Etheereal

So i was looking (and still am) looking for a good way to fly to HNL and finally be in an American beach .. then it hit me : Why dont i take it all the way to Hawaii?

After checking pricing on skyscanner, i found out that RT on business is about $1600 from MDE with stops on PTY and SFO. I felt it was okay but tried to take my chances with using some AV miles for MDE-MIA and purchase normal tickets between MIA and HNL .. oh boy , almost $3000 RT on Delta business .. seriously?

Whats with the pricing?

pinniped

(1) $1600 R/T in J from South America to Hawaii doesn't exactly sound like an awful fare to me. It's one of those routes where there's probably not a ton of regular travelers, but we're not talking $5k or something. Granted, every one of those three segments will be a narrowbody and not really a spectacular premium cabin experience. But at least it's a comfier way to Hawaii.

(2) If the goal is simply "an American beach", Florida or California will be somewhat less expensive. Everybody has personal preferences, but there are great beaches and a variety of different vibes to choose from in either state.

(3) If you go all the way to Hawaii, each of the four islands kind of has its own scene and style. (All of them obviously have beaches.) You might check them all out and check fares to the ones you are interested in. If you prefer a non-Oahu island, you might not need an HNL connection. There are lots of flights directly to the other islands.

If the AV miles get you to MIA, I might be tempted to just stop right there and enjoy South Beach.

Etheereal

I think i didnt make myself clear: the $1600 RT for HNL from south america is, IMO, GREAT. For the narrowbody, you're partially correct: UA will do the SFO-HNL on a 777, while CM does MDE to SFO with 738s.

Delta is the one that will charge up to $3000 MIA-HNL J, and i was wondering why is it sooo expensive from MIA.

I'll consider the South beach at some point on next easters :P

84fiero

It's all about the various forces in play for a given city-pair market. Relatively shorter flights can be more expensive than longer flights at times. And of course fares can change drastically up or down over time, too.

Palal

Have you looked at splitting the tickets within the US to see if it's cheaper?

pinniped

If a split works, it would likely be a split at a West Coast U.S. airport. There are lots of good Hawaii deals from the coast, far fewer from the Midwest or East. Hard to imagine beating $1600 R/T in J though - or not by enough to justify the added time you'd want to build in on a split itin.

obscure2k

Please continue to follow this thread in the FT Hawaii Forum
Thanks..
Obscure2k
TravelBuzz Moderator

747FC

Market forces are driving the prices. Delta flies a 1-2-1 lie-flat business cabin nonstop from ATL, a much more plane option than a single-aisle CM plane with no lie-flat.