Originally Posted by
UA Insider
Hi everyone,
Some further context and history here. We look for a marketing sponsor on these promotions so that we can feasibly offer a program structure and a prize that’s interesting, fun, and relevant to the destination. Although our current marketing agreement has ended, we have been actively seeking sponsors and concepts for a new Halfway to Hawaii-type promotion, and we would love to bring it back. While the previous promotion had a great run over many decades, it had indeed also run its course in its current format (which, yes, is not that difficult to “decode”). If we can find a new sponsor for the game, we’d look to update it to something fresh and new.
-UA Insider
Well I can disprove that quite easily
UA Insider as a 2-3 times a month flyer on the HNL route, I can provide you with 10 years of data that I have collected from each of my flights to test that theory. Are you up to the challenge? How about it? I can provide a random sampling of say 6 data sets and let's see if you can "decode" the correct time.
DEPARTURE TIME: 07:11 HT
DISTANCE: 2142
TRUE AIR SPEED: 473 KNOTS
HEADWIND: 12 KNOTS
DEPARTURE TIME: 06:40 HT
DISTANCE: 2154
TRUE AIR SPEED: 480 KNOTS
HEADWIND: -31 KNOTS
DEPARTURE TIME: 08:26 HT
DISTANCE: 2154
TRUE AIR SPEED: 470 KNOTS
HEADWIND: 32 KNOTS
DEPARTURE TIME: 13:18 HT
DISTANCE: 2285
TRUE AIR SPEED: 470 KNOTS
HEADWIND: 16 KNOTS
DEPARTURE TIME: 10:03 HT
DISTANCE: 2155
TRUE AIR SPEED: 483 KNOTS
HEADWIND: 6 KNOTS
DEPARTURE TIME: 15:57 HT
DISTANCE: 2122
TRUE AIR SPEED: 462 KNOTS
HEADWIND: -22 KNOTS
Originally Posted by
zeus2120
UA Insider--- I expected better out of you. For the average passenger the game is not easy to "decode". How many flyertalk members or aviation gurus fly on the average 344 seat 777 to HNL? Everyone enjoyed the guessing part of the game. And what was the fun and exciting prize? A Hawaii what-to-see book? It was never about the prize. What it was about was the charisma on the flight to Hawaii--happy flight attendants and a jolly mood that paradise was a few hours away. Keep cutting, United, because distributing 344 pieces of halfway to hawaii paper per 777 must cut into the fuel budget.
Agreed.
I travel this route 2-3 times a month and have for years. I think in 30 years I have won the game 4 or 5 times. I've been been beaten by a few seconds too many times to remember. Other times I'm 2+ minutes off. It's guessing at a moving target and not an easy game, even if you have a formula to win.
It is a fun game that I still look forward to each and every time I step on a UA plane to Hawaii and [HTH geek alert] I have an excel spreadsheet with 10 years of data from each game including the guess I made and announced winning time [/HTH geek alert].