Jun 30, 2016, 1:45 pm
Last edit by: thejaredhuang
Best seat advice
See update in post 500
See update in post 690
Best seat on the Island Hopper .. {closed to new posts}
An Island Hopper [Micronesia] Definitive Guide on Where to Sit [UA B737] {this thread}
FAQs derived from findark's post (post #500)
What is the Island Hopper?
The Island Hopper is a United route between Honolulu and Guam, stopping at the islands of Majuro, Kwajaelin, Kosrae, Pohnpei, and Chuuk in between. The Island Hopper operates in both directions, and skips Pohnpei on certain days. You are allowed to get off the plane and "transit" at each stop except for Kwajaelin, which is a US Army base.
This route is similar to Alaska Airlines' "milk run" routes in rural Alaska. All of these routes serve as lifelines for the residents living in areas served by the routes, as the sole connection providing supplies and transportation to/from the rest of the world.
What is the Island Hopper schedule (as of 1/14/19)?
UA154 (the full Hopper) departs HNL Mon/Fri and flies HNL-MAJ-KWA-KSA-PNI-TKK-GUM.
The shorter UA154 flies from HNL on Wed and does HNL-MAJ-KWA-PNI-TKK-GUM (skips KSA).
UA132 departs Sun and flies HNL-MAJ-KSA-PNI-TKK-GUM (skips KWA).
UA193 (GUM-ROR-MNL)departs GUM on the evenings of Tue/Fri and flies GUM-ROR-MNL.
The Hopper arrives around 1800+1, so in order to do the entire flight without a stopover you would need to depart HNL on UA154 on Monday morning.
Should I experience the Hopper?
If you like hopping through short segments, with beautiful island views, as well as a constant parade of amazing cloudscape between islands, the Island Hopper may be for you!
Which direction (west or east) is better?
The prevailing wisdom here seems to be in favor of taking UA154 (HNL-GUM). findark did 155 from GUM to HNL, and I think there were some overlooked benefits. The eastbound Hopper has the advantage of doing all the fun stuff in the morning and afternoon when you're fresh and eager to enjoy. 14 hours onboard a 737 is a long time*, and doing it eastbound you can give in to the exhaustion and conk out for the final MAJ-HNL segment. Even the HNL arrival was actually not too bad - it's only 10:50pm Guam time, so if you head on to a hotel you're pretty much in line for a night's sleep.
The most notable downside of taking the Hopper eastbound is that you visit MAJ in darkness. We ran about 25m late the whole way, and it was full dark by the time we touched down in MAJ. Whichever way you go, don't do it on a Wednesday! Kosrae was my favorite island, and it would be a shame to miss it.
*And, I learned, while the flight mechanic hops off in MAJ and the pilots get to work in shifts, the cabin crew are on duty for the whole 14 hours. They were understandably a bit burnt out by the middle of MAJ-HNL, but were simply outstanding nonetheless - greeting kids and handing out wings as they boarded in MAJ.
What's with the plane configuration?
The Hopper is currently flown by a GUM subfleet 737-800 (currently Version 4 on the United website - Row 1 is set back several inches which yields fewer E+ seats). The seatmap is loaded as the "Asia local" 737 map, which looks roughly like a 737-700. Like with other "generic" maps, it will update to the full seatmap about 4 days before departure, when the additional rows will appear.
1AB are blocked for the augmented flight crew, who change places with the pilots in the cockpit at MAJ. 2AB are also blocked because the crew rest seats at 1AB will recline until almost touching row 2, and it is usually used for crew storage.
Where should I sit?
The key here is understanding approach and wind patterns, along with each airport's runway configuration. The following stops and runways are on the north side of their respective islands:
TKK (4/22), PNI (9/27), KSA (5/23)
The following stops have runways on the south side of their atolls:
KWA (6/24), MAJ (7/25)
The prevailing winds at this latitude blow from the east, so a typical landing goes from west to east (into the wind). Therefore, in order to have best views on final approach and initial takeoff, you want to be on the starboard (right, F) side for TKK, PNI, and KSA, and on the port (left, A) side for KWA and MAJ. If you are flying westbound, or you land backwards at any stop on the eastbound flight, then the flight may need to position into the approach, usually by overflying the island at higher altitude out to sea. In this case, both sides of the aircraft will get views, although the closer views belong to the "correct" side. In my case, we landed "backwards" on 22 at TKK, and used the regular 9, 5, 6, and 7 at the other stops.
You should absolutely have a window seat - why else are you here?! The best seats are therefore any window in the Business cabin (note that 1A and 2A are blocked), 7AF and 8AF in Economy Plus (10AF has a misaligned window but is okay, the missing window will kill you in 11 and then the wing really starts intruding), and anything nice and far behind the wing in Economy. In this vein, I declined an upgrade on GUM-TKK since only 2E was left, and we flew in 4A/7F, 2F/4A, 2F/3F, 3A/4A, 3A/4A, 2F/7F.
What can I do at the stops?
The best thing to do is get off the plane! You can take tarmac photos and get amazing close-ups of the plane. You will then be shepherded into the gate area, where there are restrooms (some lacking soap and/or towels) and often locals selling souvenirs and snacks. On our trip, the most substantial souvenirs were available at MAJ. If the flight is running late they will make an announcement requesting transfer pax to stay on the plane; however, as obviously savvy travelers who were along for the whole ride and could get on/off quickly with no bags to stow, we got absolutely no pushback from the purser whenever we went outside anyway.
If you do disembark, you are required to take all carry-on baggage with you. They conduct a security sweep onboard the aircraft and will remove unclaimed bags. As is mentioned many times in this thread, KWA is the exception - as it's a US Army base you cannot get off unless ticketed to there. On our flight, we were requested not to take photographs but were allowed to look out the window. I didn't see anything terribly interesting.
You can also use WiFi in the terminal/transit area when you disembark and at some stops you can get your passport stamped. MAJ, PNI, and KSA have confirmed free WiFi. Passport stamps have been confirmed at PNI, KSA, TKK without "exiting" just ask security about getting a stamp at these 3 airports and they should be able to accommodate you.
Should I check my bags?
Yes. As annoying as it was to wait ~10 minutes for our bags in HNL, it was a lot less annoying than having to haul them around each stop, and find bin space again once on board.
What is the food situation?
Going east is a slightly different meal schedule than west. GUM-TKK and KSA-KWA are coded Snack, and MAJ-HNL is Dinner. The first and last meals are reasonably substantial in J (think like a Breakfast and Dinner code) and somewhat small in Y (somewhat less than a meal in int'l Y - was six pieces of fruit and a muffin in the morning, followed by a turkey sandwich for dinner). The middle snack was just a pass of the snack basket up front; neither of us sat in Y that segment but I would guess they just offered almonds. Additionally, every segment they were offering J pax some packaged almonds.
My general verdict is if going the distance in Y, pack some snacks or buy them at the stops along the way. If you're in J then there's enough food for 14 hours of sitting.
And how about IFE?
Look outside! That's actually about all the IFE there is. The GUM fleet has no WiFi and only DirecTV. Note that DirecTV does not work outside of CONUS, so really it just has the 8-10 looping movies of DirecTV (slightly different movie set for an Asian audience). The movie loop resets at each stop, so unless you want to watch the first 1h30 of a movie six times, there's not much use to the IFE. It is at least free in Y. I brought a book and read it for the middle 20 minutes of each segment and until I fell sleep on MAJ-HNL.
Can I get an upgrade on the Hopper?
Empirically, yes! We were offered upgrades of 11/12 eligible segments; I declined a GUM-TKK upgrade to keep my window, and my companion's MAJ-HNL upgrade was eaten by UA IT (agent in MAJ apologized profusely but understandably wasn't going to remove the already-handed-out upgrades to the next 2 pax on the list).
In order to have any shot, however, you need to be able to split the direct flight into six segments. This generally cannot be done on a mileage ticket or a paid through fare, and would need to be done via multi-city ticketing if visiting an island. In my case, I spent a very long time getting an extremely wonderful pmCO agent who was able to hack my ticket together with 9 connections on the way home. As this is also the only way to choose different views for the different approach directions, I recommend asking for this rather than for upgrades. It causes quite the headache for UA systems, but in the end I felt like it was a huge benefit to fly pretty much all of it in J. Absolutely something I credit to the value of being 1K: I was able to ring the 1K desk many times to get agents to deal with the various hiccups that came along with a PNR that had eight tickets and at one point 36 segments attached to it.
The first five Hopper segments (going east) are CPU eligible; MAJ/HNL requires a GPU. We had GPUs on our reservation and did a mixture of advance clearing and clearing at the gates in the islands (where amazingly enough they had the new J BPs waiting!).
Where to stay and what to do in GUM and HNL?
I think this depends on lot on which way you're going. Flying east, we arrived in GUM around 11pm (maximizing time in Tokyo, but not crazy enough for the 2am arrival), and spent the night at the Days Inn Tamuning. It was at the very bottom of my quality standards, but quite affordable and with 9h45 of total ground time all in the dark I did not want to pay double for a beachfront property I would never enjoy.
In HNL, I took up the excellent recommendation in this thread of the Best Western Plaza Honolulu. It was the cheapest of the few airport hotels in HNL. Having cleared customs by 3:45 (we arrived late), it was off to bed quickly. The arrival is only ~11pm Guam time, so I highly recommend going straight to a bed on arrival in HNL. Afterwards, we took advantage of the 24h connect rule to spend the whole day in HNL before continuing on home to SFO. We were pretty exhausted after another redeye home, but the beach time in Hawaii was well worth it, especially after being taunted by all the beautiful mid-Pacific islands.
Big Metal Bird Episode 8: Island Hopper - 2018
See update in post 500
See update in post 690
Best seat on the Island Hopper .. {closed to new posts}
An Island Hopper [Micronesia] Definitive Guide on Where to Sit [UA B737] {this thread}
FAQs derived from findark's post (post #500)
What is the Island Hopper?
The Island Hopper is a United route between Honolulu and Guam, stopping at the islands of Majuro, Kwajaelin, Kosrae, Pohnpei, and Chuuk in between. The Island Hopper operates in both directions, and skips Pohnpei on certain days. You are allowed to get off the plane and "transit" at each stop except for Kwajaelin, which is a US Army base.
This route is similar to Alaska Airlines' "milk run" routes in rural Alaska. All of these routes serve as lifelines for the residents living in areas served by the routes, as the sole connection providing supplies and transportation to/from the rest of the world.
What is the Island Hopper schedule (as of 1/14/19)?
UA154 (the full Hopper) departs HNL Mon/Fri and flies HNL-MAJ-KWA-KSA-PNI-TKK-GUM.
The shorter UA154 flies from HNL on Wed and does HNL-MAJ-KWA-PNI-TKK-GUM (skips KSA).
UA132 departs Sun and flies HNL-MAJ-KSA-PNI-TKK-GUM (skips KWA).
UA193 (GUM-ROR-MNL)departs GUM on the evenings of Tue/Fri and flies GUM-ROR-MNL.
The Hopper arrives around 1800+1, so in order to do the entire flight without a stopover you would need to depart HNL on UA154 on Monday morning.
Should I experience the Hopper?
If you like hopping through short segments, with beautiful island views, as well as a constant parade of amazing cloudscape between islands, the Island Hopper may be for you!
Which direction (west or east) is better?
The prevailing wisdom here seems to be in favor of taking UA154 (HNL-GUM). findark did 155 from GUM to HNL, and I think there were some overlooked benefits. The eastbound Hopper has the advantage of doing all the fun stuff in the morning and afternoon when you're fresh and eager to enjoy. 14 hours onboard a 737 is a long time*, and doing it eastbound you can give in to the exhaustion and conk out for the final MAJ-HNL segment. Even the HNL arrival was actually not too bad - it's only 10:50pm Guam time, so if you head on to a hotel you're pretty much in line for a night's sleep.
The most notable downside of taking the Hopper eastbound is that you visit MAJ in darkness. We ran about 25m late the whole way, and it was full dark by the time we touched down in MAJ. Whichever way you go, don't do it on a Wednesday! Kosrae was my favorite island, and it would be a shame to miss it.
*And, I learned, while the flight mechanic hops off in MAJ and the pilots get to work in shifts, the cabin crew are on duty for the whole 14 hours. They were understandably a bit burnt out by the middle of MAJ-HNL, but were simply outstanding nonetheless - greeting kids and handing out wings as they boarded in MAJ.
What's with the plane configuration?
The Hopper is currently flown by a GUM subfleet 737-800 (currently Version 4 on the United website - Row 1 is set back several inches which yields fewer E+ seats). The seatmap is loaded as the "Asia local" 737 map, which looks roughly like a 737-700. Like with other "generic" maps, it will update to the full seatmap about 4 days before departure, when the additional rows will appear.
1AB are blocked for the augmented flight crew, who change places with the pilots in the cockpit at MAJ. 2AB are also blocked because the crew rest seats at 1AB will recline until almost touching row 2, and it is usually used for crew storage.
Where should I sit?
The key here is understanding approach and wind patterns, along with each airport's runway configuration. The following stops and runways are on the north side of their respective islands:
TKK (4/22), PNI (9/27), KSA (5/23)
The following stops have runways on the south side of their atolls:
KWA (6/24), MAJ (7/25)
The prevailing winds at this latitude blow from the east, so a typical landing goes from west to east (into the wind). Therefore, in order to have best views on final approach and initial takeoff, you want to be on the starboard (right, F) side for TKK, PNI, and KSA, and on the port (left, A) side for KWA and MAJ. If you are flying westbound, or you land backwards at any stop on the eastbound flight, then the flight may need to position into the approach, usually by overflying the island at higher altitude out to sea. In this case, both sides of the aircraft will get views, although the closer views belong to the "correct" side. In my case, we landed "backwards" on 22 at TKK, and used the regular 9, 5, 6, and 7 at the other stops.
You should absolutely have a window seat - why else are you here?! The best seats are therefore any window in the Business cabin (note that 1A and 2A are blocked), 7AF and 8AF in Economy Plus (10AF has a misaligned window but is okay, the missing window will kill you in 11 and then the wing really starts intruding), and anything nice and far behind the wing in Economy. In this vein, I declined an upgrade on GUM-TKK since only 2E was left, and we flew in 4A/7F, 2F/4A, 2F/3F, 3A/4A, 3A/4A, 2F/7F.
What can I do at the stops?
The best thing to do is get off the plane! You can take tarmac photos and get amazing close-ups of the plane. You will then be shepherded into the gate area, where there are restrooms (some lacking soap and/or towels) and often locals selling souvenirs and snacks. On our trip, the most substantial souvenirs were available at MAJ. If the flight is running late they will make an announcement requesting transfer pax to stay on the plane; however, as obviously savvy travelers who were along for the whole ride and could get on/off quickly with no bags to stow, we got absolutely no pushback from the purser whenever we went outside anyway.
If you do disembark, you are required to take all carry-on baggage with you. They conduct a security sweep onboard the aircraft and will remove unclaimed bags. As is mentioned many times in this thread, KWA is the exception - as it's a US Army base you cannot get off unless ticketed to there. On our flight, we were requested not to take photographs but were allowed to look out the window. I didn't see anything terribly interesting.
You can also use WiFi in the terminal/transit area when you disembark and at some stops you can get your passport stamped. MAJ, PNI, and KSA have confirmed free WiFi. Passport stamps have been confirmed at PNI, KSA, TKK without "exiting" just ask security about getting a stamp at these 3 airports and they should be able to accommodate you.
Should I check my bags?
Yes. As annoying as it was to wait ~10 minutes for our bags in HNL, it was a lot less annoying than having to haul them around each stop, and find bin space again once on board.
What is the food situation?
Going east is a slightly different meal schedule than west. GUM-TKK and KSA-KWA are coded Snack, and MAJ-HNL is Dinner. The first and last meals are reasonably substantial in J (think like a Breakfast and Dinner code) and somewhat small in Y (somewhat less than a meal in int'l Y - was six pieces of fruit and a muffin in the morning, followed by a turkey sandwich for dinner). The middle snack was just a pass of the snack basket up front; neither of us sat in Y that segment but I would guess they just offered almonds. Additionally, every segment they were offering J pax some packaged almonds.
My general verdict is if going the distance in Y, pack some snacks or buy them at the stops along the way. If you're in J then there's enough food for 14 hours of sitting.
And how about IFE?
Look outside! That's actually about all the IFE there is. The GUM fleet has no WiFi and only DirecTV. Note that DirecTV does not work outside of CONUS, so really it just has the 8-10 looping movies of DirecTV (slightly different movie set for an Asian audience). The movie loop resets at each stop, so unless you want to watch the first 1h30 of a movie six times, there's not much use to the IFE. It is at least free in Y. I brought a book and read it for the middle 20 minutes of each segment and until I fell sleep on MAJ-HNL.
Can I get an upgrade on the Hopper?
Empirically, yes! We were offered upgrades of 11/12 eligible segments; I declined a GUM-TKK upgrade to keep my window, and my companion's MAJ-HNL upgrade was eaten by UA IT (agent in MAJ apologized profusely but understandably wasn't going to remove the already-handed-out upgrades to the next 2 pax on the list).
In order to have any shot, however, you need to be able to split the direct flight into six segments. This generally cannot be done on a mileage ticket or a paid through fare, and would need to be done via multi-city ticketing if visiting an island. In my case, I spent a very long time getting an extremely wonderful pmCO agent who was able to hack my ticket together with 9 connections on the way home. As this is also the only way to choose different views for the different approach directions, I recommend asking for this rather than for upgrades. It causes quite the headache for UA systems, but in the end I felt like it was a huge benefit to fly pretty much all of it in J. Absolutely something I credit to the value of being 1K: I was able to ring the 1K desk many times to get agents to deal with the various hiccups that came along with a PNR that had eight tickets and at one point 36 segments attached to it.
The first five Hopper segments (going east) are CPU eligible; MAJ/HNL requires a GPU. We had GPUs on our reservation and did a mixture of advance clearing and clearing at the gates in the islands (where amazingly enough they had the new J BPs waiting!).
Where to stay and what to do in GUM and HNL?
I think this depends on lot on which way you're going. Flying east, we arrived in GUM around 11pm (maximizing time in Tokyo, but not crazy enough for the 2am arrival), and spent the night at the Days Inn Tamuning. It was at the very bottom of my quality standards, but quite affordable and with 9h45 of total ground time all in the dark I did not want to pay double for a beachfront property I would never enjoy.
In HNL, I took up the excellent recommendation in this thread of the Best Western Plaza Honolulu. It was the cheapest of the few airport hotels in HNL. Having cleared customs by 3:45 (we arrived late), it was off to bed quickly. The arrival is only ~11pm Guam time, so I highly recommend going straight to a bed on arrival in HNL. Afterwards, we took advantage of the 24h connect rule to spend the whole day in HNL before continuing on home to SFO. We were pretty exhausted after another redeye home, but the beach time in Hawaii was well worth it, especially after being taunted by all the beautiful mid-Pacific islands.
Big Metal Bird Episode 8: Island Hopper - 2018
They just did a video in the Micronesia island hopper flight which is pretty interesting
https://youtu.be/TPueM5OF1Wc
https://youtu.be/TPueM5OF1Wc
UA's Micronesia Island Hopper - consolidated questions, advice, ....
Jun 11, 2017, 8:46 am
#421
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: DC Suburbs
Programs: DL Gold, Hilton Gold, Carnival VIFP Gold, Hyatt Discoverist
Posts: 459
When I check my bags in at ROR for my ROR-EWR legs on UA186, UA176, UA155 & UA14, will I be able to check it all the way through despite having three layovers of > 12hours each? And is ROR via all the those places considered a domestic flight, or do I need to pass through CBP at some point before arriving in EWR?
1) You'll clear US CBP at GUM
2) You'll clear Micronesian Customs and Immigration at TKK or PNI (unless they let you stay in the transit areas of the airports the whole time)
3) You'll clear US CBP at HNL
4) No clearance at EWR
I believe you need to claim your bags for each clearance, but I've only done the IH Westward so others chime in please. Maybe you can clear customs, then go straight to the UA desk at GUM, PNI/TKK and HNL and re-check your bag for the next segment? So as not to have to lug it the full 12 hours in each location?
Jun 11, 2017, 2:45 pm
#422
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: NY, NY
Posts: 695
Assuming I understand your itinerary is UA186 ROR-GUM, UA176 GUM-TKK or PNI, UA155 TKK or PNI-HNL, UA14 HNL-EWR, I believe:
1) You'll clear US CBP at GUM
2) You'll clear Micronesian Customs and Immigration at TKK or PNI (unless they let you stay in the transit areas of the airports the whole time)
3) You'll clear US CBP at HNL
4) No clearance at EWR
I believe you need to claim your bags for each clearance, but I've only done the IH Westward so others chime in please. Maybe you can clear customs, then go straight to the UA desk at GUM, PNI/TKK and HNL and re-check your bag for the next segment? So as not to have to lug it the full 12 hours in each location?
1) You'll clear US CBP at GUM
2) You'll clear Micronesian Customs and Immigration at TKK or PNI (unless they let you stay in the transit areas of the airports the whole time)
3) You'll clear US CBP at HNL
4) No clearance at EWR
I believe you need to claim your bags for each clearance, but I've only done the IH Westward so others chime in please. Maybe you can clear customs, then go straight to the UA desk at GUM, PNI/TKK and HNL and re-check your bag for the next segment? So as not to have to lug it the full 12 hours in each location?
If what you describe ends up being the case, then I am hoping that I can recheck my luggage right away too, as I hope to use my layovers for tourism, not carting&hauling luggage lol
It does seem weird though that ROR for example is domestic for the purpose of cabotage, but not for clearing CBP :-(
I will report back at the end of next month once I have lived through it all lol
Jun 11, 2017, 5:28 pm
#423
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: CLE
Programs: UA Gold, HH Diamond, Marriott Gold
Posts: 3,661
You understood my itinerary perfectly :-)
If what you describe ends up being the case, then I am hoping that I can recheck my luggage right away too, as I hope to use my layovers for tourism, not carting&hauling luggage lol
It does seem weird though that ROR for example is domestic for the purpose of cabotage, but not for clearing CBP :-(
I will report back at the end of next month once I have lived through it all lol
If what you describe ends up being the case, then I am hoping that I can recheck my luggage right away too, as I hope to use my layovers for tourism, not carting&hauling luggage lol
It does seem weird though that ROR for example is domestic for the purpose of cabotage, but not for clearing CBP :-(
I will report back at the end of next month once I have lived through it all lol
I don't know about your layovers PNI/TKK. I am fairly sure you won't be able to stay in the transit area since they appear to close them and you want to get out and see stuff anyway.
I would advise you to arrange transportation ahead of time. If you rent a car, then your luggage issue is minimized.
I suggest PNI over TKK as a sight seeing destination.
Jun 11, 2017, 5:32 pm
#424
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: CLE
Programs: UA Gold, HH Diamond, Marriott Gold
Posts: 3,661
(Blue Lagoon is the old Continental hotel on TKK.)
Jul 15, 2017, 11:44 pm
#425
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: MSP
Programs: DL PM, UA Gold, WN, Global Entry; +others wherever miles/points are found
Posts: 14,410
We're now booked on the eastbound Hopper this fall, and I'm pretty excited!
Routing it on a cheap TPAC economy fare is definitely the way to go unless you want to visit one of the islands. In this case, it was about $800 for a one-way fare, but if done as a round trip you can do it for less than $500 for the hopper direction.
After 4.5 hours and three agents, I'm ecstatic to report that I was able to get the segments split
It took finding a knowledgeable pmCO agent who voided the old ticket, manually constructed a new one, and reissued it. (I think it took some convincing to the rate desk to override automatic pricing - definitely left high praise for that agent with her supervisor!) So now we can pick seats on each segment, and also a chance of the GPU applied clearing. Not as enthused about the 0250 arrival into HNL, but it's what fit the schedule. Meanwhile my PNR has 18 segments on it (including waitlisted R) and .bomb is really unhappy about it.
We're overnighting in Guam beforehand. Are there any recommendations for an airport hotel that's clean and convenient, but not too expensive? We really don't have any daylight hours in GUM.
Routing it on a cheap TPAC economy fare is definitely the way to go unless you want to visit one of the islands. In this case, it was about $800 for a one-way fare, but if done as a round trip you can do it for less than $500 for the hopper direction.
After 4.5 hours and three agents, I'm ecstatic to report that I was able to get the segments split
It took finding a knowledgeable pmCO agent who voided the old ticket, manually constructed a new one, and reissued it. (I think it took some convincing to the rate desk to override automatic pricing - definitely left high praise for that agent with her supervisor!) So now we can pick seats on each segment, and also a chance of the GPU applied clearing. Not as enthused about the 0250 arrival into HNL, but it's what fit the schedule. Meanwhile my PNR has 18 segments on it (including waitlisted R) and .bomb is really unhappy about it.We're overnighting in Guam beforehand. Are there any recommendations for an airport hotel that's clean and convenient, but not too expensive? We really don't have any daylight hours in GUM.
Jul 27, 2017, 7:14 am
#426
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: NY, NY
Posts: 695
I just got back a couple of days ago from doing the Island Hopper on the Eastbound, routing as follows:
* ROR-YAP-GUM on UA186 (that departs at 00:20 and arrives into GUM at 05:02)
* GUM-TKK-PNI on UA176 (that departs at 19:51 and arrives into PNI at 00:48)
* PNI-KSA-KWA-MAJ-HNL on UA155 (that departs at 13:44 and arrives into HNL at 02:50)
I was in 7A the entire way, though the ROR-GUM-PNI were at night, so there was nothing to see. I had fantastic views from PNI to HNL.
At each stop we were asked by TSA agents who came onboard to identify our possessions, and I only alighted by choice at KSA and MAJ. Unfortunately I wasn't able to get stamps in my passports as each time there was only one immigration agent processing arrivals and the gate agent said there wouldn't be enough time to go through immigration and security at departure lounge. Oh well.
For the 12 hours or so I was in GUM I arranged a private tour of the island with DiscoverGuam, which really let me hit up all the sites, and not feel rushed.
For the 13 hours or so I stayed in PNI I stayed at the Mangrove hotel, which was a lovely hotel with a balcony overlooking the water.
A sandwich was offered on the MAJ-HNL leg, and a snack (peanuts I think it was) on the ROR-YAP leg, otherwise nothing. However, in each departure lounge that I visited there was a small snack shop where you could load up on food.
There was open and free wifi at GUM and PNI, no wifi at KSA, and in MAJ wifi cost $5 for 250Mb
My connecting flight from HNL-EWR left later that evening, but the check-in desk at HNL for United is at the other end of the terminal for bag dropoff, and also doesn't open until 04:30h, just FYI
If anybody wants any other info, feel free to ask away
* ROR-YAP-GUM on UA186 (that departs at 00:20 and arrives into GUM at 05:02)
* GUM-TKK-PNI on UA176 (that departs at 19:51 and arrives into PNI at 00:48)
* PNI-KSA-KWA-MAJ-HNL on UA155 (that departs at 13:44 and arrives into HNL at 02:50)
I was in 7A the entire way, though the ROR-GUM-PNI were at night, so there was nothing to see. I had fantastic views from PNI to HNL.
At each stop we were asked by TSA agents who came onboard to identify our possessions, and I only alighted by choice at KSA and MAJ. Unfortunately I wasn't able to get stamps in my passports as each time there was only one immigration agent processing arrivals and the gate agent said there wouldn't be enough time to go through immigration and security at departure lounge. Oh well.
For the 12 hours or so I was in GUM I arranged a private tour of the island with DiscoverGuam, which really let me hit up all the sites, and not feel rushed.
For the 13 hours or so I stayed in PNI I stayed at the Mangrove hotel, which was a lovely hotel with a balcony overlooking the water.
A sandwich was offered on the MAJ-HNL leg, and a snack (peanuts I think it was) on the ROR-YAP leg, otherwise nothing. However, in each departure lounge that I visited there was a small snack shop where you could load up on food.
There was open and free wifi at GUM and PNI, no wifi at KSA, and in MAJ wifi cost $5 for 250Mb
My connecting flight from HNL-EWR left later that evening, but the check-in desk at HNL for United is at the other end of the terminal for bag dropoff, and also doesn't open until 04:30h, just FYI
If anybody wants any other info, feel free to ask away
Jul 27, 2017, 8:10 am
#427
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: Denver, CO
Programs: UA 1K 25 years/2MM, Honors LT Diamond, AVIS & Hertz Prez Club
Posts: 4,753
Jul 27, 2017, 8:39 am
#428
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: PHL
Programs: UA 1K 1MM, Marriott Gold, IHG Platinum, Raddison Platinum, Avis Presidents Club
Posts: 5,271
If/When I ever do this trip, that is a major item I'd like.
Jul 27, 2017, 9:42 am
#429
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: CLE
Programs: UA GS+LT UC, AA EXP+LT PLT, Fairmont LT PLT, Marriott PLT, Hilton DIA, Hyatt Glob, Avis CHM
Posts: 4,671
I'm curious how others have been able to do this in the past. I thought that they did not actually exit and the customs agent was willing to just stamp it and let you go back to the gate. I assume this is extremely YMMV though.
If/When I ever do this trip, that is a major item I'd like.
If/When I ever do this trip, that is a major item I'd like.
https://www.dansdeals.com/points-tra...s-time-to-hop/
We got stamps from every stop except except KWA. No need to go through security, just tell them you're collecting stamps and they know the drill.
Jul 27, 2017, 10:31 am
#430
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: PHL
Programs: UA 1K 1MM, Marriott Gold, IHG Platinum, Raddison Platinum, Avis Presidents Club
Posts: 5,271
In the Island Hopper TR on my blog I wrote how I did it in detail:
https://www.dansdeals.com/points-tra...s-time-to-hop/
We got stamps from every stop except except KWA. No need to go through security, just tell them you're collecting stamps and they know the drill.
https://www.dansdeals.com/points-tra...s-time-to-hop/
We got stamps from every stop except except KWA. No need to go through security, just tell them you're collecting stamps and they know the drill.
Who did you ask?
Wouldn't you just walk towards the exit/passport control and tell the guy, you just want the stamp and don't want to leave the secure area?
Getting the stamp is almost the goal of the entire trip for me. That and seeing how far I can fly on a 737
Jul 27, 2017, 11:47 am
#431
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: NY, NY
Posts: 695
if you disembark you have to take all your belongings with you. The security agents go through the cabin and any item in the cabin has to be claimed by a passenger onboard. If it isn't then it is presumably removed from the aircraft
Jul 27, 2017, 12:48 pm
#432
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: CLE
Programs: UA GS+LT UC, AA EXP+LT PLT, Fairmont LT PLT, Marriott PLT, Hilton DIA, Hyatt Glob, Avis CHM
Posts: 4,671
"So we asked if we could get our passports stamped even though we were just transiting and we were led to this room"
Who did you ask?
Wouldn't you just walk towards the exit/passport control and tell the guy, you just want the stamp and don't want to leave the secure area?
Getting the stamp is almost the goal of the entire trip for me. That and seeing how far I can fly on a 737
Who did you ask?
Wouldn't you just walk towards the exit/passport control and tell the guy, you just want the stamp and don't want to leave the secure area?
Getting the stamp is almost the goal of the entire trip for me. That and seeing how far I can fly on a 737
It almost seemed like the room we were led to was designed for people on the hopper who just wanted the stamp.
But the coolest stamp by far is the one we got from ROR.
Jul 27, 2017, 4:23 pm
#433
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: LIS/ATL/other
Programs: UA 1K, Avis PC, Hertz PC, Sixt Plat, Marriott Gold, HH Silver
Posts: 1,983
Then again, there are worse places to be stuck in than the Marshall Islands!
No idea how to get stamped at KWA since they don't let you off the plane.
Jul 28, 2017, 5:08 am
#434
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: LAX/FAO
Posts: 355
I strongly suggest you stay at Blue Lagoon over the hotel across the street from the airport. They will pick you up at the airport and drive you there. Dining and bar close at 9 pm, though. It's about a 20 minute drive, but the surroundings are lovely. IIRC, the airport hotel is a bit of a dump.
(Blue Lagoon is the old Continental hotel on TKK.)
(Blue Lagoon is the old Continental hotel on TKK.)
I just got back a couple of days ago from doing the Island Hopper on the Eastbound
I was in 7A the entire way, though the ROR-GUM-PNI were at night, so there was nothing to see. I had fantastic views from PNI to HNL.
A sandwich was offered on the MAJ-HNL leg, and a snack (peanuts I think it was) on the ROR-YAP leg, otherwise nothing. However, in each departure lounge that I visited there was a small snack shop where you could load up on food.
There was open and free wifi at GUM and PNI, no wifi at KSA, and in MAJ wifi cost $5 for 250Mb
My connecting flight from HNL-EWR left later that evening, but the check-in desk at HNL for United is at the other end of the terminal for bag dropoff, and also doesn't open until 04:30h, just FYI
If anybody wants any other info, feel free to ask away
I was in 7A the entire way, though the ROR-GUM-PNI were at night, so there was nothing to see. I had fantastic views from PNI to HNL.
A sandwich was offered on the MAJ-HNL leg, and a snack (peanuts I think it was) on the ROR-YAP leg, otherwise nothing. However, in each departure lounge that I visited there was a small snack shop where you could load up on food.
There was open and free wifi at GUM and PNI, no wifi at KSA, and in MAJ wifi cost $5 for 250Mb
My connecting flight from HNL-EWR left later that evening, but the check-in desk at HNL for United is at the other end of the terminal for bag dropoff, and also doesn't open until 04:30h, just FYI
If anybody wants any other info, feel free to ask away
After clearing customs in GUM, were you allowed to check in your bag to PNI or did you keep it with you that day?
Did you get a hotel in HNL or just power through that day? Our onward flight doesn't leave until 8:45pm so I need to find a place to get some sleep, but I'm struggling to find hotels that offer a day room. Do you recall what time you were finished with customs and able to leave the airport? I'm trying to figure out what time we could realistically arrive at a hotel and if that would be enough time before their standard checkout time.
Jul 28, 2017, 11:14 am
#435
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: NY, NY
Posts: 695
ukinny, thanks for the report! Our EB hopper is 1.5 weeks away, so this is very helpful. Sounds like I should grab some snacks in Guam to supplement the terminal shop offerings. Was there a drink service on each leg or should I be prepared with bottles of water?
After clearing customs in GUM, were you allowed to check in your bag to PNI or did you keep it with you that day?
Did you get a hotel in HNL or just power through that day? Our onward flight doesn't leave until 8:45pm so I need to find a place to get some sleep, but I'm struggling to find hotels that offer a day room. Do you recall what time you were finished with customs and able to leave the airport? I'm trying to figure out what time we could realistically arrive at a hotel and if that would be enough time before their standard checkout time.
After clearing customs in GUM, were you allowed to check in your bag to PNI or did you keep it with you that day?
Did you get a hotel in HNL or just power through that day? Our onward flight doesn't leave until 8:45pm so I need to find a place to get some sleep, but I'm struggling to find hotels that offer a day room. Do you recall what time you were finished with customs and able to leave the airport? I'm trying to figure out what time we could realistically arrive at a hotel and if that would be enough time before their standard checkout time.
I checked my luggage in at ROR all the way through to EWR. In GUM I only had to go through immigration and did not HAVE to pick up my suitcase. In HNL, however, I had to re-do immigration AND pick-up my suitcase and pass customs. Be aware that the HNL flight (for me) arrived at 02:30h (well, a little later because of delays). In order to do the drop-off for your connecting flight to LAX you are going to have to go upstairs to the United check-in desks, which is at the other end of the terminal. A total pain in the neck. The suitcase will have to pass an x-ray machine first and be especially tagged. Worse, the check-in desk won't open until 4:30h. It's all a frightfully terrible system really. But if you get into HNL during the day then it isn't so bad.
Basically, you should pack a carry-on with all the change of clothes & toiletries etc... you are going to need until you get to HNL!
When I got to HNL I had planned to do this : https://www.hangglidinghawaii.com/
However, weather conditions due to Fernanda caused it to be canceled. Instead, after dropping-off the case I took myself to DiamondHead and hiked it when it opened at 6am. With my carryon-backpack. That was a *TOTAL* sweatfest lol After that I definitely needed a shower, so I decided to take a taxi to Waikiki and used my IHG points to book into the Holiday Inn there. The lovely lady at check-in waived the $21 resort fee as I was only going to be there for about 5 hours. It was the best 35K IHG points I have ever spent - the cold shower and the comfy bed after all those hours flying was something my body had been desperately craving. It made the HNL-EWR so much more pleasant for me, and probably my seatmate given my hiking the crater