Airlines Cut Seats to Hawaii - Part 2: Finding That Affordable or Free Ticket
Tuesday June 10, 2008
To say that things are changing daily with airline schedules and rates to Hawaii is an understatement. They appear to be changing by the hour. Between the time I wrote part one of this feature and now, my wife's and my itinerary on United to Kona in November changed from a one stop and 15 hours of travel time to a two stops and 19 hours of travel time.
Then to complicate matters they changed our seats and we weren't seated together on any of the flights. After almost an hour with a United Airlines representative I was at least able to get us sitting together. So...as I said, check your itineraries often for changes. Just because you have a reservation, doesn't mean it won't change. You'll only learn about the changes if you check. Don't expect to hear from United.
In Part One we looked at what you can do if you have an existing reservation. We also looked at the airlines and cities where Hawaii cutbacks are most significant.
Now it's time to see what you can do to get to Hawaii without having to mortgage your home. It's still possible and, in fact, several airlines have actually added seats to Hawaii to help make up for the losses of Aloha Airlines and ATA.
As reported by the Honolulu Star Bulletin, "Mike Navares, general manager in Hawaii for Chicago-based United, said the carrier will add 10 daily flights to Hawaii this summer due to seasonal demand -- bringing the total to 30. Beginning mid-June, United plans to add three more daily flights to Honolulu, four to Maui, two to Lihue and one to Kona on the Big Island. Together this would add a minimum of 7,000 daily seats to Hawaii."
Hawaiian Airlines has added the Honolulu-to-Oakland, Calif., route that was served by both Aloha and the now-defunct ATA Airlines. Hawaiian Airlines departs Oakland daily at 9 a.m., arriving in Honolulu at 11:05 a.m. All return flights depart Honolulu daily at 1:30 p.m., arriving in Oakland at 9:25 p.m.
HawaiiMagazine.com has reported that Alaska Airlines is adding a daily flight between Seattle and Kailua-Kona on the Big Island beginning Nov. 17. "In addition, the Seattle-based carrier will expand its recently announced Anchorage to Maui service—set to begin Oct. 31—from two weekly flights to three. And that doesn’t count a daily flight between Seattle and Maui, beginning July 17."
Keep in mind, however, that prices vary widely by day of the week. In most cases travel Tuesday-Thursday is less expensive that travel Friday-Monday, often by several hundred dollars. So our first tip is - be flexible with your travel dates.
Prices also vary widely from one means of booking to another. In most cases you'll get the best rate by booking directly on the airline's own website, but not always. About.com has a partnership with kayak.com which is a comparison price service. Kayak.com will show you prices from a number of different airlines for your chosen dates of travel. This is a good site to use to experiment with different travel dates. You can book directly through kayak.com, but it's always good to check directly on the airline's website as well. Our tip number two is - check with several different booking agents and airline websites prior to purchasing your airfare.
These value packages offer significant savings and make Hawaii a competitive vacation destination this summer. HVCB has created a dedicated website listing all of the special packages at GoHawaii.com/summerfun.
Also, keep in mind that on United you can book any flight to Hawaii for 70,000 miles. On other airlines the cost can be as high was 80,000 miles. However, if you consider that 100 miles equals about $1.00, the cost using standard mileage awards is just $700 or $800. That's better than many of the cash rates that you'll find at present, so whether you can secure a saver award or have to book a standard award ticket, you are actually saving money in many instances.
In many circumstances this method is a poor option. For example on a ticket that costs $1200, it would be silly to use 70,000 miles to reduce the ticket to $500 when you could simply use those same 70,000 miles to buy a standard award ticket. However, if you are flying from the west coast and your ticket price is $600, you can use just 60,000 miles to get offset the full cost of your ticket. That's less than the 70,000 miles you would need for a standard award ticket to Hawaii. Just remember you choose how many miles you wish to use to reduce your ticket price.
Then to complicate matters they changed our seats and we weren't seated together on any of the flights. After almost an hour with a United Airlines representative I was at least able to get us sitting together. So...as I said, check your itineraries often for changes. Just because you have a reservation, doesn't mean it won't change. You'll only learn about the changes if you check. Don't expect to hear from United.
In Part One we looked at what you can do if you have an existing reservation. We also looked at the airlines and cities where Hawaii cutbacks are most significant.
Now it's time to see what you can do to get to Hawaii without having to mortgage your home. It's still possible and, in fact, several airlines have actually added seats to Hawaii to help make up for the losses of Aloha Airlines and ATA.
Added Seats to Hawaii
United Airlines has announced that they will be adding 10 additional daily flights to Hawaii during the summer. In addition, United does not anticipate reducing any flights to Hawaii this fall, even though it is scaling back its nationwide capacity 14 percent by the end of the year.As reported by the Honolulu Star Bulletin, "Mike Navares, general manager in Hawaii for Chicago-based United, said the carrier will add 10 daily flights to Hawaii this summer due to seasonal demand -- bringing the total to 30. Beginning mid-June, United plans to add three more daily flights to Honolulu, four to Maui, two to Lihue and one to Kona on the Big Island. Together this would add a minimum of 7,000 daily seats to Hawaii."
Hawaiian Airlines has added the Honolulu-to-Oakland, Calif., route that was served by both Aloha and the now-defunct ATA Airlines. Hawaiian Airlines departs Oakland daily at 9 a.m., arriving in Honolulu at 11:05 a.m. All return flights depart Honolulu daily at 1:30 p.m., arriving in Oakland at 9:25 p.m.
HawaiiMagazine.com has reported that Alaska Airlines is adding a daily flight between Seattle and Kailua-Kona on the Big Island beginning Nov. 17. "In addition, the Seattle-based carrier will expand its recently announced Anchorage to Maui service—set to begin Oct. 31—from two weekly flights to three. And that doesn’t count a daily flight between Seattle and Maui, beginning July 17."
Flying Affordably
First we all need to rethink what we consider affordable. With gasoline over $4 a gallon and aviation fuel rising at similarly alarming rates, the days of cheap airfare to Hawaii are done. Those $500 east coast tickets and $250 west coast specials likely will never return. Today you can expect to pay upwards of between $1000 and $1200 for a ticket to Hawaii from the east coast and between $500 and $750 from the west coast. Ouch!Keep in mind, however, that prices vary widely by day of the week. In most cases travel Tuesday-Thursday is less expensive that travel Friday-Monday, often by several hundred dollars. So our first tip is - be flexible with your travel dates.
Prices also vary widely from one means of booking to another. In most cases you'll get the best rate by booking directly on the airline's own website, but not always. About.com has a partnership with kayak.com which is a comparison price service. Kayak.com will show you prices from a number of different airlines for your chosen dates of travel. This is a good site to use to experiment with different travel dates. You can book directly through kayak.com, but it's always good to check directly on the airline's website as well. Our tip number two is - check with several different booking agents and airline websites prior to purchasing your airfare.
Package Deals
Thanks to a new travel promotion launched last week by the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau (HVCB) and its partners. Travelers will save at least $200 per person on their trip to the Hawaiian Islands through HVCB's partnership with American Airlines Vacations, American Express Vacations, Classic Vacations, Expedia, NWA WorldVacations, Orbitz, Pleasant Holidays, Travelocity, and United Vacations, which offers travelers money saving air vacation packages loaded with incentives including deeply discounted airfare, free hotel room nights, free meals, free rental cars, and free food and beverage dining credits.These value packages offer significant savings and make Hawaii a competitive vacation destination this summer. HVCB has created a dedicated website listing all of the special packages at GoHawaii.com/summerfun.
Flying for Free
Contrary to what NBC's travel guru Peter Greenberg said last Friday, you can still use those frequent flier miles to book travel to Hawaii. In fact, I was able to book a saver award (35,000 miles) to O'ahu on United just two weeks ago. With 10 new daily flights being added by United, new opportunities to use your miles should be available soon.Also, keep in mind that on United you can book any flight to Hawaii for 70,000 miles. On other airlines the cost can be as high was 80,000 miles. However, if you consider that 100 miles equals about $1.00, the cost using standard mileage awards is just $700 or $800. That's better than many of the cash rates that you'll find at present, so whether you can secure a saver award or have to book a standard award ticket, you are actually saving money in many instances.
Reducing the Cost of Your Ticket
Another way that you can save money on your airline ticket to Hawaii is a bit more complicated, but under certain circumstances it may be worthwhile pursuing. To take advantage of this opportunity you need to have a United Airlines Mileage Plus Visa® card and miles in your Mileage Plus Account. You then purchase your ticket on united.com using your Mileage Plus Visa® card. You can then apply any number of miles you wish to reduce the cost of your ticket at the rate of 10,000 miles for every $100 credit.In many circumstances this method is a poor option. For example on a ticket that costs $1200, it would be silly to use 70,000 miles to reduce the ticket to $500 when you could simply use those same 70,000 miles to buy a standard award ticket. However, if you are flying from the west coast and your ticket price is $600, you can use just 60,000 miles to get offset the full cost of your ticket. That's less than the 70,000 miles you would need for a standard award ticket to Hawaii. Just remember you choose how many miles you wish to use to reduce your ticket price.
Comments
How is this possible? Something is wrong with the time
Hawaiian Airlines departs Oakland daily at 9 a.m., arriving in Honolulu at 11:05 a.m. All return flights depart Honolulu daily at 1:30 p.m., arriving in Oakland at 9:25 p.m.
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