Flights to Hawaii

richards1180 on 21/04/2014 - 17:30

Hi all, i know there is a wealth of knowledge out there previously on this but thought i'd make a new post myself and gather some new opinions, about flying to Hawaii.

Planning my honeymoon in September this year and looking to leave Sydney Monday 29th Sept, and leave Hawaii Thursday 09/10. Honolulu our likely main destination but may travel to the other islands in between.

Looking at the airlines that go there, the most budget of the bunch seem to be Fiji Air and NZ Air, but both have stops along the way - at Nadi or Auckland mainly, and ranging from 3-4 hours between flights to up to 11.

Unfortunately these dates are pretty much set in stone as my fiance is a school teacher and she was only able to get 1 week off during the start of term / 1 week off during the school holidays. Also looking to fly coach/economy - if it's a little extra for extra leg room i'm open to that.

I've seen Hawaiian airlines have a direct flight but (departing) $938 and (returning) $1189 that seems quite pricey. Alternatively i've just seen Jetstar have direct flights, cheapest being $1264 for both flights - not including all their extra hidden fees for a seat, checked baggage, etc. Am i crazy of thinking about going with them or who would you recommending flying with?

Travel Hawaii USA

Comments

  • neil on 21/04/2014 - 17:41
    +1

    I've flown both Jetstar & Hawaiian (last month) to Honolulu. Nothing wrong with Jetstar but as you stated with Hawaiian you get bags, meals and seats included in the prices.

    Jetstar will be cheaper but you just have to wait until the next sale. Someone mentioned that there could be a big sale next month.

    • Mikeologos on 21/04/2014 - 18:37
      +1

      My view on economy class for the airlines flying to Honolulu:

      Jetstar: Don't rule them out, once you include baggage and food you are no better off than anywhere else. The seats are in the exact same layout as Qantas on a relatively new A330. The seats come with the same dimensions as every other carrier, however they don't have entertainment (negligible as no one else does either).

      Hawaiian: Watch out, while their A330 to Sydney is comfortable (baggage, PTVs and food), they have been known to swap it out to a 767 on occasion when yields are low. The 767 is a poor old clunker, ghastly seats, no entertainment, loud and rattly.

      Qantas: Your best option after november/december. This is when they will replace their 767 with an A330 with the same product you would get on an Australia to Asia segment. Until then they operate a 767, however it is still a very pleasant journey, there is 2-3-2 seating so you and your wife get a seat pair, every seat gets their own IFE in the form of an Ipad which attaches to a mount of the back of the seat (to me this is just as good as a regular IFE, same content, just removable).

      Air New Zealand: If you can get a price that you are happy with considering the connectin I would take them 2nd over Qantas, they run a 767 from both Sydney to Auckland then onto Honolulu. Same deal as Qantas except it includes a PTV inbuilt into the seat back.

      Fiji Air: Mixed bag, they run a 737 to Honolulu, which is a narrow-body plane with no entertainment. I would probably put Fiji Air last.

      If I were to list them they would be like this:

      1) Qantas - Direct, great service, 767 is good option but the A330 is the obvious pick.
      2) Air NZ - 1 Stop (Auckland is an easy transit), great service, modern 767
      3) Hawaii Air - Direct, not known for great service but they offer food and entertainment on the A330.
      4) Jetstar - If you can do without the entertainment Jetstar is the best option considering the savings
      5) Fiji air - Small plane, no IFE, good service, Nadi transit is frustrating.

  • richards1180 on 21/04/2014 - 18:31
    +1

    I've kept a keen eye on any sales including Hawaii, and from all i can see they all unfortunately don't fall within the dates we're going.. But yeah have heard of the Jetstar birthday sale coming up i believe and will keep an eye out. Glad to know you've flown with Jetstar and haven't had a problem, just a thought has anyone called jetstar when booking to request an emergency exit seat? can you do this? I believe they have more leg room and might be an idea

    • lindsaymt on 21/04/2014 - 19:38

      I agree with you in regards to keep an eye out for the Jetstar birthday sale next month. Last year they had BOGOF.

  • Devils Advocate on 21/04/2014 - 19:08
    +2

    Definitely do to Maui. 3x better than Honolulu in my opinion, in fact Honolulu is only worth 2-3 days. Spend the rest of the time on Maui and the other islands.

    • ELH05 on 22/04/2014 - 08:12

      Devils Advocate - what other island would you suggest ? I know you say Maui, but I have done Maui already so which other island did you enjoy the most?

      • neil on 22/04/2014 - 08:17
        +1

        Big Island is probably up there. The lava flows and landscape are something you will never see anywhere else in the world. Truly amazing however keep in mind you can't just walk up to lava (illegal & dangerous).

        • Riczter on 22/04/2014 - 10:24

          we did with a large group and tour guide :S

        • neil on 22/04/2014 - 10:57

          Very jealous. I wanted to do that but the rest of my group weren't in hiking condition especially with those sharp rocks. We took a low flying airplane instead which was fantastic.

      • Devils Advocate on 22/04/2014 - 13:53

        I only did Maui, Big Island and Honolulu. My favourite was Maui, but Big Island was great as well. As people have mentioned below Kauai is always raved about. A friend of mine said it is his favourite place in the world.

        So if I get the chance to go back I'll definitely be going there!

  • Riczter on 21/04/2014 - 20:23

    I flew jetstar last time. Direct flight. My main disappointment was no meals included, and i didnt want to pay for one. Brought snacks but after 11 hours i was pretty hungry when I arrived. Next time will fly qantas. Meals and drinks provided with entertainment make the long flights much more bearable. Especially when BYO entertainment (laptops and ipads) batteries die halfway through the trip.

    • Riczter on 21/04/2014 - 20:32

      As for things to do, my highlights included a nice catamaran cruise off waikiki beach. You pay like $20 and its all you can drink for the 2 hours you are out.
      Maui was my favourite though. Definitely have to go there. Much more laid back atmosphere. The road to hana is an amazing adventure. Stop off at some of the bridge crossings, get out of the car, follow some of the trails through the bushes and up over the rocks and discover some spectacular hidden away waterfall pools. Take your clothes off and have a romantic swim ;)
      We also went to the big island, weather was rainy most of the time so can't recommend it except for the volcano hike we went on. That was amazing. It was raining at the time, so it was a half hour hike over barren volcanic rock, but when you get to the coast, the cliffs, and the active lava slowly bubbling away… amazing experience. Nothing like poking real lava with a stick ;)

      Enjoy your trip!

  • Hoju on 22/04/2014 - 08:56

    Interesting. I've flown jetstar about 6 times that route, 4 with young / infant children. Every time was fantastic. The flight out of Sydney leaves early evening and lands first thing in the morning, so unless you're in the habit of eating during the night, meals are irrelevant. On the way back we always brought food and it's a breeze. Once we paid the extra for the meal pack and to get qantas points (5000 for the single leg) and it was still an incredibly cheap flight with food.

    I've flown Hawaiian and it was fine but not noticeably different. Also flown Fiji (air pacific back then) and couldn't stand the wait time in transit in Fiji. It's a horrible, humid and boring airport, I would definitely rule them out unless significantly cheaper than others.

    The other option is do you have qantas points? Or care to open up some bank west accounts to get some (search the deals)? It's 28,800 points and about $250 fees each way which is pretty decent.

    My two cents on the islands are: Honolulu is a horrible commercial mess. We honeymooned across Kauai, Maui, big island and Oahu and I'd recommend all but Oahu. We also lived on Maui for a while, but to be honest if you have the money to stay somewhere nice, and like the outdoors, Kauai was the most spectacular for us. It's where most of The Descendants movie was filmed I think and is Hawaii is it was meant to be, as far as we are concerned.

    I'm very curious about this jetstar sale. Could be tempting!!! We are heading to Maui this June and got returns for about $1000. Getting there was a bargain, $300 sale fare but back in peak holiday time was double the cost.

    Good luck!

  • Damonator84 on 22/04/2014 - 11:36

    Kauai is definately the best part of Hawaii, if you get there make sure you do the Jurassic Park Helicopter Landing. Absolutely Breathtaking to say the least.

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