Lan44

Have just booked 10 days in Hawaii as part of a rtw trip. Flying in from NRT and am planning to spend 2 days in Honolulu and 8 on the big island. Does that sound ok for a Hawaii first timer? Pearl is a must for me. Lava is a must for the gf. Tempted by Maui as well but think 3 islands is too much considering all the flying we are doing already.

Anyway back to the main point. I need to go from Hawaii to Seattle. It looks like HA or AS. Is one better than the other? I'll be paying for these flights since I ran out of miles booking the rest of the rtw . Who has the best business class? Is it ok in economy? I'm 6'3". Rest of trip on miles is in first/business class ofc so I prob should fork out for business.

Thanks for any advice/help.

nishimark

I often fly from Japan to HNL. I would recommend an extra day on Oahu to get over the long flight. Many things to do and enjoy, especially for a first-time visit.

JA610

AS has a non stop from KOA to SEA. HA requires a connection in HNL. You should pick up a copy of Big Island and Ohau Revealed guide books. It sounds like a trip of a life time.
Enjoy.

Lan44

Excellent thank you so much for that! I've been playing about on AS website too and I've never noticed. Saves alot of hassle.

Oh and thanks nishimark too 3/7 days for the two islands makes more sense.

Goldiemom

If your GF wants to be up close to the lava on the Big Island, you can take the Poke A Stick lava tour. I took it in February and loved it. About a two hour walk to the lava, but so worth it! You can check it out at: http://lavarefuge.com/poke-a-stick-guided-lava-tours/

The Big Island is my favorite island. There is a lot to see and do. Snorkeling with the manta rays is another fabulous experience. It is almost like being on a different planet. http://www.bigislanddivers.com/mantadive.html

If you want to actually visit the Memorial in Pearl Harbor, remember the only way you can get there is via the shuttle through the National Park Service.

Have fun!

diggitydog

When you get to Pearl Harbor the first thing you want to do is get tickets for the movie/Arizona Memorial; then you can look around the museum, Bowfin, etc. I suggest you give yourself four hours if you want to really take in all the sites. The boat ride and Memorial portion take about an hour.

There are many shuttles from Waikiki to Pearl Harbor but if you have a car you can drive yourself and parking is free. If you want to go onto Ford Island to visit the Battleship Missouri Memorial, Pacific Aviation Museum, Utah Memorial, etc. you will have to take a shuttle from the Pearl Harbor Historical Sites unless you have military ID or sponsor.

Enjoy Hawaii, I’ve been stationed here since 2002 and never tire of visiting the historical sites. The Big Island is a great choice for the second stop; in addition to the volcano you can visit the observatories atop Mauna Kea—it’s quite a sight to see. You could do Maui too but you may feel rushed. If you decide on an extra day on Oahu there is plenty to see: Hanauma Bay, Diamond Head, Shangri La, Waimea Falls, Iolani Palace, etc.

More detail is another post I wrote: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hawai...l#post20722352

Enjoy your trip!

Lan44

Thanks for all the advice guys.

beckoa

I'm a fan of AS and its nonstops to the outlying islands

I think splitting between HNL and KOA should work well. Adding in OGG would be too much (as there's too much to see on KOA- it is a big island after all )

Haven't been to Pearl in over a decade- really should go back but soo many beaches too

And hiking out to lava is sooo much fun. I did this over a decade ago too (when the lava was a closer walk from the end of Chain of Craters road) and even twirled around the lava with a hiking stick. Its hot! The flows have changed a bit now- but still nice to visit. I'd also spend at least one night near Pāhoa or Volcano if exploring the park and/or the flow. Have fun!

Lavarock7

It is my understanding that you want to be at Pearl early in the morning. Thus getting in late the night before may be an issue with some.

Also, a recent newspaper article showed people getting too close to lava. That may not be an issue with a tour, BUT be aware that there are tours which get you too close to lava and/or the ocean where people have been injured or killed.

In one lava flow, 23 acres (23 ACRES!) of new lava slid into the ocean with no notice! There would be no way to save someone from that.

Please treat nature with respect out here.

Goldiemom

Hi Mark! You are right about walking out to the lava. Our tour guide was very good in keeping us safe. Several times she would point out hazards and move us along. One "tour" we saw was so unsafe that our tour guide went over and talked with the "guide" about safety issues.

LNYAUS

I would advise reserving tickets for the Pearl Harbor Memorial rather than playing the lottery. Check out this link:

http://www.nps.gov/valr/planyourvisi...servations.htm

Interisland flights are short hops at 30 min +\- so do not let that be an impediment to visiting another Island.

Are you planning on staying at one resort on the Big Island?

For what it is worth - Alaska Airlines runs 737s with domestic first class seats 2x2 and 3x3 in coach compared to Hawaiian's 767 out of Maui domestic style first 2x2x2 and 2x3x2 coach. Delta is in the market as well with some aggressive first class ticket pricing flying domestic configured 757-300's.

cblaisd

Since you're main question is about HA or AS to Hawai`i, I'm going to re-title your thread for a tighter focus and for the sake of future searching

Let me invite you and all to focus these questions on the following extant thread (where you can find lots of good resources), and keep this current thread for the airline comparison question:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hawai...t=consolidated

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hawai...t=consolidated

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hawai...t=consolidated

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hawai...t=consolidated

Thanks,

cblaisd
Co-Moderator, Hawai`i forum

tatterdema

If your main concern is price, you should look at flying into BLI also. AS has nonstops, and it is an easy bus ride down to SEA from there. Allegiant flys there also, but I cant recommend them.

Lan44

Thanks again for the help. I suppose I should have concentrated on one topic in my OP. As far as my flights to SEA since our last stop is the big island I've decided to use AS to go from KOA. Much less hassle which is what I am all about!

747FC

Aloha. If you want to start your vacation early....fly Hawaiian! Excellent food, friendly FAs. The whole package.