Airline - Island hop question

[VacationForever]

I live in Northern California and have booked 2 weeks stay, first week in Kauai and second week in Maui. Alaska Airlines has a non-stop flight to Maui but not Kauai from my city. I have gone ahead and booked a round trip to Maui, with the intention of getting on an island hop from Maui to Kauai when I land on the first day and then get back on the plane to go back to Maui from Kauai a week later.

Hawaiian Airlines has a direct flight from Kauai to Maui but not from Maui to Kauai. I really don't care for flying back to Honolulu for the Maui-Kauai route on Hawaiian Airlines. I see that there are a couple of airlines that fly direct from Maui to Kauai - Island Air and Go / Mesa Airlines. Any recommendation on either of these or should I simply stick with Hawaiian Airlines and put up with the one-stop as opposed to non-stop from Maui to Kauai?

Thank you very much!

SP

 

[artringwald]

We've used Island Air several times and like them. They use prop planes, so the flight is longer, but it beats having a stop over in Honolulu. We've got seats booked for March when we go mainland to Kauai to Maui, and back home.

 

[Kona Lovers]

Although you may have to go back through HNL from Kauai, Hawaiian is the way to go interisland, no question. Island Air is prop, and has weight limits, plus walks out on the tarmac and up a ramp to board. Go/Mokulele has the most awful on-time performance, plus luggage gets misplaced (not to mention their pilots falling asleep and flying 200 miles past their destinations), and they fly cramped, small regional jets, with boarding and de-boarding on the tarmac.

Hawaiian flies the Boeing 717s, boarding and de-boarding through jet-ways into the terminals, (except Kona airport), and are much more comfortable.

Of course, I'm only reporting on past personal experience, and others will have the opposite experiences, but we've decided that we'll only go Hawaiian on the inter-island flights.

Whatever your decision, have a great vacation!

Aloha,

Marty

 

[VacationForever]

Thanks for your feedback. It's weird, I looked at Nov there are 2 direct flights from Maui to Kauai on Hawaiian but none in May 2013. I think I will hold off booking for now as I am hoping that they will add the direct flights later on.

 

[DeniseM]

Alaska Airlines has direct flights from Oakland to Kauai.

 

[Kona Lovers]

Thanks for your feedback. It's weird, I looked at Nov there are 2 direct flights from Maui to Kauai on Hawaiian but none in May 2013. I think I will hold off booking for now as I am hoping that they will add the direct flights later on.

FWIW, having flown several times interisland, the routes you've found are pretty much static; I haven't seen additions of direct routes in the past.

Of course, changes can happen and they indeed add them in the future.

Marty

 

[VacationForever]

Alaska Airlines has direct flights from Oakland to Kauai.

Thanks, Denise. I did look at that. I fly from Sacramento. Oakland is a bit further and flights leave earlier and come back later.

 

[tompalm]

Although you may have to go back through HNL from Kauai, Hawaiian is the way to go interisland, no question. Island Air is prop, and has weight limits, plus walks out on the tarmac and up a ramp to board. Go/Mokulele has the most awful on-time performance, plus luggage gets misplaced (not to mention their pilots falling asleep and flying 200 miles past their destinations), and they fly cramped, small regional jets, with boarding and de-boarding on the tarmac.

Hawaiian flies the Boeing 717s, boarding and de-boarding through jet-ways into the terminals, (except Kona airport), and are much more comfortable.

Concur 100%, and could not have said it better. The stop in Honolulu is not that long.

 

[DaveNV]

Get the Hawaiian Airlines Visa card, and you'll get 35000 air miles on approval. Use those miles for the interisland legs of your trip. If it's free to you, that stop at HNL isn't that bad at all.

My experience the one time I flew GO! was awful. I'll swim before I fly with them again.

Never flown Island Air, but from the sound of it, they're like a regional carrier, at best. For similar money, (or free, if you get that Visa card), Hawaiian is a better option.

Just my 2¢.

Dave

 

[VacationForever]

Thanks again for all the feedback. Exactly what I was looking for. I will go with Hawaiian Airlines.

 

[california-bighorn]

Couple of Options

Thanks, Denise. I did look at that. I fly from Sacramento. Oakland is a bit further and flights leave earlier and come back later.

We also live in the Sacramento area (Granite Bay) and have gone thru the same thing you are experiencing with flights to Hawaii. In September we are flying to Kauai and after checking all options we decided to drive to Oakland and do the Park & Fly thing. Our Alaska Airlines flight arrives in Lihue @ 9:45 AM and our return gets us back to Oakland @ 8:28 pm, so we should be home before midnight. I also like that this is a direct flight and we don't have to make connections in Portland or Seattle. In March we flew Alaska out of Sacramento direct to Maui where we spent a week, flew Hawaiian Air inter-island to Oahu where we spent a week, then back to Maui for our return flight to Sacramento. Having two inter-island flights sounds strange, but it worked well.

 

[VacationForever]

We also live in the Sacramento area (Granite Bay) and have gone thru the same thing you are experiencing with flights to Hawaii. In September we are flying to Kauai and after checking all options we decided to drive to Oakland and do the Park & Fly thing. Our Alaska Airlines flight arrives in Lihue @ 9:45 AM and our return gets us back to Oakland @ 8:28 pm, so we should be home before midnight. I also like that this is a direct flight and we don't have to make connections in Portland or Seattle. In March we flew Alaska out of Sacramento direct to Maui where we spent a week, flew Hawaiian Air inter-island to Oahu where we spent a week, then back to Maui for our return flight to Sacramento. Having two inter-island flights sounds strange, but it worked well.

Hi-di-ho-almost-neighbor
Our issue is it leaves so early out of Oakland and since we are coming back from Maui it arrives at 10:30pm or so and driving back means getting home at 1 am or so. We are opting for inter island flight from Maui-Kauai as a result. Next time we will just book a week or 2 weeks at the same location to make travel a little less stressful. I am such a wimp when it comes to flying anymore.