Ripper3785

Interesting. Did you have the new seats? Perhaps they were able to increase legroom AND squeeze another row in with the thinner seats?

Did you select that seat at booking? Can't pick a row 45 when booking on their website.

As far as the 22L takeoff, Wow! I thought my friend was crazy when he told me their shop, across aolele street, would get blasted during kona wind ops. Now I think he's less crazy.

We took a detour yesterday down Lagoon drive. Thought a JAL 747 was headed for 26R so we started heading back down lagoon drive to catch a mean view. But we were wrong and they were headed for 26L.

cblaisd

Fortunately, it has been awhile since I was in HA Y transpac. The seats felt very thin.

There was actually one more row behind me on either side of the plane, but not in the center section.

No. I had 14H. If I am going to have to have a seat-opponent, then I'd rather be on the aisle up front in Y. But I'd rather have no one next to me, no matter where in the plane. So my trick is to wait until boarding is almost done, then charmingly ask the agent at the podium if there are any seats on the plane left with no one next to it, and that I would love her/him forever if I could have one of those seats and the adjacent one remain blocked.



I just found it slightly odd that a almost fully-laden 767 would use the shorter runway for takeoff, but land much, much lighter on the longer runway.

It would be interesting sometime to talk to an HNL ATC controller.

slippahs

FWIW, it seems that the trade wind landings are back. Haven't seen a Kona wind landing all day.

But that means that our weather is better! ^

bocastephen

I will probably get a wrist slap for this somewhat-semi-cross-post, but could anyone post their mainland->HNL arrival pattern experience for the past few days?

Trades are blowing, so that *should* result in an approach across the island then a turn for final giving the left-side a good view - but I know there are rare circumstances when an approach along the Waikiki coast occurs, even during trades.

The wind forecast is pretty much unchanged through most of this week, so I assume the approach pattern should be fairly predictable and match the experience of the past few days....at least it would provide a basis for an educated guess.

FlyinHawaiian

Flew into HNL on Friday 2/1 at about 12 noon, local time. Also in the pattern was a C-17, some AQ and HA inter-island flights, and heavy HA, AC, and NW. ATAC was using the MAGGI THREE arrival pattern and then assigning either 8L or 4R for the landing runways. Landing on 4R on a 777 is something else. Most of the other heavies were landing on 8L, which does give view of Pearl Harbor from the left side.

AZ Travels the World

I just spent a week in Waikiki, with a nice view of the take-off and landing patern at HNL. Everything I saw was exactly as you've described it, providing a nice view of Waikiki from the right side on the way in, then a Pearl Harbor view for those on the left after the turn to land.

bocastephen

Thank you...so because this is a nighttime arrival, it sounds like they should sit on the right side to see the Waikiki lights on approach (they won't see the detail of PH at night)...or, would they see the lights of Waikiki from the left side if the approach cuts across O'ahu from north to south?

ahhhh...so confusing

kaukau

Bingo!

From the mainland with trades:

Right side on initial; left side on final.

bocastephen

So on an evening arrival, would it be better to focus on the right side for the Waikiki and city lights, or would there still be a lot to see on the left side during final?

kaukau

Hi bocastephen!

At night, from the right side, you get a killer view of the Kailua/Kaneohe lights getting brighter as you approach O'ahu from about 50 miles out, then a stunning aerial view of the East side of O'ahu as you pass over the Ko'olaus and Hawaii Kai, and then great views of the lights of Waikiki receeding and then closing again after the turn until they dissapear at the last few moments of final, when the lights of Pearl Harbor and the Ewa Plain and the Leeward Shore come into view on the left side; so I say..........right side!

But we want you to visit enough so it becomes a toss-up!

Have a great trip! ^ ^

bocastephen

Mahalo! It isn't for me, but a friend visiting for the first time, and I have control over their res in my CO profile so I keep bumping them between A and L...your post sounds like the final word on an evening arrival, so L they will remain

I always arrive around noon when I'm on the Islands, so I prefer the left side view for both mainland arrivals and HA inter-island departures.

This will be an interesting trip as they plan to camp while on Kaua'i, Maui and the Big Island and do a hostel in Waikiki.

kaukau

Aw shucks!

You're welcome!

Yeah, well, for several years now, we've been arriving at least once a month at HNL in the pre-dawn darkness on the HA 17 "Midnight Madness" red-eye: so happy to help!

Hope your friends have a GREAT trip; let us know anything else we might do!

Aloha kakou!

bocastephen

Mahalo! It isn't for me, but a friend visiting for the first time, and I have control over their res in my CO profile so I keep bumping them between A and L...your post sounds like the final word on an evening arrival, so L they will remain

I always arrive around noon when I'm on the Islands, so I prefer the left side view for both mainland arrivals and HA inter-island departures.

This will be an interesting trip as they plan to camp while on Kaua'i, Maui and the Big Island and do a hostel in Waikiki.

cblaisd

I too with agree with the above, but one interesting thing to point out is that if you're flying to the mainland and sitting on the right side, while you don't get the departing views of downtown-Waikiki-Diamond Head-Hawai`i Kai, after you make the turn northwest you do have a nice view of the "back" side of Moloka`i and the Kalaupapa peninsula in the middle-distance. Imagine being exiled for life there....

slippahs

Still regular trade wind take off patterns as of right now, so right side it is. I believe it's all trade winds scheduled for the next few days. So long as that keeps up, there should be no Kona wind arrivals.