1st time going to HNL - which product is best, CO or UA?
 

Hi,

A little help needed - I'm planning a 1-way award in C from TLV to HNL.

Ideally, if all the options were open to you - what product would you choose? And generally, who is better to HNL - CO or UA?

I'll emphasize that actually i don't mind connections at all (if i have to go EWR - LAX - HNL or more complictaed even). I just want to fly the best planes:)

And also - is there Direct TV on flights to Hawaii?...........

Thanks for you'r help guys!

Not sure about TLV, but I prefer direct flights from EWR-HNL (CO) as it slightly shorter and the planes seem newer. There are DirecTV on non-direct flights (none on direct flights) but the feed gets cut when you are more than 200 miles away from the mainland anyway. I was watching college football and was sorely disappointed/confused when the feed was cut.

UA does have nice friendly FAs for its SFO/LAX-HNL (from my experience) and a pretty cool game (with a dinky prize) that everyone gets to play in. E+ seats are nice as well. The plane is pretty old though.

YMMV though.

CO's BusinessFirst-equipped 767-400s offer the best product to Hawaii in the UA/CO combined fleet. You'll find them on EWR-HNL and IAH-HNL. No DirecTV, however. If you want DirecTV, most CO 737 transcons and midcons will across the lower 48 will offer it, but you'll be sitting in a regular domestic first class seat.

OK...did'nt know that there were BizFirst planes flying to HNL.

Is it just the matter of the seats, or is there BizFirst service also on these flights?

And is there VOD on these flights...?

They're are, but they don't feature lie-flat seats. These are the seats. Non-lie-flat though they are, they beat the pants off of UA and CO's other offerings to Hawaii.

It's a BusinessFirst service.

Nope. Looped video, unfortunately. Bring your own entertainment. And an Empower adapter if you don't have a robust laptop battery.

Definitely CO BizFirst EWR-HNL, or AA Lie Flat seats DFW-HNL on 763 I believe.

Neither - I would go probably go with AC from YVR - flat seats, AVOD :)

Its not a full Business First service, its sort of a halfway. Definitely a BF seat. That said, UA's food in F on the Mainland-HNL flights is really good (usually an option for a macadamia nut encrusted chicken that is excellent). You are not going to get a lie-flat option with UA, though.

That is a consideration as well. AC is really nice, except for their generally poor wine.

Under the circumstances, you can fly CO n/s TLV-EWR and then n/s on the aforementioned BF EWR-HNL non-stop. I have no idea what the connections look like.

I've done it on UA + LH from Maui, via SFO and FRA, and I programmed in overnights everywhere and I specifically wanted to overnight in FRA in order to use the LH FCT there. It took me forever to get there and back, but I guess it was more about the journey on that trip. :)

If you do it on UA and a partner, and say a connection in FRA and SFO, it's not a bad way to go either. SFO-HNL has the nicest of the UA domestic equipment, the 772, assuming you pick one of those flights. But the BF experience will certainly be better, but it's a really, really long flight from EWR-HNL. West Coast to Hawaii is more like 5+ hours going to Hawaii, and less than 5 hours returning.

-David

Also on DEN-HNL starting this fall and 6x weekly (x2) on the SFO-HNL route though that one is just the seat, not the "enhanced" service.

As for the macadamia-encrusted chicken, I've had it and the sickeningly sweet mai tais and I don't think they're worth going out of your way for. To the point that I gave up my last UA F seat on a 763 to HNL so a couple could sit together and slept on the flight instead. Maybe it is just me, but at the end of the day it is all airplane food. None of it is all that great.

Hey, don't knock the mac nut chicken, it was very good, but sadly, it was gone on the last few flights I've taken. The replacements were pretty good though. I had some sort of Sea Bass in a white sauce on my last trip that was pretty good.

I've found that the food on the Hawaii dinner flights (for me that means one of the UA afternoon flights from OGG to the mainland) is very good. Much better than your typical airline food.

-David

I recall a while back when you thought some people were nuts when they declined upgrades on the 763 domestic F.

The other tough one in the UA system is 757 bulkhead right side. I remember a LAX-LIH flight a couple years ago (pre-UDU) when the GA had trouble op-upping people -- a couple people had refused and she had to keep going down the list. ;)

Going TLV-IST-NRT-HNL is about 500 miles shorter, and you get to fly on TK which, IMO, has a better C product than CO/UA.

You could go a little further to VIE and fly VIE-NRT-HNL on OS (which has amazing food in C).

I love Hawaii, but I cringe at the thought of a C award that takes you 1/2 way around the world on UA/CO metal...gross! :)

Am i allowed to route this way?? Go TLV-VIE-NRT-HNL???? That could be amazing since i could squeeze in a night over in tokyo which I love!

Yes, you should be able to route via Asia, but I recommend connecting in Istanbul instead as it is shorter and you get to fly Turkish and its wonderful 777-300ER business class product- IMO way superior to Austrian.