Help with MSP-OGG
 

I am looking at MSP-OGG in Feb. 2007. I don't understand things with the time zone. When will I actually be back in Minneapolis? Tuesday AM?

Northwest Airlines 221

Booking Class: L / Economy
Ticket Designator:
Meal: Food for purchase
Equipment: 753
Meal: Food for purchase
Equipment: 753
Meal: none
Equipment: 753
Thu, Feb 8
2 stops 11:20am Depart Minneapolis/St. Paul (MSP)
8:21pm Arrive Kahului/Maui (OGG)

Approximate Distance: 1586 miles
Approximate Distance: 2396 miles
Approximate Distance: 101 miles


Northwest Airlines 94

Booking Class: L / Economy
Ticket Designator:
Meal: none
Equipment: 753
Meal: Food for purchase
Equipment: 753
Meal: Food for purchase
Equipment: 753
Mon, Feb 12
2 stops 8:45pm Depart Kahului/Maui (OGG)
11:49am Arrive Minneapolis/St. Paul (MSP)

Approximate Distance: 110 miles
Approximate Distance: 2707 miles
Approximate Distance: 1395 miles

[delete]

Also note that because of some strange WP rule you will only get 3918 miles and 1 segment as opposed to the 4587 and 3 segments you would get if you flew OGG-KOA-SEA-MSP on a trip with different flight numbers. :td:

What day are you departing Maui? If leaving the 12th, you'll arrive the 13th.

You will arrive into Minneapolis the following AM.

On your return you will first fly to Kona (KOA) to drop-off & pick-up pax, as well as re-fuel. Then it is a red-eye flight from Kona to Seattle. It'll be the next day by the time you land in Seattle and you then connect onward the same morning to Minneapolis.

Beware: While it is listed as one direct flight, I have seen them change equipment in Seattle -- usually because the APU is INOP on one of the 757-300s which is needed for ETOPS (overwater flight).

SDF_Traveler

This is a rule that's widely adopted by all airlines. It's the fine distinction between a "non-stop" and a "direct" flight. The MSP-SEA-OGG is a direct flight from MSP to OGG, hence earning you the miles as if you flew directly from MSP to OGG. Silly, I know, but this isn't a WorldPerks only rule.

FWIW, Hawaii as a state does not participate in Daylight Savings. Which means come the last Sunday in October, we will not "fall back" on our time. So in Feb 2007, we will be 4 hours behind MSP. We are currently 5 hours behind. This is very annoying when trying to book flights, as all the Hawaii-bound flights shift their times to compensate for Daylight savings, making some connections impossible.

And, don't get me started on having a choice of mostly red-eyes to get from Hawaii to the Midwest/East Coast. :p

Is the only option a red eye from OGG to MSP?

On NW Metal, yes. You might consider the DL option, going via SLC. This gets you in at 2:18, almost 4 hours earlier, and on equipment with power-ports in all classes for SLC-OGG.

I'm moving my OGG trips go to via SLC (from MKE) from here on out, as this routing is preferred and minimizes both connection times and stops...the mileage isn't as great, but the times and equipment are an improvement, IMHO.

Yikes. I'm not a big fan of DL's 764 Y seating. Unless you get an exit row (Row 33CDE/34AB) you're looking at one of the worst legroom on planes operated to/from Hawaii, even despite it being a widebody. See the Delta forum for more info.

However, to get to MSP from any point in Hawaii, you will have to take a red-eye... That's just life, unfortunately. :(

The exit row and forward Y cabin is tolerable. Power-ports, and the fact that it's a widebody contributes to the placebo of comfort.

On-topic, counting down to the 333 next year!

And because it's a "direct" flight you won't be eligible for elite upgrades on the segs between SEA and MSP.

My opinion is you might be better off to get flights from MSP to the west coast first, then fly to HNL, then fly the inter-islands. Mileage wise, upgrade wise, schedule wise, you might find it easier to work with.

But I do wonder why they set up the schedule this way, one stop over there then 2 stops on the way back? I know it's to do with the volume, still, very odd indeed.

What's wrong with taking the MSP-HNL nonstop (NW99), then upgrading with miles? Much better than toughing it out in FC for 12+ hours on a 757 in Y (or F!).

NW's taking advantage of the lucrative KOA market. It was only a few years back when KOA was only UA/AA... Not to mention with the booming hotel industry over there in KOA, why not make it a one stop to SEA and pick up additional pax in KOA?

The runway in OGG is relatively short. A 757-300 can easily land on it, but is load restricted on the OGG-SEA leg. Before they initiated the KOA stop, they were having to keep 40-50 seats empty.

The OGG-KOA leg exists purely to utilize the longer runway over at KOA, allowing a full load back up to SEA. Marketing wise it offers them the ability to sell KOA as an extra destination, but it is solely to fill up with a full bag of gas.

I'm often amused at the considerations that go into ticketing decisions with the crowd out there..... I don't want to fly on a redeye, I want to arrive the same day, schedule x fits my schedule but at the expense of legroom y, schedule z is convenient but I don't like connection q into equipment r...... :rolleyes:

I've been flying to Maui in Feb the last 10 years out of DLH-MSP-HNL non-stop upgrading with Miles @ $799. Always book first day available for sale/upgrade. 2007 price for non-stop - $2200. :mad: Now flying via west coast on 757. :td: