Help needed w/ inter-island flights

[1st Class]

It's been a few years since we last visited Hawaii, and back then inter-island flights were numerous. I'm now trying to schedule a flight between HNL and OGG, but there's nothing available on my dates for October 2011. We prefer to fly Hawaiian Air since I have no knowledge of other inter-island airlines, (but would consider others with a TUG recommendation). I'd also prefer not to spend the first evening in Oahu, but our flight from the mainland doesn't arrive until well past the last Hawaiian Air inter-island flight to Maui, so it looks like we may have to fly out the next day. Anyone have any helpful suggestions?

 

[DeniseM]

I believe the only other interisland airline is Go!

Have you been to Oahu before? If you can't get a flight, I'd go on Priceline and get a nice hotel on Waikiki and make the most of it. If you haven't been to Pearl Harbor, consider visiting it early the next morning before you fly to Maui.

 

[1st Class]

Yes, we've been to Oahu and liked it so much that we're planning on spending another 6 days there after we return from Maui. I know it's a very long travel day from the East Coast, but I think I prefer to get it done in a single day. You're suggestion is a good one, though, as we also plan to return to Pearl Harbor to tour the Missouri and the Bowfin. Our last visit we spent a good part of the day with the narrated audio tour and the Arizona.

Since I initially posted I was able to find a fare on Hawaiian that will work for us for $142. Is that a fair price? It seems to me that's about what I paid about 3 year ago. Do you know if there are any extra fees to use SideStep or Orbitz? That's where I found the best price. We're also traveling with carry-ons so checked bags aren't an issue.

Go! is also Mesa, correct? I did find 2 other airlines in addition to Go! -- Island Air and Mokulele, but I think it said they're prop planes -- too small for me!

Thanks for your help.

 

[yeereid]

I'd avoid Go! airlines at all costs. 90% of the reviews and feedback are negative both on this site and via friends that have unfortunately flown with them. Go! is notorious for cancelling flights at the last minute, which will ruin your trip and add stress.

It looks like your only option is to stay overnight in Oahu, which isn't such a bad thing. I'd book the flight with Hawaiian ASAP as the interisland flights will only go up as your date of travel approaches. Buying the ticket on the Hawaiian website is your best bet to avoid any additional fees and to also guarantee that you can select your seats. While $142 isn't cheap, it isn't the highest either. I had to buy a first class ticket on an interisland Hawaiian flight to get the best connection, but it was worth it to me to not have to wait several hours in the airport. Plus with First Class, the bag fee will be waived!

 

[1st Class]

Thanks for the tip about Go! I went ahead and booked with Hawaiian Air. We've only used Hawaiian once, but their track record is very good.

More questions: Will we be allowed to board an earlier flight if we can make the connection? My choices were 30 minutes, or more than 2 hours between connections so I chose the latter. How likely is it that I could make the 30 minute connection?

 

[DeniseM]

No - they charge you a flight change fee.

I think it's unlikely that you could make a flight in 30 min., unless you will only have carry-on luggage.

 

[yeereid]

More questions: Will we be allowed to board an earlier flight if we can make the connection? My choices were 30 minutes, or more than 2 hours between connections so I chose the latter. How likely is it that I could make the 30 minute connection?

If you are flying American from the mainland to Oahu, you can check your bags all the way to Maui since American and Hawaiian are partner airlines. This will make life easier regardless of what time your connecting flight is. I wouldn't count on making the flight with the 30 min connection window. Delays or just trekking across the airport will cut it close and if you miss the flight, you'll be at the mercy of standby. A 2 hr connection is not so bad. Relax, grab a bite to eat and get in island mode! If you have a platinum AMEX card, you can hang out in the Admiral's Club lounge which is a great perk.

 

[MuranoJo]

1st Class,
Thanks for posting this--it was a wake-up call that flight options are quickly disappearing and I need to get on the ball. Tonight DH booked Island Air from Kauai to the BI, at a cost of ~$110/pp. Have a stop-over in Mauai for a couple of hours. (Hubby said LIH to KOA all had stop-overs.) He said there were only a few seats left (this is for September).

Now I am cringing and hoping no one posts that Island Air is a mistake.

Thx again for the reminder.

 

[DaveNV]

Now I am cringing and hoping no one posts that Island Air is a mistake.

Island Air is fine. They've been around for awhile. The only thing is their aircraft are propjets, not jets, as I recall. They'll be a good carrier for you.

Dave

 

[eal]

I like Island Air because they fly at a lower altitude and so it is always a very scenic trip.

 

[teepeeca]

Muranojo ---

Island Air is a nice choice---BUT --- I hope that you know that there are "weight-restrictions" with regards to luggage. I'm not sure what the "total weight", per passenger, is, but I think it is either 30 pounds or 40 pounds, which includes all hand-carried baggage.

Just trying to give you a "heads-up".

Tony

 

[BevL]

Another vote of confidence on Island Air. But just make sure you pack a little lighter than you might.

 

[LisaRex]

It's been a few years since we last visited Hawaii, and back then inter-island flights were numerous. I'm now trying to schedule a flight between HNL and OGG, but there's nothing available on my dates for October 2011.

I'm shocked that any date in October 2011 is sold-out this far ahead. October is low season. I wonder if they haven't loaded their schedules into the system yet. I'd have called an HA agent to ask what's up because that doesn't sound right.

 

[1st Class]

Yeereid: Yes, that sounds like a good plan. This will be a very long travel day for us and the 2 hour delay may be welcome. No checked luggage for us, though, carry-ons only.

DeniseM: If by chance we make the earlier connection I'll gladly pay the extra change fee.

Muranojo: You're welcome -- glad I was able to help. So little time, so much planning to do! I know nothing about Island Air, and it may be a false sense of security, but I prefer a larger jet. Please post again for future reference with your Island Air experience. Maybe next time I'll be more adventuresome!

Lisa Rex: I went directly to the HA website and saw about 1/2 dozen or so flights for my dates, the times available went only as far as 5:00 p.m. and the cost was prohibitive even if they had something available -- $190 ea. I had much better luck with the alternative sites, Orbitz and Side-Step. They both had tons of availability and I could pair up with a return flight of my choice -- less expensive too!

My thanks to all who posted!

 

[brianfox]

It's been a few years since we last visited Hawaii, and back then inter-island flights were numerous. I'm now trying to schedule a flight between HNL and OGG, but there's nothing available on my dates for October 2011. We prefer to fly Hawaiian Air since I have no knowledge of other inter-island airlines, (but would consider others with a TUG recommendation). I'd also prefer not to spend the first evening in Oahu, but our flight from the mainland doesn't arrive until well past the last Hawaiian Air inter-island flight to Maui, so it looks like we may have to fly out the next day. Anyone have any helpful suggestions?

The reason it shows no availability is that October is just too far out. Even if it did show availability, it would be at full fare prices. Flights are plentiful, even a week out. Search in June or so. Last year, we booked interisland air a month out. It proceeded to dip in price the next week, then inched back up. By the day of travel, seats were still available for most flights on all airlines - but they were expensive by then.

Hawaiians HATE Go! airlines with a passion. They see Alaska as having out the competition out of business and then jacking up fares. Tell any cabbie you're flying Go! and they will give you 10 reasons why you shouldn't. Personally, I didn't like how Go! had very low overweight limits on bags.

Hawaiian Airlines is the best for interisland travel, but they are also the most expensive.

 

[MuranoJo]

Island Air is a nice choice---BUT --- I hope that you know that there are "weight-restrictions" with regards to luggage. I'm not sure what the "total weight", per passenger, is, but I think it is either 30 pounds or 40 pounds, which includes all hand-carried baggage.

Just trying to give you a "heads-up".

Tony

Tony,

Yes, I had read that, but I thought it was carry-on. You mean total luggage is 30 or 40 lbs?? If that's the case, we may be in trouble. We usually lug along snorkeling gear, quite a bit of camera gear, etc.

Anyway, later last night hubby reminded me we had flown Island Air before with no problems, so he wasn't worried about it. (Not sure where my memory is these days. Has anyone seen it?)

 

[BevL]

Tony,

Yes, I had read that, but I thought it was carry-on. You mean total luggage is 30 or 40 lbs?? If that's the case, we may be in trouble. We usually lug along snorkeling gear, quite a bit of camera gear, etc.

Anyway, later last night hubby reminded me we had flown Island Air before with no problems, so he wasn't worried about it. (Not sure where my memory is these days. Has anyone seen it?)

Not as bad as I recall.

Carry on of 16 pounds and one checked of 50.

I think though when we flew them, carry on on "regular" airlines could be 60 or 70 pounds - I think it's pretty much 50 across the board now, isn't it?

Here's the link so you can get the straight bill of goods.

http://www.islandair.com/flight-info/baggage

 

[teepeeca]

Island Air baggage

I'm glad that I was wrong about the weight limits on Island Air. Even though the "prop-jets" might take a bit longer, it is a nice ride. Actually, I'm wondering "how much longer" the flight would actually take between islands---they ARE NOT that far apart.

Tony

 

[johnfornal]

Pacific Wings

Hi,

I just lost out on the chance to fly Pacwings another propjet plane company based back east.....

They had fares at $40 from Maui to the Big Island....HNL also

Hawaiian is the best but up as high as $95 to $130....

You did the right thing on connection unless you check through....

Anybody fly them yet?

 

[MuranoJo]

Not as bad as I recall.

Carry on of 16 pounds and one checked of 50.

I think though when we flew them, carry on on "regular" airlines could be 60 or 70 pounds - I think it's pretty much 50 across the board now, isn't it?

Here's the link so you can get the straight bill of goods.

http://www.islandair.com/flight-info/baggage

Thanks for looking this up, Bev! Quite a relief.

 

[carolbol]

Oh no! is Go airlines (Mesa)that bad? we just booked a flight from HNL to KONA on Go. fares were less than Hawaian Air

 

[LisaRex]

There are some things that I don't automatically choose the cheapest. Eye surgery is one and air travel is another. I want a seasoned pilot, with lots of experience dealing with Hawaiian winds, hauling my butt around.

 

[Twinkstarr]

There are some things that I don't automatically choose the cheapest. Eye surgery is one and air travel is another. I want a seasoned pilot, with lots of experience dealing with Hawaiian winds, hauling my butt around.

I'm with you on that. After reading the "stories" about HA's competition on interisland flights, I just booked HA. We went from HNL-KOA, then KOA via HNL to LIH, LIH to HNL. After being at the airports and seeing delays or cancellations posted on the board from HA's competitors I felt good.

I lucked out that my interisland flights were not when a big plane came from the mainland on KOA or LIH(yikes on the lines at car rentals when we dropped ours off).

Prices were about the same when I booked, which was maybe 6 months out.

 

[DeniseM]

There are some things that I don't automatically choose the cheapest. Eye surgery is one and air travel is another. I want a seasoned pilot, with lots of experience dealing with Hawaiian winds, hauling my butt around.

Wasn't it Go! Airlines where both pilots fell asleep with the airplane on autopilot and they over-shot the island by 30 min. or so?

 

[Twinkstarr]

Wasn't it Go! Airlines where both pilots fell asleep with the airplane on autopilot and they over-shot the island by 30 min. or so?

Well remember those NWA/DL pilots did the same sort of thing coming into MSP too.

It was one of those non-HA airlines, someone posted the story here.