Summer 2021 in Hawaii
 

Hello

Trying to plan our (family of 4) 2021 summer holiday in the west coast and Hawaii. Likely to be flying out from the Bay Area, but I can’t decide to go with HA or AS. Part of me want to go with HA to get the whole Hawaiian experience, but AS offers really competitive prices for First class, its even comparable to HA Extra Comfort. Also, their new lounge in SFO and AS should be a full member of OW by then and will be able to earn BA tier points with AS.

And after doing some goggling and looking at other threads, looks like AS is not updating their First class on the 737-800s. What’s the reasons for that?

Does AS First class worth the money or should I just save the money and spend it in Hawaii?!

Thank you.

Spend the money in Hawaii. Alaska is a good ride over but so is WN.

Who knows what the routes and world will look like next year, but it wouldn’t surprise me if Hawaii funnels everyone thru Oahu for health checks. Considering they’re arresting and prosecuting people who disregard quarantine, it doesn’t seem that far fetched.

I agree....and the F cabin may still be getting the snack box and water....not worth the extra $$ unless it's a free upgrade. As a side note, unless F is considerable cheaper than it has been in the past, I can see a significant drop in paid F travel for the next few years.

Hawaii.

There is no point buying F ticket when you simply get a bigger seat instead of lie-flat (there is a reason why AS F is cheaper).

Wait. Dont spend the money now.

As previously mentioned, a lot could change between now and then. HA may have incredible deals on their far superior lie-flat widebody (A330), or they may just be flying the A321 then. Hard to say.

The argument for AS is solid as well, especially w/Avios.

Once the CARES stipulations end at the end of September, you're going to be looking at a very different picture with any airline. I'd just wait.

I would not even consider booking to HI until the situation on the ground is crystal clear. That is likely to be sometime in April 2021, e.g. a year away. Not worth bothering doing any planning until then. Everything could change. Worst scenario is that there is air service, it's not cancelled, but you don't want to go and can't get your tickets refunded.

I agree. But I don’t think AS or Hawaiian are actually selling tickets for summer of 2021 yet anyway. I know many people get antsy about planning (and booking) travel... I am one of them. But there are just too many unknowns at this time. Why worry about whether to fly AS or HI more than a year in advance.

I'm debating if the lure of no change / cancel fees is incentive enough to book a planned February trip to Hawaii by the end of May. It's hard to think about wallet having any value though - we are flying to HI or staying home.

Yeah, too early to book right now.

Way too early.

AS flights are generally loaded at 330 days out. And if you book that far out, the fares generally aren't attractive, and you'll suffer at least 2 or 3 schedule changes.

AS F to Hawaii is not really worth the money. If you have AS miles it might be worth an upgrade but getting 4 upgraded on the same flight might be difficult but it can happen. You are paying for the seat and the seat is not exceptional.

Is the big difference in the F price on HA because they offer lie-flats in F on your route? HA's A330 F seats, even though lie-flat, are not worth it, they are my least favorite lie-flat, horrible padding, like a stone slab.

If the price were right I would shoot for extra-comfort seats. If not, HA's A330's have a 2-4-2 layout in coach so you might consider 2+2 at the windows on the A330 for a family of four. I don't mind so much being squeezed in a tiny coach seat if it's a family member sitting next to me and 2+2 would keep you separated from others. 3-3 Y seating on AS is not as attractive for a family of 4.

If you can grab one of the current $349 SFO HNL one way First Class fare, I think it’s a good deal especially it earns you the BA status qualifying miles.

A lot more spaces, 2 free bags, free meal and booze.

Hello

Thank you for all the advice!

I probably won’t be booking anything till later this year, as some of you mentioned it’s not bookable so far out at the moment anyway.

My plan is, hopefully, we can get the flights out to the west coast on BA using Avios, so the tickets will be fully refundable minus £35 per ticket, so not worry any cancellation.

I think the big positive for AS First is the lounge and the 2+2 seating config. Being a family of 4, I don’t think 3+3 is going to work, so it will be either AS First or HA A330 econ/ extra comfort. I’m just thinking if HA EC is similar price to AS F, then I may as well do AS F to get the lounge access and extra Avios.

Totally understand things could be very different next year, but if AS is sell F for $349, I will be very tempted!

Stay safe!

It will be quite a while, probably beyond your planned travel.

Never consider lounge access as a selling point, as many U.S. lounges are below standard, i.e. no decent food and you have to pay for alcohol.