FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - UA - LAX-SFO-HIKA-Guam and return via UA Pacific Islands $442 <2.8cps
Old Nov 15, 2017, 7:47 pm
  #80  
wkndflyr
 
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: ORD
Programs: AA Plat, UA Silver, Bonvoyed Gold
Posts: 21
Originally Posted by RustyC
KWA is a bit like MAJ from the air, in that the Marshalls are an an atoll nation and uniquely suited to the purpose of being an ABM test site and giant catcher's mitt. The Marshalls are highly endangered from sea level rise and may not be there in 50 years (with people evacuated to Hawaii), so getting there could make for a story for the grandkids. With KWA the stop is no fun, but maybe if you're eagle-eyed and on the side of the plane to do it, you could also see Ebeye. When I went the bridges to try to relieve overcrowding there were still new.

Kosrae has the sleeping giant and an interesting ruins complex, but as I remember the airport is on a strip along the edge with a tiny terminal. I did go there once to stay 3 days...the people are friendly but also (at least then) not that aware of the outside world. Maybe 11 years of more Internet has changed that.

Others may have a different take, but when I first went in the late 90s with CO (and before going back to visit the places), I thought MAJ and PNI were the best stops.
Thank you for your feedback and for sharing your experience!

I'm looking forward to traveler reports from the new three-stop Hopper when it begins flying in January. I've been reading the big Micronesia thread and it seems like UA154/UA155 tend to run a bit late - sometimes late enough that transiting passengers are asked to remain onboard at KSA. Perhaps having fewer scheduled stops will keep these new Hoppers on-time, which would be a plus.

It will be interesting to hear whether UA133 is less crowded than UA155 since 133 doesn't stop at KWA, and likewise for the westbound counterparts. As an eastbound traveler, it'll be nice to arrive in MAJ an hour and a half earlier on 133 versus 155; if the flight is on-time we'll be able to see the atoll in daylight.
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