-OGG.


Sent from my iPad using the strange new version of Tapatalk


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## artringwald (Feb 11, 2015)

NTP66 said:


> I envy those of you on the west coast who have it easy in terms of pricing and timing. We fly out of Philly, and the cheapest ticket I've ever booked to Maui was $750 back in September of 2011; we average right around $1000/ticket. Next year will be the first year we bring our toddler along with us, so it only gets worse. We mainly fly US Airways, with a single layover in Phoenix.
> 
> We do have other options, such as flying nonstop from NY to Honolulu, and then catching a Hawaiian flight over to Maui, but I think it winds up being close to the same cost as what we're currently doing with more hassle. Doing a search right now shows that flying from Newark to OGG with a single layover is actually $184 cheaper per ticket, and it's on American so I could continue earning miles. Ideally, I could stay with American and eventually use miles for one ticket every once in a blue moon. I'd like to think that the surveys I take all the time to redeem miles will eventually be worth it.  Two-stop tickets are $200-225 cheaper per ticket, but I really don't see that as a good option with a 3 year old in tow. And even then, I think I'd honestly pay the extra to cut out a stop.



Here's a cheap way to get to HNL in October (using http://www.itasoftware.com/):

Philadelphia (PHL) to San Francisco (SFO) — Thu, Oct 15			
United 1067	Dep: 6:00 am	Arr: 8:58 am	5h 58m
	Layover in SFO		2h 27m
San Francisco (SFO) to Honolulu (HNL) — Thu, Oct 15			
United 300	Dep: 11:25 am	Arr: 1:40 pm	5h 15m

Honolulu (HNL) to Chicago (ORD) — Thu, Oct 29			
United 218	Dep: 3:55 pm	Arr: 5:00 am	8h 5m
	Layover in ORD	Fri, Oct 30	1h 0m
Chicago (ORD) to Philadelphia (PHL) — Fri, Oct 30			
United 780	Dep: 6:00 am	Arr: 8:55 am	1h 55m

Cost per passenger (including taxes & fees)	$576.80


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## NTP66 (Feb 11, 2015)

artringwald said:


> Here's a cheap way to get to HNL in October (using http://www.itasoftware.com/):
> 
> Philadelphia (PHL) to San Francisco (SFO) — Thu, Oct 15
> United 1067	Dep: 6:00 am	Arr: 8:58 am	5h 58m
> ...



Great point - I completely forgot about flying to SFO and just spending a few days there, which my wife wouldn't mind at all. Breaking up a long trip may work in our favor for the kid, too. Ideally, we'd still be going in mid-September because we enjoy spending our anniversary there, and have a tradition of having our anniversary dinner at the Old Lahaina Luau going.


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## artringwald (Feb 11, 2015)

NTP66 said:


> Great point - I completely forgot about flying to SFO and just spending a few days there, which my wife wouldn't mind at all. Breaking up a long trip may work in our favor for the kid, too. Ideally, we'd still be going in mid-September because we enjoy spending our anniversary there, and have a tradition of having our anniversary dinner at the Old Lahaina Luau going.



After one year with a long layover in Seattle, we decided that for future trips we'd always book a night at a west coast airport hotel on the way over and the way back. We pick flights to arrive and depart Hawaii in the mid afternoon, so we arrive at the resort around checkin time and leave around checkout time. It makes the long flights much less stressful!


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## Southerngirl528 (Mar 12, 2015)

www.beatofhawaii.com  has been a great resource to keep me posted of fare drops to our beloved Hawaii.

My boss just found airfare from Orlando to HNL in June for $801/RT inclusive of taxes/fees! I thought this was quite good! I did some checking myself today and found that fare for her June dates (1st half of June) still good. 

So I thought I'd pop in dates for next January which is when we would like to return to Hawaii. I found R/T air for LESS than $800 R/T! These fares were all found on US Air's website but the actual flights are on AA, which I prefer personally. Hope this helps some of ya'll that live in EDT! :whoopie:


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## Rumpled (Mar 13, 2015)

I'd heard for awhile of Alaska's companion fare deals, but it didn't work well from SoCal. 
The always wanted to route through NorCal, Portland or Seattle - not convenient. 
Now, I see they have direct flights from San Diego to Kona. Three days a week. 
From home in OC, it's the same as going to LAX. 

We have Shell with Kona Coast being the place we like to stay. With points, we can arrive any day and use the cheaper midweek flights. 

Now, off to get that Alaska card for next year's Kona trip.


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