Boston to Maui
 

OK, newbie here.. soo much info , not sure how to make my queries more focused for search results..
Bottom line.. May 2008 going boston to Maui.. first time ever to hawaii, many questions.. not sure where or how to ask, here goes:
1-booked hotel (Westin) already.. 35th aniv ;-) SUN-SUN reservation.
2-need to book Air fare now , i guess
3-like to take 10 days,(maybe 12) with a few days in front, or behind the MAUI Stay
4-whats the best method?? where does the jet lag hit me, or the time of day clock(lose hours, gain hours? where is it BEST to take the extra days? in the front? at the end? Shoud i look at red eye flights?
5-are the best Boston to Maui flights FARES(2nd leg) out of LA, SF ?? chicago?
so would it be best for me to fly logan to LA? logan to SF??
6-prefer to fly 1st class for the LONGEST leg... ex If flyng BOS to CHI, fly coach, but then 1st class from CHI to maui?
7-really want to use my AMEX points (i'm OK to use all of them) and maybe in combo with my FF points of Delta or AA.
8-Best deal for me to book via Amex traveL?
Thanks SO much in advance from all of you experts ;-)
CigarBoy

Welcome to FlyerTalk, CigarBoy.

You've asked a variety of questions covering a whole lot of issues and you might be best off breaking the questions up and asking them in the individual hotel, credit card and airline forums.

Each hotel and airline has it's own forum and quite often, by searching, you'll find that your questions have already been asked and answered previously.

Since most of your questions revolve around Hawaii, I'm going to switch this thread to that forum for now.

Good luck and enjoy your trip!

______________________

Cholula

CommunityBuzz! Co-Moderator

Welcome to FlyerTalk!^

You should definitely check out the stickies at the top of this forum, and use the search feature extensively. Many of your questions are likely covered there.

As far as jet lag:
I always tell visitors from the East Coast to plan the "early morning activities" for the first few days after they get to Hawaii. When their bodies have not yet adjusted to Hawaii time zone.

They'll be awake at 4 or 5AM local time anyway, so pile into the car and head to Hanauma Bay (Oahu) or the top of Haleakala (Maui) or start on the road to Hana (Maui again) or whatever (Island dependent, of course).

Aloha,
Ted

I would do CO BOS-EWR-HNL then interisland to OGG. CO has by far the best 1st class if you can swing it. Difficult to get award tickets. Schedule a LOT of time for your connection if you go via EWR.

Why do that when you can fly to Maui with only one connection?

We are from Boston and fly BOS-DFW-OGG or HNL. We only fly AA. We used to fly into LAX but they don't have any decent flights time wise anymore. I don't want to get into Maui at night. The DFW flight is really long, but we upgrade to F, so that tends to help. Please book ASAP, especially if you are trying to upgrade.

Feel free to PM me if you still don't have the answers you need. I'll be very glad to help you. I know it is so confusing, especially for your first trip. I have just completed my 16th trip in seven years last May and I am going back again in two months. I think I could be a tourist guide for heaven's sake.

Welcome to Flyertalk! And, welcome to the Islands as well. As I and others will tell you, you most certainly have found the right place to ask you questions.
Great! I've heard such great things about the Westin. I've personally never stayed there, but have been at the Westin Ka`anapali Villas and will be at the Sheraton Maui in the fall. Congrats on your 35th anniversary as well. ^
I would hold off on booking your airfare now unless the price is really what you want. Generally speaking, airline prices to/from the Islands are the cheapest roughly about 90-120 days out. There may also be a fare sale that'll cheapen the cost. But if you want security as to flights and dates and the pricing is decent (say $600), you may want to consider booking now.
Sounds good.
Personally, the best days to take them will be at the end, especially if you have red eyes scheduled on your return back to Beantown. Getting back to the right time zone can be pretty tough, especially if you have to work the day or the day after you return. The jet lag won't likely hit you on your arrival into Hawaii (although you might experience tiredness from the travel); it's generally only traveling East that one gets Jet lagged.
No right answer here.
Again, no right answer here. It all depends on what the airline is selling as cheaper. Sometimes the direct from ORD will be cheaper; other times it'll be cheaper from LAX/SFO.
I would fly First on the longest leg, which would be ORD to OGG.
Okay, but make sure you're getting a decent conversion rate: http://www.webflyer.com/programs/mileage_converter/
Best deal will be to look around. Amex Travel may not necessarily have the best rate. Try booking directly with the airline.

Good luck!

Try BOS-JHM as well. It's a heck of a lot closer to the Westin, and oddly, fares are sometimes lower than to ogg. I'm doing phl-jhm in a few weeks - was about $300 less than phl-ogg, and about $400 less than ewr-ogg.

Hi Boston to Maui,

My fiance and I recently visited Maui for 10 days, and booked through Orbitz.com. We got a smoking deal! We booked flight, hotel, and car rental together, and it cost us $2,200 total ($1,100 each). I bet you could find something on Orbitz for flight and car rental together. I don't know what days you booked at the hotel, but if possible, flying out on a Tuesday, and coming back on a Thursday are usually the cheapest days to travel. Also, I am assuming you'll have to stop on the west coast, I would try to find a flight that goes to Oakland, CA, and then to Hawaii. For some reason, the Oakland airport is cheaper than like the SF airport. We flew on ATA, which was cheap and reliable (the only drawback is that they do not serve any meals, but you can buy snacks on the plane, they are just a little pricey). I don't know how picky you are on flights, but it got us there. Anyway, I've used other websites, like Hotwire and Travelocity, but Orbitz has been the best, and I have never had any problems or disappointments.

Good luck!;)