I am flying first class for the first time on Continental to Maui this Spring. Since I am burning major miles, I want to get everything I can with the exerience. Any special "perks" that I should be aware of in First for the trip. Meal suggestions, freebies, seat selection, etc...

Outbound: Houston to Maui - Flight 49
Return: Honolulu to Houston - Flight 72

Thanks

Congrats on your first trip in BF!

I flew to HNL from IAH in BF for Thanksgiving and I love the product.

No specific suggestions from me. There is one cut back though. They no longer provide the little amenity kits to BF cabin members.

The pasta with sundried tomates and artichoke hearts was heavenly andthe wine never stopped pouring.

Cheers!

The amenity kit seems to be hit or miss. If they have enough, they pass them out (but almost alyays have to ask for the 'extra' shaving kit). But, as has been reported here, sometimes they do skip them totally.

I am booked on the same flights as you but in May. Tell me how it is when you return!

I hope that service is the same / nearly the same as BF on international flights.

Have a great trip.

JP

The service to Hawaii IS the same as for international flights. In fact, one thing people sometimes don't know is that you get free President's Club access for the day of travel when flying first class to Hawaii. So get to the airport early, check in and make sure your bags have plenty of time to get to the plane, then go to the PC to relax and start enjoying the free drinks!

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CO plat, UA prem; Marriott plat, Hyatt plat, Hilton gold, Starwood gold, Fairmont gold; Avis select, Hertz 5-star

Everyone has been extremely helpful...I love the President's Club knowledge!

Bloody Mary's to start us off right...

ALOHA!

I just came back on Tuesday from a Maui trip in CO BF. It was absolutely great except for the one day I lost going to Maui due to mechanical problems.

Seats were terrific on the 767 they run on the route. I was able to sleep confortably on the flight. Food was exceptional the entire food service from start to finish lasted for like 1 1/2 hours after all was said and done. I didn't recieve an amenity kit but since I have 4 it didn't matter.
Large selection of movies to keep you occupied during the flight.

With the exception of a great London trip I took it was the best service I ever recieved on CO. Have fun and if you need any tips on Maui let me know. I still have all the brochures and coupons for local attractions.

You might also want to check www.seatguru.com for a good seat selection. You will be on a 764 and if you are alone there are single seats in the middle where no one will disturb you if you or someone sitting next to you get out of your seat.SeatGuru will also Identify certain seats that are less desirable than others.I have also found that sitting closer to the Galley insures your choice of meal selection before they run out of certain preferred main course selections.

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Although BF to HNL and OGG is great it is not as good as international flights with BF, same seats but the service is not as intense as as International BF service, but I still find it better than the others to Hawaii.

Travelling alone or with someone? I travel there alone and usually take the window seat going (for the interesting views of Baja California and the possibility of good views of the islands before landing) and the middle seat returning so I can get up to go the restroom without waking my neighbor or vice versa if I were to take the aisle seat on the side.

I thought there was a *lot* of food served. My ribeye was huge (and tasty).

Strangely, I think they show better movies eastbound than westbound. This is suboptimal because I'm awake westbound and sleeping eastbound. I bring my portable DVD player so it's not a biggie, just a small disappointment.

There's no PC in Maui, is there? In the Honolulu one, they only seem to have Pineapple juice instead of the small selection of tropical juices. I like to mix the Pineapple with Orange.

Oh, don't forget to bring a pen or pencil for the agriculture form on the way out.

I'm headed out BOS-IAH-HNL this weekend. I don't imagine I'll have much more to report, but I'll write out the menu choices I'm given.

Oh, and I'll also be able to report back on the efficacy of Ambien on the return flight - it'll be my first time.

The service IS NOT the same. Amenity kits are not the norms. No water bottles. The seats are not the latest (compared with those on flights to/from Japan and Europe). The wine selection is not as diverse (your only choice is "red" or "white"). They've cut out the pre-flight concierge (who I rarely used anyway). BF to/from Hawaii also DOES NOT come with PC access automatically, as does Int'l BF. Some Hawaii-bound BF travellers have been allowed in if slow and if gatekeeper in good mood, but it's not a guarantee. There is no PC in Maui. 72 from HNL also has abbreviated meal service due to hour of departure. 2 from HNL has full service.

Still - a hell of a lot better than Delta's product.

You can check BF menu choice on line:

http://www.continental.com/travel/in...E87AB47F44FB7E

If you know the keymaster, that also helps.

Now seriously, have you ever been refused PC access with a J boarding pass to HNL?

I'm pretty sure you always get access in the HNL PC. They have a list of J passengers that they check against.