First time flying 1st class-Going to Maui

My hubby and I will be flyng first class for the first time and not sure what to expect. We are flying BWI-PHX-OGG the same on the return flight. I am a little worried because I have been reading that the plane we will be flying on is not great. Should I be worried? I am not expecting the Ritz but hoping something better the coach class.

Will we be served meals on the flight? It really is not that big of a deal to me but I would like to know so I can plan my meals ahead of time since it is such a long flight.

I figure even if the flight is not great I am still going to spend 2 1/2 weeks in Maui so that will take the sting out of it some.

You will have a perfectly nice flight on US in First class on that route, and certainly be more comfortable than the coach passengers. Yes the 757s they use on the Hawaiian routes are a bit long in the tooth, but I find the seats to be perfectly comfortable. Meals will be served on all of your flights, except perhaps for the return segment from OGG to PHX. That's a late night flight, and won't serve dinner, so you'll want to have a nice dinner before you head to the airport. I presume there's an arrival snack/meal, but I don't know for sure. If so, it won't be substantial.

There is no in-flight entertainment between BWI and PHX. Between PHX and OGG you'll have an overhead movie or two. Best to bring entertainment of your own.

Have a great trip!

Thanks for all the info. I will make sure I bring some entertainment.

Well, since it's your first trip in First class (of any airline), it will definitely be a step up from coach.

But, sadly, US has the worst First class service to Hawaii. If you used US points, you might have been able to score seats on UA or CO (star alliance partners) and gotten a better overall experience. If you paid for your seats, I guess US was the cheapest of the bunch?

I've taken that flight many times and you will enjoy it. The time moves pretty quickly and usually the service is fantastic. Just picture First Class circa 1990 and you'll be satisfied.

These days, few carriers are using nice or new widebody jets into Hawaii. So, the 757s are old, but its not like everyone else has new 777s on the route.

Have fun. Love OGG.

There is some kind of brunch/snack listed for the redeyes back from Hawaii.

Set your expectations very low so you will not be disappointed. This is possibly the worst first class seating on any long haul flight. Seats are old and you only get a couple of inches of additional width and maybe 5 or 6 inches of additional pitch over coach. I have taken these old birds to/from Hawaii in First many times and the seats seem OK on the way over but I have found them impossible to get comfratble in to try and sleep on the red-eye home. Service is usually pretty good. A notch above the typical US 48 state service. Yes, it is better than coach and the only option (besides Hawaiin) from PHX.

It varies based on the airport you are coming from in Hawaii. A couple of them will cater a full breakfast and some just a continental breakfast. I forget which airports get what since I"ve been mainly doing HNL lately.

Have you been on a UA 757, 767 (domestic config) or a 777 (domestic config) to Hawaii?? Those planes arent much better if at all. Or how about a DL (old NW) 757 to Hawaii? Those planes are worse than the US 757s. Also, the service on UA, DL and CO can vary so greatly based on the crew. So really to say US has the worst first class to Hawaii isnt really true.

I am new to using my miles and I did not know I could use Co or UA. I have been saving miles for years and never have used them. I finally had enough to get first class seats for my Maui trip. Sometimes it feels like there is so much info out there and there are so many ins and outs that it is hard to keep up.

Is there way I could change my tickets to CO or UA? If I can should I try? Is it worth it?

You will need to pay mileage redeposit fees and possibly new booking fees, and it all assumes there would be upgrade availability. It's worth looking for availability (please read the extremely long and detailed thread on using US miles on *A awards which will answer most of your questions) but it's a moot point if UA/CO are not giving up any seats. The redeposit fee is $150 (not sure if that is per ticket or per itinerary, and not sure if you'd incur extra processing fees on top of that). Personally I don't find CO or UA domestic F to be $150 better than US but everyone's got a different opinion! Also if you got a "saver" or "low" award then you might need to pony up some more miles to get the partner award. Another thing to factor in.

If you are flying CO from IAH or EWR, they are much better than the other options. That route is flown with the 767-400 and businessfirst seating....

If you can find availability on Continental via Newark or Houston it is totally worth it to pay the $150 redeposit fees. You will not be disappointed - that's a true first class experience worth the fee.

US Airways doesn't have first class service these days, just a bigger seat with some food, if even.

And how often do you fly US in First Class? And was any of it recent?

While flying via IAH or EWR on CO would get you a better seat but not necessarily better service. CO is not all that.

I don't fly US Airways in first class because I enjoy having service in first class, rather than just a big seat and a bag of chips.

Why would I fly US Airways on O'Hare-Philadelphia at 6pm when an American Airlines MD80 on that route has a four course dinner and WiFi?

Continental caters IAH/EWR-HNL as if it were international long-haul. I don't think CO is "all that," but that's not the point, it will offer a better soft and hard product.

I have flown repeatedly on US in F to HNL, OGG, and KOA. You can be 100% assured that it is sub-par. As one poster stated, it is a horrible sleeping situation coming back.

The bigger challenge is that US has ONE employee in all of the Hawaiian islands. Everything else is contracted. If their is an equipment or component failure on your way back, you will be stuck in Hawaii for an extra day. They ALWAYS either wait for s spare part to be flown in the next day or (if at an out island) you will fly to HNL for the repair THE NEXT MORNING (because HNL repairs end at 11 PM). This has happened to me on 3 out of 11 trips over the last 4 years.