Aloha First class update June 2005 RNO-HNL RT
Jun 13, 2005, 1:42 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: New York
Posts: 7,347
Aloha First class update June 2005 RNO-HNL RT
Dear all,
Here is another Aloha’s report. I finally decide to use my companion upgrade certificate from the Aloha credit card I applied earlier this year, and my companion is my sister, and we decide to do a little weekend getaway and what I called, “Macadamia Nuts” purchase tour, and taking advantage of the low 4% state tax. I decide to fly from Reno and the flight makes a quick stop at John Wayne Airport both ways. Well, there are some small cuts here and there, but the service is still pretty good. However I almost forgot that Aloha no longer had two F/As in first class and remember that we first flew AQ’s first class, there were two F/As in F and two F/As in Y. Now it was back to the normal 3 F/As that other airlines adopt. Other than service being a bit slower, the rest was fine. But photocopied menus are not cool.
June 10, 2005
AQ 481 RNO-SNA Lv0815 Arr0940 Boeing 737-700 with winglet N741AL
Reno airport was very easy to navigate, but the $9 cab ride from Reno Hilton to the airport was too much. We arrived at the very busy Aloha’s counters at 7am, and I asked the agent about the first class line, but learned that their computers broke down, and the priority line was suspended. Well what could I do and we walked back to the Aloha’s line, but in a minute, the agent brought us to the front of the line, and told me that the agent would help us. Without bags, we were checked in within minutes, and were sent to gate C12. We were able to use the elite security line as well, but the airport was not busy. C concourse was occupied by United, Alaska, Horizon, American, and Aloha, and we arrived just on time to see the earlier San Diego and Maui bound flight pushed back and its tail number is N750AL.
Boarding began at 7:50am and the flight was pretty booked on this first segment, and the F/A welcomed us aboard, but no pre-takeoff beverage was offered on this segment. Door was closed at 8:14am, and we took off from R/W16R at 8:22am. Flight time was an hour and ten minutes with a cruising attitude of 33,000 feet, and the mountains looked beautiful on this early morning hour. A beverage was served by our friendly flight attendant, Ronnie, and he addressed us as “friend” and our names during the whole flight. He was really good in refills and definitely was a good model of Aloha. Strangely for the past few trips on Aloha, the male F/As were often kinder than women, and it was not because of their looks too. Hehe… they were all middle-aged, very straight, but extremely friendly. For “breakfast,” Ronnie served us a key lime-flavored power bar, and I had a glass of Guava juice to begin our trip.
Descent began at 9:01am and a video about John Wayne airport was shown, and soon we landed on a foggy SNA’s Runway 19R at 9:32am. The marine layer was covering the whole Southern California, and as we parked at gate 6, the nearby Aloha’s N743AL heading to Maui was pushing back from Gate 5 after we passed by. Well, we decided to stay on board, and I immediately noticed that we were the only two passengers on board heading to Honolulu, and Y class spotted no more than twenty to thirty passengers. I guess Aloha being the only airline flying between John Wayne and Reno made this route work, and I overhead the two gentlemen behind me saying that they will be willing to spend an extra $100 on first class for this flight. This must be good news for an airline heading to bankruptcy. During the layover, cleaners came on board and folded blankets (but no change of pillow cover and blankets), and the galley was reloaded. The ground agent verified our boarding passes, and Ronnie was busy with the galley preparation. During the layover, a gorgeous Frontier’s A318 parked at gate 7 N806FR.
AQ 481 SNA-HNL Lv1030 Arr1323 Boeing 737-700 with winglet N741AL
Boarding resumed at 10:08am, and the flight was booked to 96 passengers, and non-rev filled up the rest of the first class cabin shortly before the door was closed. Pre-takeoff beverage – orange juice or water (Mai Tai no longer) was served. We pushed back at 10:35am, and an America West’s Boeing 737-300 immediately parked at our gate. We took off from Runway 19R at 10:41am and the pilot warned us before takeoff about the unique departure procedure – full power takeoff (no surprise with a really short runway), and then power slowed down to allow less noise in the neighborhood. Flying time was five hours and twenty-one minutes with a cruising attitude of 37,000 feet.
Seat belt sign was turned off at 11:15am, and we were served a warm hot towel and then beverage of our choice with warmed macadamia nuts. I had the Mai tai and noticed that no real pineapple sticks were available anymore. Then photocopied menus were passed out and once again they ran out of real menus. Well the meals were served similar as the past – beautiful entrée presentation, but there was no longer a separate linen service. But real linen covered the appetizer tray. Not a big deal! Here is the transcript:
Tropical Tendings
Hearts of Romaine, Cucumbers, Corn Black Bean Relish with Basil Vinaigrette
Well seafood appetizer becomes history, and this salad is still very huge, but the corn black bean relish just did not work. I liked the last salad I had with avocado and orange garnish. A warmed French roll was offered as well.
Paradise Found
Togarashi Shrimp Scampi, Zucchini, Squash, and Pappardelle Noodles
A beautiful entrée with five nice-sized shrimps, garnished with a cream sauce, and nice vegetables and sheet of noodles.
Or
Oven Roasted Balsamic Honey Glazed Chicken, Corn on the Cob, Lima Bean Salad
Island Sunset
A Special Delightful Dessert
Vanilla ice cream sundae with chopped almond, hot fudge and whipped cream served on a new plastic transparent Aloha bowl.
For coach, there was still a free meal, which was a choice of Salisbury steak with mushroom gravy and white rice, or Penne pasta with butter cream sauce. For movies, there was a $5 charge for headsets in economy class, and Aloha decides to begin a new movie program called “Aloha’s Favorite Movie.” According to the Aloha magazine, it is an “enhancement,” and Aloha will select some of the older classic, Oscar-nominated movies, instead of latest movies just released on DVD. Aloha claims passengers don’t like the new movies, and therefore, Aloha launches this “Aloha’s Favorite Movie” program. N According to David A. Banmiller, CEO of Aloha and his press team, “Customers tell us they’ve already seen these movies, or they’re not interested in the type of movies that are coming out. We’re trying out something different by showing movies that are proven crowd-pleasers of the highest quality. We call them Aloha’s Favorite movie” (Spirit of Aloha May/June 2005, p. 24). Well I am still debating if this is a way to cut cost or not. Well some of the “new releases” are definitely not that “hot,” but showing movies that can be seen in various television channels as well as DVDs/VCRs don’t seem to be that “hot.” Maybe Aloha should consider Dig E players as a revenue generator. People like choices, whether new or old. $5 for a pair of headset may be a bit too steep for leisure folks too. For our flight, “Forest Gump” was shown, and I slept through the movie. About forty minutes prior to arrival, destination video was shown, as well as chocolate chip cookie and milk, and a quick last round of beverage. Descent began at 12:41pm Hawaii time (three hours behind mainland), and we landed on Runway 8L at 1:02pm. We were parked at gate 54.
June 12, 2005
AQ 482 HNL-SNA Lv1155 Arr2014 Boeing 737-700 N751AL with winglet
After a weekend of shopping and walking along beach, we made it back to the airport on the familiar Waikiki Express bus. We arrived at the airport about two hour prior to arrival, and the lines at Aloha counters are pretty long for interisland flights and priority lines, but Mainland line was relatively short due to the earlier hour and with only our flight departing within the next two hours and the OAK/LAS flight departing few more hours later. We waited at the Mainland line, but the family in front of us was taking forever, and we ended up heading back to the priority line, as that line was cleared out quickly. A friendly Hawaiian man checked us in and the whole process was efficient, but not much conversation. My single checked bag was tagged, but there was no longer priority tag for first class bags. The agent reminded me where the lounge was, and we headed to the security line immediately. Of course there were only two lines for a mix of Inter-Island flights from both Hawaiian and Aloha. Thankfully there was a first class elite line and we were let in within seconds.
Before entering the lounge, I noticed that our aircraft for Reno was already parked at gate 54 and the plane came in from Oakland and Las Vegas. This brand new Boeing 737 was shining proudly at this beautify day at HNL. The lounge was the same as before, and no much has changed, but less food – only chocolate dipped cookie (and later Hawaiian Host’s chocolate covered macadamia nuts) available as snack, and the usual assortment of juices, soda, and hot drinks. Thankfully, free wireless Internet was still available and I checked my email during this short stay.
Boarding began at gate 54 around 11:28am. Mainland flights are now spread out throughout the day, with SAN in the morning, and then SNA in midmorning, and then OAK/LAS in the afternoon, and the new redeye second departure to Santa Ana near midnight. Gate 54 is pretty much the standard mainland gate. No pre-takeoff beverage was offered, despite boarding was completed in a quick pace and the door was closed late due to some delayed paperwork. We pushed back at 12:01pm and headed towards Runway 8L for takeoff. No reef runway, but I don’t mind since it saves us time. We lifted off at 12:10pm and Honolulu looks as beautiful as ever. Flying time was estimated at four hours and fifty-four minutes, and our initial cruising attitude was 37,000 feet and later climbed to 39,000 feet.
Seat belt sign was turned off at 12:41pm. Aloha’s promotional and movie preview was first shown, and then headsets were passed out in first class. Beverage order was taken, and sadly, mini pretzel sticks produced by “Cookie Counters” in Hawaii were served instead of the usual macadamia nuts (that are points off), and then finally real printed menus were passed out – one page, but at least it was still a real menu. Lunch was served later in the following order, appetizer salad with Hawaiian roll (not warmed), followed by entrées individually plated in galley, and then dessert, and tea/coffee. Here is the wine list and menu transcript:
Wines from the Pacific Rim
Classically Crafted
Ferrari-Carano Alexander Valley Chardonnay
Plush and Enticing
Beringer Napa Valley Merlot
Alan Wong’s cuisine
Tropical Tendings
Mesclun Salad Mix with Tomatoes and Cucumbers, Papaya Seed vinaigrette
Salad was nicer on this return flight, and the tomatoes featured were red and yellow cherry tomatoes, and the vinaigrette was very nice.
Paradise Found
Soy-Braised Roast Beef Sandwich with Cheese, Grilled Onions and Wasabi Potato Salad
I had this option – bread was nicely toasted, and the sandwich was pleasant, but it could use more beef. The potato salad had sliced of chopped bacon there, but lacked wasabi taste.
Or
Hoisin BBQ Chicken, Stir Fry Vegetables on Chow Fun Noodles
My sister had the chicken, which was pretty generously sized, but the sauce was a bit too sweet for our taste. Choice of vegetables are carrots and sugar snap peas. “Chow Fun” is stir fry flat noodles that we like.
Island Sunset
A Special Delightful Dessert
Vanilla ice cream and Pineapple Sorbet Swirl – no more hot fudge sundae – really like a cost-cutting practice.
Well the meal was better from John Wayne, and the new dessert was the biggest disappointment. I don’t mind the pineapple flavor, but it can retain the sundae setting, but with a pineapple sauce instead. For economy class, the choice of meals is a cheese ravioli with marinara sauce or teriyaki chicken with steamed white rice. After the meal, Aloha’s Favorite Movie, “Driving Miss Daisy,” was shown, and then the usual cookies prior to landing. Hot towels were passed out after the plane began descent at 4:38pm, and then we landed on R/W19R at 8:09pm local time. We parked at the familiar gate 6 again. To no surprise, more than 50% of passengers deplaned from Santa Ana. I decided to take a walk around John Wayne airport, but of course, the airport was pretty quiet at this time of the day with a few shops and restaurants opened.
AQ 482 SNA-RNO Lv2105 Arr2224 Boeing 737-700 N751AL with winglet
Well overhearing the flight attendants, the flight will have 125 passengers this evening, even more than the last segment and over 60% of them are new passengers. Well first class, only my sister and I were the continuing passengers. Door closed early at 8:52pm, and as we pushed back, the Kona’s flight had just landed, and would occupy our gate after we left. We took off at 9:01pm from R/W19R – four minutes earlier than scheduled time. Flying time was a quick hour and three minutes. Service was the basic beverage service with a pack of macadamia nuts (finally), but plastic glasses are used as they run out of real glasses. Aloha seems to be cutting back on supplies too. Not a good sign! Service was friendly enough and everyone got a quick refill. We landed at 10:04pm and parked at gate C11.
In conclusion, the service was good as usual, and food was fine as well especially the high quality of the main courses. However, there are signs of cutbacks, as listed below, and some cuts may be a bit more than expected. Anyway, Aloha continues to be a good airline – still recommendable as other airlines cut back further. Thanks for reading!
Carfield
List of cost-cutting items:
1. Pre-takeoff beverage becomes optional – only one is offered out of four segments. No pre-takeoff Mai Tai – only OJ or H2O
2. No separate linen
3. Only one round of hot towel before meals (and no pre-arrival hot towels)
4. No real pineapple garnish for Mai Tai
5. Photocopied menus
6. Showing “classic” movies
7. Hawaii-outbound flight – no more macadamia nuts, but mini pretzel sticks, & no more ice cream sundae but a vanilla ice cream & pineapple sorbet swirl.
8. No more ticket jackets and priority tags for first class bags
9. Headsets and Mai Tai are no longer complimentary in coach (all for sale at $5 a piece), but real meals and cookies are retained.
Here is another Aloha’s report. I finally decide to use my companion upgrade certificate from the Aloha credit card I applied earlier this year, and my companion is my sister, and we decide to do a little weekend getaway and what I called, “Macadamia Nuts” purchase tour, and taking advantage of the low 4% state tax. I decide to fly from Reno and the flight makes a quick stop at John Wayne Airport both ways. Well, there are some small cuts here and there, but the service is still pretty good. However I almost forgot that Aloha no longer had two F/As in first class and remember that we first flew AQ’s first class, there were two F/As in F and two F/As in Y. Now it was back to the normal 3 F/As that other airlines adopt. Other than service being a bit slower, the rest was fine. But photocopied menus are not cool.
June 10, 2005
AQ 481 RNO-SNA Lv0815 Arr0940 Boeing 737-700 with winglet N741AL
Reno airport was very easy to navigate, but the $9 cab ride from Reno Hilton to the airport was too much. We arrived at the very busy Aloha’s counters at 7am, and I asked the agent about the first class line, but learned that their computers broke down, and the priority line was suspended. Well what could I do and we walked back to the Aloha’s line, but in a minute, the agent brought us to the front of the line, and told me that the agent would help us. Without bags, we were checked in within minutes, and were sent to gate C12. We were able to use the elite security line as well, but the airport was not busy. C concourse was occupied by United, Alaska, Horizon, American, and Aloha, and we arrived just on time to see the earlier San Diego and Maui bound flight pushed back and its tail number is N750AL.
Boarding began at 7:50am and the flight was pretty booked on this first segment, and the F/A welcomed us aboard, but no pre-takeoff beverage was offered on this segment. Door was closed at 8:14am, and we took off from R/W16R at 8:22am. Flight time was an hour and ten minutes with a cruising attitude of 33,000 feet, and the mountains looked beautiful on this early morning hour. A beverage was served by our friendly flight attendant, Ronnie, and he addressed us as “friend” and our names during the whole flight. He was really good in refills and definitely was a good model of Aloha. Strangely for the past few trips on Aloha, the male F/As were often kinder than women, and it was not because of their looks too. Hehe… they were all middle-aged, very straight, but extremely friendly. For “breakfast,” Ronnie served us a key lime-flavored power bar, and I had a glass of Guava juice to begin our trip.
Descent began at 9:01am and a video about John Wayne airport was shown, and soon we landed on a foggy SNA’s Runway 19R at 9:32am. The marine layer was covering the whole Southern California, and as we parked at gate 6, the nearby Aloha’s N743AL heading to Maui was pushing back from Gate 5 after we passed by. Well, we decided to stay on board, and I immediately noticed that we were the only two passengers on board heading to Honolulu, and Y class spotted no more than twenty to thirty passengers. I guess Aloha being the only airline flying between John Wayne and Reno made this route work, and I overhead the two gentlemen behind me saying that they will be willing to spend an extra $100 on first class for this flight. This must be good news for an airline heading to bankruptcy. During the layover, cleaners came on board and folded blankets (but no change of pillow cover and blankets), and the galley was reloaded. The ground agent verified our boarding passes, and Ronnie was busy with the galley preparation. During the layover, a gorgeous Frontier’s A318 parked at gate 7 N806FR.
AQ 481 SNA-HNL Lv1030 Arr1323 Boeing 737-700 with winglet N741AL
Boarding resumed at 10:08am, and the flight was booked to 96 passengers, and non-rev filled up the rest of the first class cabin shortly before the door was closed. Pre-takeoff beverage – orange juice or water (Mai Tai no longer) was served. We pushed back at 10:35am, and an America West’s Boeing 737-300 immediately parked at our gate. We took off from Runway 19R at 10:41am and the pilot warned us before takeoff about the unique departure procedure – full power takeoff (no surprise with a really short runway), and then power slowed down to allow less noise in the neighborhood. Flying time was five hours and twenty-one minutes with a cruising attitude of 37,000 feet.
Seat belt sign was turned off at 11:15am, and we were served a warm hot towel and then beverage of our choice with warmed macadamia nuts. I had the Mai tai and noticed that no real pineapple sticks were available anymore. Then photocopied menus were passed out and once again they ran out of real menus. Well the meals were served similar as the past – beautiful entrée presentation, but there was no longer a separate linen service. But real linen covered the appetizer tray. Not a big deal! Here is the transcript:
Tropical Tendings
Hearts of Romaine, Cucumbers, Corn Black Bean Relish with Basil Vinaigrette
Well seafood appetizer becomes history, and this salad is still very huge, but the corn black bean relish just did not work. I liked the last salad I had with avocado and orange garnish. A warmed French roll was offered as well.
Paradise Found
Togarashi Shrimp Scampi, Zucchini, Squash, and Pappardelle Noodles
A beautiful entrée with five nice-sized shrimps, garnished with a cream sauce, and nice vegetables and sheet of noodles.
Or
Oven Roasted Balsamic Honey Glazed Chicken, Corn on the Cob, Lima Bean Salad
Island Sunset
A Special Delightful Dessert
Vanilla ice cream sundae with chopped almond, hot fudge and whipped cream served on a new plastic transparent Aloha bowl.
For coach, there was still a free meal, which was a choice of Salisbury steak with mushroom gravy and white rice, or Penne pasta with butter cream sauce. For movies, there was a $5 charge for headsets in economy class, and Aloha decides to begin a new movie program called “Aloha’s Favorite Movie.” According to the Aloha magazine, it is an “enhancement,” and Aloha will select some of the older classic, Oscar-nominated movies, instead of latest movies just released on DVD. Aloha claims passengers don’t like the new movies, and therefore, Aloha launches this “Aloha’s Favorite Movie” program. N According to David A. Banmiller, CEO of Aloha and his press team, “Customers tell us they’ve already seen these movies, or they’re not interested in the type of movies that are coming out. We’re trying out something different by showing movies that are proven crowd-pleasers of the highest quality. We call them Aloha’s Favorite movie” (Spirit of Aloha May/June 2005, p. 24). Well I am still debating if this is a way to cut cost or not. Well some of the “new releases” are definitely not that “hot,” but showing movies that can be seen in various television channels as well as DVDs/VCRs don’t seem to be that “hot.” Maybe Aloha should consider Dig E players as a revenue generator. People like choices, whether new or old. $5 for a pair of headset may be a bit too steep for leisure folks too. For our flight, “Forest Gump” was shown, and I slept through the movie. About forty minutes prior to arrival, destination video was shown, as well as chocolate chip cookie and milk, and a quick last round of beverage. Descent began at 12:41pm Hawaii time (three hours behind mainland), and we landed on Runway 8L at 1:02pm. We were parked at gate 54.
June 12, 2005
AQ 482 HNL-SNA Lv1155 Arr2014 Boeing 737-700 N751AL with winglet
After a weekend of shopping and walking along beach, we made it back to the airport on the familiar Waikiki Express bus. We arrived at the airport about two hour prior to arrival, and the lines at Aloha counters are pretty long for interisland flights and priority lines, but Mainland line was relatively short due to the earlier hour and with only our flight departing within the next two hours and the OAK/LAS flight departing few more hours later. We waited at the Mainland line, but the family in front of us was taking forever, and we ended up heading back to the priority line, as that line was cleared out quickly. A friendly Hawaiian man checked us in and the whole process was efficient, but not much conversation. My single checked bag was tagged, but there was no longer priority tag for first class bags. The agent reminded me where the lounge was, and we headed to the security line immediately. Of course there were only two lines for a mix of Inter-Island flights from both Hawaiian and Aloha. Thankfully there was a first class elite line and we were let in within seconds.
Before entering the lounge, I noticed that our aircraft for Reno was already parked at gate 54 and the plane came in from Oakland and Las Vegas. This brand new Boeing 737 was shining proudly at this beautify day at HNL. The lounge was the same as before, and no much has changed, but less food – only chocolate dipped cookie (and later Hawaiian Host’s chocolate covered macadamia nuts) available as snack, and the usual assortment of juices, soda, and hot drinks. Thankfully, free wireless Internet was still available and I checked my email during this short stay.
Boarding began at gate 54 around 11:28am. Mainland flights are now spread out throughout the day, with SAN in the morning, and then SNA in midmorning, and then OAK/LAS in the afternoon, and the new redeye second departure to Santa Ana near midnight. Gate 54 is pretty much the standard mainland gate. No pre-takeoff beverage was offered, despite boarding was completed in a quick pace and the door was closed late due to some delayed paperwork. We pushed back at 12:01pm and headed towards Runway 8L for takeoff. No reef runway, but I don’t mind since it saves us time. We lifted off at 12:10pm and Honolulu looks as beautiful as ever. Flying time was estimated at four hours and fifty-four minutes, and our initial cruising attitude was 37,000 feet and later climbed to 39,000 feet.
Seat belt sign was turned off at 12:41pm. Aloha’s promotional and movie preview was first shown, and then headsets were passed out in first class. Beverage order was taken, and sadly, mini pretzel sticks produced by “Cookie Counters” in Hawaii were served instead of the usual macadamia nuts (that are points off), and then finally real printed menus were passed out – one page, but at least it was still a real menu. Lunch was served later in the following order, appetizer salad with Hawaiian roll (not warmed), followed by entrées individually plated in galley, and then dessert, and tea/coffee. Here is the wine list and menu transcript:
Wines from the Pacific Rim
Classically Crafted
Ferrari-Carano Alexander Valley Chardonnay
Plush and Enticing
Beringer Napa Valley Merlot
Alan Wong’s cuisine
Tropical Tendings
Mesclun Salad Mix with Tomatoes and Cucumbers, Papaya Seed vinaigrette
Salad was nicer on this return flight, and the tomatoes featured were red and yellow cherry tomatoes, and the vinaigrette was very nice.
Paradise Found
Soy-Braised Roast Beef Sandwich with Cheese, Grilled Onions and Wasabi Potato Salad
I had this option – bread was nicely toasted, and the sandwich was pleasant, but it could use more beef. The potato salad had sliced of chopped bacon there, but lacked wasabi taste.
Or
Hoisin BBQ Chicken, Stir Fry Vegetables on Chow Fun Noodles
My sister had the chicken, which was pretty generously sized, but the sauce was a bit too sweet for our taste. Choice of vegetables are carrots and sugar snap peas. “Chow Fun” is stir fry flat noodles that we like.
Island Sunset
A Special Delightful Dessert
Vanilla ice cream and Pineapple Sorbet Swirl – no more hot fudge sundae – really like a cost-cutting practice.
Well the meal was better from John Wayne, and the new dessert was the biggest disappointment. I don’t mind the pineapple flavor, but it can retain the sundae setting, but with a pineapple sauce instead. For economy class, the choice of meals is a cheese ravioli with marinara sauce or teriyaki chicken with steamed white rice. After the meal, Aloha’s Favorite Movie, “Driving Miss Daisy,” was shown, and then the usual cookies prior to landing. Hot towels were passed out after the plane began descent at 4:38pm, and then we landed on R/W19R at 8:09pm local time. We parked at the familiar gate 6 again. To no surprise, more than 50% of passengers deplaned from Santa Ana. I decided to take a walk around John Wayne airport, but of course, the airport was pretty quiet at this time of the day with a few shops and restaurants opened.
AQ 482 SNA-RNO Lv2105 Arr2224 Boeing 737-700 N751AL with winglet
Well overhearing the flight attendants, the flight will have 125 passengers this evening, even more than the last segment and over 60% of them are new passengers. Well first class, only my sister and I were the continuing passengers. Door closed early at 8:52pm, and as we pushed back, the Kona’s flight had just landed, and would occupy our gate after we left. We took off at 9:01pm from R/W19R – four minutes earlier than scheduled time. Flying time was a quick hour and three minutes. Service was the basic beverage service with a pack of macadamia nuts (finally), but plastic glasses are used as they run out of real glasses. Aloha seems to be cutting back on supplies too. Not a good sign! Service was friendly enough and everyone got a quick refill. We landed at 10:04pm and parked at gate C11.
In conclusion, the service was good as usual, and food was fine as well especially the high quality of the main courses. However, there are signs of cutbacks, as listed below, and some cuts may be a bit more than expected. Anyway, Aloha continues to be a good airline – still recommendable as other airlines cut back further. Thanks for reading!
Carfield
List of cost-cutting items:
1. Pre-takeoff beverage becomes optional – only one is offered out of four segments. No pre-takeoff Mai Tai – only OJ or H2O
2. No separate linen
3. Only one round of hot towel before meals (and no pre-arrival hot towels)
4. No real pineapple garnish for Mai Tai
5. Photocopied menus
6. Showing “classic” movies
7. Hawaii-outbound flight – no more macadamia nuts, but mini pretzel sticks, & no more ice cream sundae but a vanilla ice cream & pineapple sorbet swirl.
8. No more ticket jackets and priority tags for first class bags
9. Headsets and Mai Tai are no longer complimentary in coach (all for sale at $5 a piece), but real meals and cookies are retained.
Jun 23, 2005, 4:11 pm
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: New York
Posts: 7,347
Aloha Photos
Jun 24, 2005, 3:02 pm
#4
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Suburbia :rolleyes:
Programs: UA, HA, CO
Posts: 975
Excellent report! Reminds me vividly of my Aloha flight from SAN to HNL a week or so ago with all the similiarities (minus the SNA stop):
1. Quick paced boarding
2. Salisbury Steak or Pasta in Y
3. "Forrest Gump"
4. Pre-landing video
5. Excellent service from the F/As
Aloha is fighting through bankruptcy, and it's nice to see that there is still some good service in the skies. Unfortunately, it looks like they are losing their end of the battle (the return of 3 73Ws so far, with 2 more returns slated for August). Who knows where they will stand by the end of the year.
While I'm still in Hawai'i, I will try to post a report for my upcoming trip to Hilo (Sun 6/26-Thu 6/30), but may interfere with my return flight to San Diego (Sat 7/2).
1. Quick paced boarding
2. Salisbury Steak or Pasta in Y
3. "Forrest Gump"
4. Pre-landing video
5. Excellent service from the F/As
Aloha is fighting through bankruptcy, and it's nice to see that there is still some good service in the skies. Unfortunately, it looks like they are losing their end of the battle (the return of 3 73Ws so far, with 2 more returns slated for August). Who knows where they will stand by the end of the year.
While I'm still in Hawai'i, I will try to post a report for my upcoming trip to Hilo (Sun 6/26-Thu 6/30), but may interfere with my return flight to San Diego (Sat 7/2).
Jun 24, 2005, 3:37 pm
#5
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Honolulu, Hawaiʻi [+MKK4 EBBER R577 EDSEL R577 ELKEY EXERT]
Posts: 15,826
Originally Posted by Carfield
This must be good news for an airline heading to bankruptcy.
Great trip report, nonetheless!