MHTflyer,

I would encourage you to use the Star Alliance search tool on the ANA website. I know it does not always work as it shows the seats available to ANA customers but I have had great success using it to get 2 F seats to HNL on UA in the past. Use the tool to search only for SFO or LAX to Hawaii legs using the tool and then use US to get you to LAX or SFO in F. Tell the CSR exactly what UA flight numbers you want (they always seem amazed when they find some availability) You may have to juggle your days a bit and fly on 767s but still it was awesome service and totally got me and Mrs Buffaloflyer in the mood for HNL! Good luck... and Aloha!

Or spend the small amount of dosh on Expert Flyer.com and do it the easy way.

I am not familiar with this service, please advise.

Buffaloflyer - I will try your method! Thanks.

MHT --

go to the site and check it out. It's essentially an inventory bucket tool, but it affords the subscriber significantly more visibility to award inventory buckets that other airline bucket check websites don't list. Those who travel extensively and have a need for contorted itineraries or those who are always looking for award availability swear by this site.

I don't subscribe to it, but perhaps others here on FT who do might take the time to comment here.

The ugly truth about US First Class to Hawaii
 

I mostly fly east metal and typically take UA to Hawaii. What a shock to get wedged into FC on an old HP '57. Seats recline too far, pitch is like coach, weird ergonomics to the seats, trays dont slide forward. People pay for this??? LCC has to be kidding. They are killing their business. Aint no way I'll ever fly LCC to Hawaii again.

I agree.. and the sad thing is this type of pitch is coming to an EAST aircraft near you soon! I would ONLY take UA with my US miles to Hawaii. I prefer to try and get E+ on a 777 instead of the crap on the old 757s. Remember, HP/US is now focused on the leisure traveler.. it is truely the worst of the worst. It has one of the worst pitches in the industry!!

This doesn't exactly inspire confidence for those of us trying to burn CP Certificates... :(

With TATL M/H/Q/Y/B fares out of sight, I was looking forward to burning the certificates to Hawaii. As many have posted, however, it sounds like US is not the way to go.

Loosely related, what is considered "high season" for Hawaii? Could they possibly swing the ETOPS 757s they're using for Europe to Hawaii and not impact any high season availability to Europe?

Don't they have a spare 767 or two? And it seems they have or had a spare A333 - couldn't they route it to Hawaii periodically in addition to or instead of SJU? That would allow them PHL-PHX or CLT-PHX widebody service, continuing on to somewhere in Hawaii.

It's really too bad they're not competitive on this route - they have a fair degree of frequency and destinations, and certainly a somewhat captive audience in PHX-based flyers.

Let's just say the OLD 747's business class on UA is like GOLD next to these HP aircraft. It is domestic service and nothing special. I really have been disappointed how the Tempe management likes to UNDERwealm us.. and never goes beyond our basic expectation, but usually does the opposite and falls short.

I am so disappointed with Tempe.. and the US Airways that is coming now. The aircraft is going to be pathetic...with pitch and all.

US AIRWAYS
You Pay More and get less... Come Fly with US!

It only took my phx-hnl flight in F back in summer of 05 for me to realize never again. As soon as I landed in HNL I canceled my hnl-phx return on HP and rebooked on UA. The funny thing was the UA return ticket an A fare, the one way on UA was cheaper than the one way on HP. My biggest issue was with how old the plane was. We hit some big turbulence, with the combo of rapid decent and ascent and alot of ratteling nosie (granted all asthetic stuff such as the over heads etc) I was very nervous/uncomfortable. Now on my return on UA on the 777 we hit some big turbulance and nothing like the HP 757 the plane felt solid. On top of the fact that there is alot of pitch on the UA 777. Another big thing for me was that when you leave HNL on the 8-9PM flights on HP you get no food, and with the fact that there is very little selection at HNL and that you have to be at the airport during dinner you get quite hungry. On UA the flight was listed as a snack, what United considers a snack is what HP considers a meal. We got a salad, a chicken breast, and a fresh baked choclate chip cookie. When I landed in SFO i was well rested and not hungry due to the nice seat and pitch, and the fact that we were served food.

Until integration is complete - 1 certificate and combined seniority lists/contracts for pilots & F/A's - East flight crews can only fly East planes and West crews can only fly West planes.

Combine that with the transition agreements that only allow East crews/planes to fly 1 HI flight a day, and you can see that not much will change until at least full integration.

After that, the East ETOPS 757's (the only one's getting the Envoy F/C) could be used for HI flights during the TA off season if they chose.

With the 767's and 330's, we're stretched pretty thin as it is when you consider that heavy maintenance is done on those planes in the European off-season. There's 1 of the wide-bodies in maintenance about all the time during the winter.

Using the "spares" for HI flights would make them unavailable if one of the planes scheduled for TA service broke. That's why they run the 330 on the morning flight to SJU, for example - it's back in time to go to Europe if needed (actually, it may go to Europe and one of the inbounds becomes the next day's "spare").

Hopefully, the 330's that start coming in 2009 will allow some changes (or the DL merger, whichever comes first).

Jim

Perhaps it's time to look for alternatives?

For me, Air New Zealand and/or Thai Airways + United seem like good options:

NZ gives something ala the CP Certificates - two one-segment, one-class upgrades; they don't seem to have nearly the restrictions that US puts on them. Top tier is a computed formula - "1500 AirBucks". Three long-hauls in business should get you there. Use the certificates to go to Australia, New Zealand, London, or Hong Kong.

Thai also gives one r/t upgrade annually. Top tier is 50k miles.

United is pretty well established as far as benefits/earning requirements, and their SWUs kick the *** of the CP certificates.

With any ex-US * carrier, you get the (great) benefit of free lounge access anywhere domestically in the US.

Too bad US won't be getting new planes for a long time. Maybe they could sneak into Pinal/Marana and grab some of those nice planes that are just sitting there... :cool:

But they could do something about the planes they already have... Oh...I forgot...they are! (Making them worse, that is!) :D

So true.. I am just still amazed at what the value proposition is? I think it is.. let's buy everyone.. reduce the amount of seats, and you have no choice but fly in our slave ships :)

Hey at least we don't have to pedal to make the plane go like the slave ships made the slaves row :)

I agree the Hawaii service is horrible and I bad mouth it to anyone thinking of going to Hawaii on US Airways. But if you have to go to Hawaii and you have to fly US Airways at least they can get you there...(granted it might be late ;) )

Lance

Wow, all this talk has me pretty concerned! After reading through all of this and my recent experiences flying into PHX from PHL, I am worried that I will miss my connection in PHX next month (I'll be going PHL-PHX-KOA with a 50 minute layover in PHX); not to sound like a Negadelphian (Philly sports fans are familiar with the term! :mad: ) I have been looking through the ITA website and there are several flights PHX-KOA which depart later that day, assuming we're late getting to PHX. If we do miss the connection, is US responsible for getting us to KOA with another carrier? Also, the tix are booked in FC (I know, stupid move, but work is paying for it). Will we be able to fly FC without monetary penalty (in other words, paying full-fare--although it would be reimbursed, I think the department would be pissed for running the travel allowance into the ground) on one of these other carriers, if US can somehow get us onto another flight? Thanks!