| Hawaii Diary 2001 |
Travelers in the northeast will likely find Pleasant Hawaii Holidays' direct flight from Kennedy International Airport to Honolulu to be both economical and, even more importantly, a welcome alternative to the risks of delays and cancellations currently effecting those who try to get to Hawaii on the major commercial airlines.
Just last May, my wife and myself almost fell victim to a union action on United Airlines when, at the time, their pilots were in negotiations for a new contract, and our flight from Philadelphia to San Francisco was cancelled in the middle of the night. Upon our arrival at Philadelphia International Airport we were devastated to learn that our flight had been cancelled and that we had no means to make our connecting flight to Honolulu.
It was only through the efforts of a local United customer service representative that we were able to be rebooked on a flight through Los Angeles without any significant delay in our travel plans. We suspect that our premier frequent flier status with United helped us, however, others that day were not so lucky. A delay or cancellation of flight plans can totally destroy the vacation of a lifetime. Plans so well made in advance can come to a crashing end.
Despite years of very positive travel experiences with United, my wife and I decided that there had to be some better alternative that would not put our vacation at risk. Other major commercial carriers have been experiencing similar delays and cancellations in recent months. We can expect to see more problems such as these as the major carriers go through labor negotiations and mergers.
We were delighted when we learned that Pleasant Hawaiian Holidays was beginning direct service from John F. Kennedy International Airport to Honolulu.
The flight from New York leaves at 10:00 am and it is recommended that travelers check in by 8:00 am. This early hour can be a problem for travelers originating from locations other than in the New York City area. My original thought was to get up very early, from our suburban Philadelphia home, drive to Kennedy and park at one of the many private long-term parking facilities near the airport.
It's about 120 miles from our home to Kennedy which, with New York traffic, is about a two to three hour drive. Rather than waking at 4:00 am and trying to drive in the early morning, I elected to drive to New York a day early and stay at one of the airport hotels that offers a "park and fly" deal. This would allow me to have a good night's sleep and still get to the airport in plenty of time. The drawback of this decision is that hotel, dinner and parking for up to 14 days can cost around $300. Parking at the several of the major Kennedy Airport hotels, while claiming to be secure, is, quite frankly a concern. Supposedly "secure" lots are readily accessible to the public and this is worrisome.
(I am pleased to report that since our return I have learned that Pleasant has negotiated a deal the Radisson Hotel at JFK Airport to obtain discount lodging and ensure security for the vehicles of their customers while they are away enjoying paradise.)
Even with the added cost of hotel, food and parking, the direct flight with Pleasant Hawaiian Holidays is still more economical for most east coast travelers than can be obtained with regular bookings on the major airlines.
The prospect of a direct affordable flight from the east coast to Hawaii is quite attractive. Join us for Part 2 of this series in which we report on our experience with Pleasant Hawaiian/ATA's "Air Cruise to Hawaii".
