Please note reserved seating is now the standard on the nice new B717. Same old mad open seat scramble for the old creaky DC-9-50's though. I suggest you choose you choose your favorite B717 seats in advance rather than take a chance on the HA seating computer placing you in a middle seat between two over-weight Sumo wrestlers.

MisterNice

The advance seating option for the B717 is only done at the airport and not in advance. Hey, I just report it, not try to figgur it out.

MisterNice

i wonder what they were thinking about in doing it in this manner vs open seating? also wonder what aloha is going to do about their seating,if anything.

My guess it is because so many vacationing people must loudly state "you are in MY seat" as one is required to do for all airline travel in the remaining 48-49 states. Aircraft seating in Hawaii, as is the dress code, is/was much looser than elsewhere. I was told it was too "difficult" to do assigned seating for the old creaky DC-9-50's. I am still trying to understand this. And also trying to understand other things too.

MisterNice

I guess this was too difficult to continue as my last three B717 flights were designated "open seating".

MisterNice

that policy didnt last long did it?

Any idea what percentage of the fleet is now B717s? I'll be flying HNL->OGG in July, and am keeping my fingers crossed for a new one....

It seems most of the B717 aircraft are in the OGG-HNL & HNL-OGG routing as this is appears to be the main inter-island revenue stream for HA. I have found the flight schedule listing at www.travelocity.com (http://www.travelocity.com) to be almost 100% accurate as to the aircraft I actually flew on HA. Of course changes do happen as we all know. Good luck and enjoy the very nice islands.

MisterNice

Todays Maui newspaper said HA has four nice B717 in service and a fifth due July 18. They are exactly on schedule for their 100% B717 inter-island goal.

MisterNice

I flew on one of the new B717s OGG-HNL a week or two ago and there was no reserved seating in coach. The usual mad dash, except for F and elites. (A Continental Elite card may or may not work, depending on the gate agent. Not sure what the actual policy is, though.)

HA will put its final B717 into service tomorrow Dec 24 2001. The old creaky DC9-50's will be used for backup only.

MisterNice

MisterNice .. are they flying them on all the routes now?

-David

I believe so. I have not seen (or heard) an old creaky HA DC-9-50 in the air or on the ground for months. And BTW boarding passes are now issued with seat assignments but "open seating" is always announced as you probably noticed.

MisterNice

I was assigned a seat on my Jan 1 flight, and the guy then wrote "open" on the ticket jacket. Then I caught the earlier flight that was delayed. Very relaxed.