I’m off on my second trip of 2021. And to be frank, I’m pretty excited to be traveling again. My client requested an in person meeting as we haven’t seen each other live in over a year due to her maternity leave and then COVID.

But before we go - let’s first rewind 72 hours before departure.

In order to bypass Hawaii’s mandatory 10 day daily check-in quarantine policy, one must go to www.travel.Hawaii.gov/#/welcome ~ and enter their trip information, fill out a health questionnaire (no sooner than 24 hours before the flight) and upload several documents that include a personal photo and a negative COVID test - no older than 72 hours .....and from an “approved” testing site.



So just to be sure I had the results uploaded in time, I scheduled two testing appointments: one at Walgreens and the other at Rite-Aid.




In line at Walgreens. Several others with the same agenda.



First self-administered test.



I then headed over to Rite-Aid for my second test.



Not as busy.




Second self-administered test completed.



...and if for some reason I didn’t receive either of these test results back in time for my flight, I secured an appointment from GoHealth at SFO: a rapid testing site on level 1 of the International terminal at the testing rate of $250.00. That could get expensive for a family on holiday.




..but that wouldn’t be necessary as I uploaded my negative results and received my official “you can enter Hawaii” QR code.

A note about connecting through SFO: in order to be eligible for the Rapid test at the airport, according to United’s 1K desk and their web site your trip must originate from SFO. Huh? Okay, no worries. I simply booked two PNR’s: 1. BFL-SFO RT. 2. SFO-HNL RT.

Departure Day.

As SFO is my closest West Coast Airport with rapid testing, I “connected” through there. I would have done this regardless just to avoid the LAX “sign-your-life-away” 10-day mandatory quarantine.



As it turned out, this was to be a good decision as Interstate 5 over the Sierra Nevadas to Los Angeles was closed due to snow and ice.



With this cold Alaskan storm hitting most of the state of California, I made the easy 20-minute drive in light rain up the valley highway to a virtually empty terminal.






I was through security in just a couple of minutes as there was only one other person in line.





Flight 5326 Gate 5
BFL - SFO CRJ 200 (Yuck) Seat 1B
6:30am - 7:48am Scheduled
6:23am - 7:19am Actual




Can these planes get any smaller? I can’t wait until SkyWest retires these birds or brings back the E175 on this route.

No PDB. No service at all for the bumpy 42 minute flight. Which was fine. I answered a few emails from the weekend and before I knew it we were on approach to SFO.






We arrived 26 minutes early and 3 minutes later we were at Gate F7.



Waiting for my Green Tag bag.




Unlike my trip 10 days ago, SFO was bustling pretty good this morning.



Not expecting much in way of a proper meal on my Honolulu flight, I headed over to SF Giants Clubhouse, a “Priority Pass Lounge” for breakfast.



I chose the Clubhouse; they also have a very good Eggs Benedict. Or should I say, had - before their COVID modified limited menu. Bad choice of a meal. Should have left and gone to the Centurion Lounge.



Okay, a Bloody Mary made things better. Hey, after all, it’s a travel day!



After my breakfast I headed over to Gate F16, (United’s Hawaii pre-clearance station) to have my documentation reviewed and state of Hawaii issued QR code scanned. Once completed, United provided me with a wrist band which allows me to-skip-the-line once we land in Hawaii and head right out of the airport without any additional screenings.





Once I received my wrist band, I walked over to the Centurion Lounge to do a little work.






At T -20, I headed over to Gate F22. Boarding had already commenced using two jet ways. I walked up, scanned my BP and made the left to First Class.

When we originally started talking about this meeting in November, I was hoping to fly N777UA - only for nostalgic reasons as it was the first 777 put into commercial service on June 7, 1995. United had been using it on this route, but some time last month after I had booked, United put it in storage... IN CHINA! So it’s N773UA instead. 1 of 8 in this configuration and the one that had an engine break apart in flight on Valentine’s Day, 2018. Yikes.





Flight 2380 Gate F22
SFO - HNL - Boeing 777-200 Backwards Seat 1L
10:55am - 2:29pm Scheduled
10:55am - 2:30pm Actual




Home for the next 5.5 hours. Very pleased to see that United is still using Saks Fifth Avenue Bedding. Some of the most comfortable pillows in the sky.





No PBD. I did confirm that this has been nixed. After a 29-minute taxi out to 28L, we were wheels up for our 4:42 hour flight.




I just don’t know what to say about the service today other than it was simply awful. Not sure if it was driven by United’s new “Leave or Retirement“ offering but it sure seemed to be the conversation with the FA’s.

Once in the air, Veronica came by and took our food orders: Carved Chicken on Italian Flatbread Blue Label sandwich or choice of one of United’s snack boxes.




To my surprise, the Blue Label sandwich was delivered before our drink orders were taken.



As I passed on this sandwich on my last trip, so I thought I’d try it on this one - all 680 calories of it. It was horrible, dry, and tasteless. I had heartburn the rest of the day.

...and then our drink orders were taken and delivered. Honest.



I ordered a glass of sparkling wine. This France JP. Cheney was literally the worst glass of wine. Possibly the worst glass (plastic) I ever had.



So I ordered a can of Minute Maid Cranberry in hopes it would doctored the taste for the better. It didn’t. So I just drank the cranberry straight.



I pulled the shades, turned on the movie, “Richard Jewel” and settled in for the Pacific crossing. On other flights, mini Dasani water were offered. Not on this flight.



Not HNL, but on approach to HNL.




We arrived right on schedule to a very rainy island.



And to Gate G3 shortly after.

Upon disembarking, there were officers outside the gate directing us to two different lanes. If you had the wrist band you were sent down the left and on your way without any screening - if you didn’t, well I don’t know where they went.




Terminal remodeling coming along nicely.




Have always liked the outdoor connecting breezeway.



I made the 5 minute walk over to the Rental Car Center, bypassed the counters and took the elevator up to the 4th floor where I found the Avis Preferred desk closed. So I took the elevator back down to the Rental Center. With only one other in the Preferred lane I only waited a few minutes. The friendly agent confirmed my state issued QR code and provided me with my keys and documentation. I then suggested that they put closed on all the “This Way to Preferred” signs. I found my Jeep in space 86, I adjusted the mirrors and headed down the H1 in a downpour to the Hilton Hawaiian Village.




Up next: A different Hilton Hawaiian Village.
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