Jun 30, 2016, 1:45 pm
Last edit by: thejaredhuang
Best seat advice
See update in post 500
See update in post 690
Best seat on the Island Hopper .. {closed to new posts}
An Island Hopper [Micronesia] Definitive Guide on Where to Sit [UA B737] {this thread}
FAQs derived from findark's post (post #500)
What is the Island Hopper?
The Island Hopper is a United route between Honolulu and Guam, stopping at the islands of Majuro, Kwajaelin, Kosrae, Pohnpei, and Chuuk in between. The Island Hopper operates in both directions, and skips Pohnpei on certain days. You are allowed to get off the plane and "transit" at each stop except for Kwajaelin, which is a US Army base.
This route is similar to Alaska Airlines' "milk run" routes in rural Alaska. All of these routes serve as lifelines for the residents living in areas served by the routes, as the sole connection providing supplies and transportation to/from the rest of the world.
What is the Island Hopper schedule (as of 1/14/19)?
UA154 (the full Hopper) departs HNL Mon/Fri and flies HNL-MAJ-KWA-KSA-PNI-TKK-GUM.
The shorter UA154 flies from HNL on Wed and does HNL-MAJ-KWA-PNI-TKK-GUM (skips KSA).
UA132 departs Sun and flies HNL-MAJ-KSA-PNI-TKK-GUM (skips KWA).
UA193 (GUM-ROR-MNL)departs GUM on the evenings of Tue/Fri and flies GUM-ROR-MNL.
The Hopper arrives around 1800+1, so in order to do the entire flight without a stopover you would need to depart HNL on UA154 on Monday morning.
Should I experience the Hopper?
If you like hopping through short segments, with beautiful island views, as well as a constant parade of amazing cloudscape between islands, the Island Hopper may be for you!
Which direction (west or east) is better?
The prevailing wisdom here seems to be in favor of taking UA154 (HNL-GUM). findark did 155 from GUM to HNL, and I think there were some overlooked benefits. The eastbound Hopper has the advantage of doing all the fun stuff in the morning and afternoon when you're fresh and eager to enjoy. 14 hours onboard a 737 is a long time*, and doing it eastbound you can give in to the exhaustion and conk out for the final MAJ-HNL segment. Even the HNL arrival was actually not too bad - it's only 10:50pm Guam time, so if you head on to a hotel you're pretty much in line for a night's sleep.
The most notable downside of taking the Hopper eastbound is that you visit MAJ in darkness. We ran about 25m late the whole way, and it was full dark by the time we touched down in MAJ. Whichever way you go, don't do it on a Wednesday! Kosrae was my favorite island, and it would be a shame to miss it.
*And, I learned, while the flight mechanic hops off in MAJ and the pilots get to work in shifts, the cabin crew are on duty for the whole 14 hours. They were understandably a bit burnt out by the middle of MAJ-HNL, but were simply outstanding nonetheless - greeting kids and handing out wings as they boarded in MAJ.
What's with the plane configuration?
The Hopper is currently flown by a GUM subfleet 737-800 (currently Version 4 on the United website - Row 1 is set back several inches which yields fewer E+ seats). The seatmap is loaded as the "Asia local" 737 map, which looks roughly like a 737-700. Like with other "generic" maps, it will update to the full seatmap about 4 days before departure, when the additional rows will appear.
1AB are blocked for the augmented flight crew, who change places with the pilots in the cockpit at MAJ. 2AB are also blocked because the crew rest seats at 1AB will recline until almost touching row 2, and it is usually used for crew storage.
Where should I sit?
The key here is understanding approach and wind patterns, along with each airport's runway configuration. The following stops and runways are on the north side of their respective islands:
TKK (4/22), PNI (9/27), KSA (5/23)
The following stops have runways on the south side of their atolls:
KWA (6/24), MAJ (7/25)
The prevailing winds at this latitude blow from the east, so a typical landing goes from west to east (into the wind). Therefore, in order to have best views on final approach and initial takeoff, you want to be on the starboard (right, F) side for TKK, PNI, and KSA, and on the port (left, A) side for KWA and MAJ. If you are flying westbound, or you land backwards at any stop on the eastbound flight, then the flight may need to position into the approach, usually by overflying the island at higher altitude out to sea. In this case, both sides of the aircraft will get views, although the closer views belong to the "correct" side. In my case, we landed "backwards" on 22 at TKK, and used the regular 9, 5, 6, and 7 at the other stops.
You should absolutely have a window seat - why else are you here?! The best seats are therefore any window in the Business cabin (note that 1A and 2A are blocked), 7AF and 8AF in Economy Plus (10AF has a misaligned window but is okay, the missing window will kill you in 11 and then the wing really starts intruding), and anything nice and far behind the wing in Economy. In this vein, I declined an upgrade on GUM-TKK since only 2E was left, and we flew in 4A/7F, 2F/4A, 2F/3F, 3A/4A, 3A/4A, 2F/7F.
What can I do at the stops?
The best thing to do is get off the plane! You can take tarmac photos and get amazing close-ups of the plane. You will then be shepherded into the gate area, where there are restrooms (some lacking soap and/or towels) and often locals selling souvenirs and snacks. On our trip, the most substantial souvenirs were available at MAJ. If the flight is running late they will make an announcement requesting transfer pax to stay on the plane; however, as obviously savvy travelers who were along for the whole ride and could get on/off quickly with no bags to stow, we got absolutely no pushback from the purser whenever we went outside anyway.
If you do disembark, you are required to take all carry-on baggage with you. They conduct a security sweep onboard the aircraft and will remove unclaimed bags. As is mentioned many times in this thread, KWA is the exception - as it's a US Army base you cannot get off unless ticketed to there. On our flight, we were requested not to take photographs but were allowed to look out the window. I didn't see anything terribly interesting.
You can also use WiFi in the terminal/transit area when you disembark and at some stops you can get your passport stamped. MAJ, PNI, and KSA have confirmed free WiFi. Passport stamps have been confirmed at PNI, KSA, TKK without "exiting" just ask security about getting a stamp at these 3 airports and they should be able to accommodate you.
Should I check my bags?
Yes. As annoying as it was to wait ~10 minutes for our bags in HNL, it was a lot less annoying than having to haul them around each stop, and find bin space again once on board.
What is the food situation?
Going east is a slightly different meal schedule than west. GUM-TKK and KSA-KWA are coded Snack, and MAJ-HNL is Dinner. The first and last meals are reasonably substantial in J (think like a Breakfast and Dinner code) and somewhat small in Y (somewhat less than a meal in int'l Y - was six pieces of fruit and a muffin in the morning, followed by a turkey sandwich for dinner). The middle snack was just a pass of the snack basket up front; neither of us sat in Y that segment but I would guess they just offered almonds. Additionally, every segment they were offering J pax some packaged almonds.
My general verdict is if going the distance in Y, pack some snacks or buy them at the stops along the way. If you're in J then there's enough food for 14 hours of sitting.
And how about IFE?
Look outside! That's actually about all the IFE there is. The GUM fleet has no WiFi and only DirecTV. Note that DirecTV does not work outside of CONUS, so really it just has the 8-10 looping movies of DirecTV (slightly different movie set for an Asian audience). The movie loop resets at each stop, so unless you want to watch the first 1h30 of a movie six times, there's not much use to the IFE. It is at least free in Y. I brought a book and read it for the middle 20 minutes of each segment and until I fell sleep on MAJ-HNL.
Can I get an upgrade on the Hopper?
Empirically, yes! We were offered upgrades of 11/12 eligible segments; I declined a GUM-TKK upgrade to keep my window, and my companion's MAJ-HNL upgrade was eaten by UA IT (agent in MAJ apologized profusely but understandably wasn't going to remove the already-handed-out upgrades to the next 2 pax on the list).
In order to have any shot, however, you need to be able to split the direct flight into six segments. This generally cannot be done on a mileage ticket or a paid through fare, and would need to be done via multi-city ticketing if visiting an island. In my case, I spent a very long time getting an extremely wonderful pmCO agent who was able to hack my ticket together with 9 connections on the way home. As this is also the only way to choose different views for the different approach directions, I recommend asking for this rather than for upgrades. It causes quite the headache for UA systems, but in the end I felt like it was a huge benefit to fly pretty much all of it in J. Absolutely something I credit to the value of being 1K: I was able to ring the 1K desk many times to get agents to deal with the various hiccups that came along with a PNR that had eight tickets and at one point 36 segments attached to it.
The first five Hopper segments (going east) are CPU eligible; MAJ/HNL requires a GPU. We had GPUs on our reservation and did a mixture of advance clearing and clearing at the gates in the islands (where amazingly enough they had the new J BPs waiting!).
Where to stay and what to do in GUM and HNL?
I think this depends on lot on which way you're going. Flying east, we arrived in GUM around 11pm (maximizing time in Tokyo, but not crazy enough for the 2am arrival), and spent the night at the Days Inn Tamuning. It was at the very bottom of my quality standards, but quite affordable and with 9h45 of total ground time all in the dark I did not want to pay double for a beachfront property I would never enjoy.
In HNL, I took up the excellent recommendation in this thread of the Best Western Plaza Honolulu. It was the cheapest of the few airport hotels in HNL. Having cleared customs by 3:45 (we arrived late), it was off to bed quickly. The arrival is only ~11pm Guam time, so I highly recommend going straight to a bed on arrival in HNL. Afterwards, we took advantage of the 24h connect rule to spend the whole day in HNL before continuing on home to SFO. We were pretty exhausted after another redeye home, but the beach time in Hawaii was well worth it, especially after being taunted by all the beautiful mid-Pacific islands.
Big Metal Bird Episode 8: Island Hopper - 2018
See update in post 500
See update in post 690
Best seat on the Island Hopper .. {closed to new posts}
An Island Hopper [Micronesia] Definitive Guide on Where to Sit [UA B737] {this thread}
FAQs derived from findark's post (post #500)
What is the Island Hopper?
The Island Hopper is a United route between Honolulu and Guam, stopping at the islands of Majuro, Kwajaelin, Kosrae, Pohnpei, and Chuuk in between. The Island Hopper operates in both directions, and skips Pohnpei on certain days. You are allowed to get off the plane and "transit" at each stop except for Kwajaelin, which is a US Army base.
This route is similar to Alaska Airlines' "milk run" routes in rural Alaska. All of these routes serve as lifelines for the residents living in areas served by the routes, as the sole connection providing supplies and transportation to/from the rest of the world.
What is the Island Hopper schedule (as of 1/14/19)?
UA154 (the full Hopper) departs HNL Mon/Fri and flies HNL-MAJ-KWA-KSA-PNI-TKK-GUM.
The shorter UA154 flies from HNL on Wed and does HNL-MAJ-KWA-PNI-TKK-GUM (skips KSA).
UA132 departs Sun and flies HNL-MAJ-KSA-PNI-TKK-GUM (skips KWA).
UA193 (GUM-ROR-MNL)departs GUM on the evenings of Tue/Fri and flies GUM-ROR-MNL.
The Hopper arrives around 1800+1, so in order to do the entire flight without a stopover you would need to depart HNL on UA154 on Monday morning.
Should I experience the Hopper?
If you like hopping through short segments, with beautiful island views, as well as a constant parade of amazing cloudscape between islands, the Island Hopper may be for you!
Which direction (west or east) is better?
The prevailing wisdom here seems to be in favor of taking UA154 (HNL-GUM). findark did 155 from GUM to HNL, and I think there were some overlooked benefits. The eastbound Hopper has the advantage of doing all the fun stuff in the morning and afternoon when you're fresh and eager to enjoy. 14 hours onboard a 737 is a long time*, and doing it eastbound you can give in to the exhaustion and conk out for the final MAJ-HNL segment. Even the HNL arrival was actually not too bad - it's only 10:50pm Guam time, so if you head on to a hotel you're pretty much in line for a night's sleep.
The most notable downside of taking the Hopper eastbound is that you visit MAJ in darkness. We ran about 25m late the whole way, and it was full dark by the time we touched down in MAJ. Whichever way you go, don't do it on a Wednesday! Kosrae was my favorite island, and it would be a shame to miss it.
*And, I learned, while the flight mechanic hops off in MAJ and the pilots get to work in shifts, the cabin crew are on duty for the whole 14 hours. They were understandably a bit burnt out by the middle of MAJ-HNL, but were simply outstanding nonetheless - greeting kids and handing out wings as they boarded in MAJ.
What's with the plane configuration?
The Hopper is currently flown by a GUM subfleet 737-800 (currently Version 4 on the United website - Row 1 is set back several inches which yields fewer E+ seats). The seatmap is loaded as the "Asia local" 737 map, which looks roughly like a 737-700. Like with other "generic" maps, it will update to the full seatmap about 4 days before departure, when the additional rows will appear.
1AB are blocked for the augmented flight crew, who change places with the pilots in the cockpit at MAJ. 2AB are also blocked because the crew rest seats at 1AB will recline until almost touching row 2, and it is usually used for crew storage.
Where should I sit?
The key here is understanding approach and wind patterns, along with each airport's runway configuration. The following stops and runways are on the north side of their respective islands:
TKK (4/22), PNI (9/27), KSA (5/23)
The following stops have runways on the south side of their atolls:
KWA (6/24), MAJ (7/25)
The prevailing winds at this latitude blow from the east, so a typical landing goes from west to east (into the wind). Therefore, in order to have best views on final approach and initial takeoff, you want to be on the starboard (right, F) side for TKK, PNI, and KSA, and on the port (left, A) side for KWA and MAJ. If you are flying westbound, or you land backwards at any stop on the eastbound flight, then the flight may need to position into the approach, usually by overflying the island at higher altitude out to sea. In this case, both sides of the aircraft will get views, although the closer views belong to the "correct" side. In my case, we landed "backwards" on 22 at TKK, and used the regular 9, 5, 6, and 7 at the other stops.
You should absolutely have a window seat - why else are you here?! The best seats are therefore any window in the Business cabin (note that 1A and 2A are blocked), 7AF and 8AF in Economy Plus (10AF has a misaligned window but is okay, the missing window will kill you in 11 and then the wing really starts intruding), and anything nice and far behind the wing in Economy. In this vein, I declined an upgrade on GUM-TKK since only 2E was left, and we flew in 4A/7F, 2F/4A, 2F/3F, 3A/4A, 3A/4A, 2F/7F.
What can I do at the stops?
The best thing to do is get off the plane! You can take tarmac photos and get amazing close-ups of the plane. You will then be shepherded into the gate area, where there are restrooms (some lacking soap and/or towels) and often locals selling souvenirs and snacks. On our trip, the most substantial souvenirs were available at MAJ. If the flight is running late they will make an announcement requesting transfer pax to stay on the plane; however, as obviously savvy travelers who were along for the whole ride and could get on/off quickly with no bags to stow, we got absolutely no pushback from the purser whenever we went outside anyway.
If you do disembark, you are required to take all carry-on baggage with you. They conduct a security sweep onboard the aircraft and will remove unclaimed bags. As is mentioned many times in this thread, KWA is the exception - as it's a US Army base you cannot get off unless ticketed to there. On our flight, we were requested not to take photographs but were allowed to look out the window. I didn't see anything terribly interesting.
You can also use WiFi in the terminal/transit area when you disembark and at some stops you can get your passport stamped. MAJ, PNI, and KSA have confirmed free WiFi. Passport stamps have been confirmed at PNI, KSA, TKK without "exiting" just ask security about getting a stamp at these 3 airports and they should be able to accommodate you.
Should I check my bags?
Yes. As annoying as it was to wait ~10 minutes for our bags in HNL, it was a lot less annoying than having to haul them around each stop, and find bin space again once on board.
What is the food situation?
Going east is a slightly different meal schedule than west. GUM-TKK and KSA-KWA are coded Snack, and MAJ-HNL is Dinner. The first and last meals are reasonably substantial in J (think like a Breakfast and Dinner code) and somewhat small in Y (somewhat less than a meal in int'l Y - was six pieces of fruit and a muffin in the morning, followed by a turkey sandwich for dinner). The middle snack was just a pass of the snack basket up front; neither of us sat in Y that segment but I would guess they just offered almonds. Additionally, every segment they were offering J pax some packaged almonds.
My general verdict is if going the distance in Y, pack some snacks or buy them at the stops along the way. If you're in J then there's enough food for 14 hours of sitting.
And how about IFE?
Look outside! That's actually about all the IFE there is. The GUM fleet has no WiFi and only DirecTV. Note that DirecTV does not work outside of CONUS, so really it just has the 8-10 looping movies of DirecTV (slightly different movie set for an Asian audience). The movie loop resets at each stop, so unless you want to watch the first 1h30 of a movie six times, there's not much use to the IFE. It is at least free in Y. I brought a book and read it for the middle 20 minutes of each segment and until I fell sleep on MAJ-HNL.
Can I get an upgrade on the Hopper?
Empirically, yes! We were offered upgrades of 11/12 eligible segments; I declined a GUM-TKK upgrade to keep my window, and my companion's MAJ-HNL upgrade was eaten by UA IT (agent in MAJ apologized profusely but understandably wasn't going to remove the already-handed-out upgrades to the next 2 pax on the list).
In order to have any shot, however, you need to be able to split the direct flight into six segments. This generally cannot be done on a mileage ticket or a paid through fare, and would need to be done via multi-city ticketing if visiting an island. In my case, I spent a very long time getting an extremely wonderful pmCO agent who was able to hack my ticket together with 9 connections on the way home. As this is also the only way to choose different views for the different approach directions, I recommend asking for this rather than for upgrades. It causes quite the headache for UA systems, but in the end I felt like it was a huge benefit to fly pretty much all of it in J. Absolutely something I credit to the value of being 1K: I was able to ring the 1K desk many times to get agents to deal with the various hiccups that came along with a PNR that had eight tickets and at one point 36 segments attached to it.
The first five Hopper segments (going east) are CPU eligible; MAJ/HNL requires a GPU. We had GPUs on our reservation and did a mixture of advance clearing and clearing at the gates in the islands (where amazingly enough they had the new J BPs waiting!).
Where to stay and what to do in GUM and HNL?
I think this depends on lot on which way you're going. Flying east, we arrived in GUM around 11pm (maximizing time in Tokyo, but not crazy enough for the 2am arrival), and spent the night at the Days Inn Tamuning. It was at the very bottom of my quality standards, but quite affordable and with 9h45 of total ground time all in the dark I did not want to pay double for a beachfront property I would never enjoy.
In HNL, I took up the excellent recommendation in this thread of the Best Western Plaza Honolulu. It was the cheapest of the few airport hotels in HNL. Having cleared customs by 3:45 (we arrived late), it was off to bed quickly. The arrival is only ~11pm Guam time, so I highly recommend going straight to a bed on arrival in HNL. Afterwards, we took advantage of the 24h connect rule to spend the whole day in HNL before continuing on home to SFO. We were pretty exhausted after another redeye home, but the beach time in Hawaii was well worth it, especially after being taunted by all the beautiful mid-Pacific islands.
Big Metal Bird Episode 8: Island Hopper - 2018
They just did a video in the Micronesia island hopper flight which is pretty interesting
https://youtu.be/TPueM5OF1Wc
https://youtu.be/TPueM5OF1Wc
UA's Micronesia Island Hopper - consolidated questions, advice, ....
Apr 30, 2024, 7:50 am
#1366
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: MSP
Programs: DL PM, UA Gold, WN, Global Entry; +others wherever miles/points are found
Posts: 14,551
Without looking into details, the cheapest solution is usually a single fare component between the US mainland and Asia which permits routing via HNL and GUM. Permitting the Hopper on such fares is somewhat of an unintended consequence, whereas any fare component to/from GUM will have fortress hub pricing.
May 6, 2024, 2:28 pm
#1367
Join Date: May 2024
Posts: 1
Does anyone know if a measles vaccine record is currently requied for adults under 62 stopping at MAJ?
I've found a lot of conflicting information. My ticket confirmation email from United says it is required for adults 62 and under, but United's travel ready doesn't mention it.
I've found a lot of conflicting information. My ticket confirmation email from United says it is required for adults 62 and under, but United's travel ready doesn't mention it.
May 6, 2024, 7:28 pm
#1368
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Germany
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 432
May 7, 2024, 7:40 am
#1369
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Golden, CO USA
Programs: UA 1K 2MM, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 771
I flew in for a 1 day stay in March with 3 others. We we all carry Yellow Cards in our Passports. While I am over 62, the others in our party were not. None of us were checked. Might be worth a call to the RMI embassy in Washington DC or the colsulate in Honolulu.
DEN
DEN
Last edited by DEN; May 7, 2024 at 7:49 am
May 12, 2024, 8:31 am
#1370
Join Date: Dec 2019
Location: SAN, LGA
Programs: AA EXP, Bonvoy Ambassador Elite
Posts: 23
How did the FAs know which pax were through pax? Was it an honor system to stay on the plane?
May 12, 2024, 8:59 am
#1371
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: MSP
Programs: DL PM, UA Gold, WN, Global Entry; +others wherever miles/points are found
Posts: 14,551
I would also ask whether they are trying to enforce it. When I flew the Hopper there was an announcement for through pax to stay on the plane, but we got off anyway. The FA didn't seem to mind - we had no bags and could get on and off quickly. Would be different if everyone and their carryons tried to deplane.
May 12, 2024, 9:26 am
#1372
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: New Jersey
Programs: UA MM 1K, AA MM Gold, Marriott LT Platinum
Posts: 3,243
It's been a few years, but when I took this flight, they told anyone deplaning then returning that they needed to take their carry-on, as agents would sometimes do a baggage-match to ensure each carry-on bag belonged to someone then on the plane. I was in F, and the FA said she would watch my bag for me, so I was able to deplane without it everywhere except KWA. Not sure if that procedure still exists.
May 12, 2024, 8:45 pm
#1373
Join Date: Dec 2022
Programs: UA1K
Posts: 484
I recently flew the Island Hopper going from HNL to GUM and had an almost identical experience as the previous poster's trip report, with a late start from HNL and further delays at KWA that meant we weren't able to make up any time. They asked all transit passengers to stay onboard during all the layovers, starting from MAJ. It didn't really seem like they had a way of enforcing it, and the HNL purser said I could get off at MAJ if I really wanted to, since I had told her I was flying for the experience. However, from MAJ to GUM, the GUM-based purser asked everyone in F where they were getting off, so it would have been awkward to completely disregard his instructions (unless you have no shame 
). You do have to bring everything off the plane, as others have mentioned because of the security sweep at each stop. They did let us step out of the plane onto the jet bridge, which was nice to stretch the legs and breathe some fresh air
Also I'm amazed that you (JAXPax ) were able to find someone to split the segments. I must have HUCA'd 30+ times and no one was either willing or able to do it
). You do have to bring everything off the plane, as others have mentioned because of the security sweep at each stop. They did let us step out of the plane onto the jet bridge, which was nice to stretch the legs and breathe some fresh airAlso I'm amazed that you (JAXPax ) were able to find someone to split the segments. I must have HUCA'd 30+ times and no one was either willing or able to do it
May 12, 2024, 9:01 pm
#1374
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: KUSA
Programs: Whatever AMEX Plat comes with... I buy on price.. Spirit Big Front Seat, want First/buy First
Posts: 1,525
I recently flew the Island Hopper going from HNL to GUM and had an almost identical experience as the previous poster's trip report, with a late start from HNL and further delays at KWA that meant we weren't able to make up any time. They asked all transit passengers to stay onboard during all the layovers, starting from MAJ. It didn't really seem like they had a way of enforcing it, and the HNL purser said I could get off at MAJ if I really wanted to, since I had told her I was flying for the experience. However, from MAJ to GUM, the GUM-based purser asked everyone in F where they were getting off, so it would have been awkward to completely disregard his instructions (unless you have no shame ). You do have to bring everything off the plane, as others have mentioned because of the security sweep at each stop. They did let us step out of the plane onto the jet bridge, which was nice to stretch the legs and breathe some fresh air
Also I'm amazed that you (JAXPax ) were able to find someone to split the segments. I must have HUCA'd 30+ times and no one was either willing or able to do it
). You do have to bring everything off the plane, as others have mentioned because of the security sweep at each stop. They did let us step out of the plane onto the jet bridge, which was nice to stretch the legs and breathe some fresh airAlso I'm amazed that you (JAXPax ) were able to find someone to split the segments. I must have HUCA'd 30+ times and no one was either willing or able to do it
I should add on my Island Hopper that in addition to the purser discouraging getting off, at Kosrae the agent specifically said that no transit passengers would be allowed into the waiting area so stay on the plane, and at Pohnpei an agent who came on was very insistent there was not time because boarding would be near immediate (started finally 20 minutes later). She did have time to bring her child on board early though who was non-revving and take photos on the plane and in the cockpit, then help with the security search. The former airline station manager in me cringes at the lack of ability to make up time (we used to turn an international flight with 220 off and 220 on with clean and security search in 60 minutes) but had to remind myself I was on vacation and had nowhere to be at GUM but a hotel.
May 13, 2024, 4:17 am
#1375
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: OTP/KRK
Programs: M&M FTL, Miles+Bonus Gold
Posts: 665
Hi everyone.
I booked the island hopper as an award ticket and I am wondering if possible to OLCI for non-US citizens for UA154? I am asking as I will fly from RAR to HNL, landing there at 05:50AM and the UA154 leaves at 07:10AM and I don't think I will have time to visit the check-in desk landside if required - *I will be without a checked bag.
I know my plan is risky, but I will cancel the ticket if anything goes wrong with my HNL inbound flight.
thank you.
I booked the island hopper as an award ticket and I am wondering if possible to OLCI for non-US citizens for UA154? I am asking as I will fly from RAR to HNL, landing there at 05:50AM and the UA154 leaves at 07:10AM and I don't think I will have time to visit the check-in desk landside if required - *I will be without a checked bag.
I know my plan is risky, but I will cancel the ticket if anything goes wrong with my HNL inbound flight.
thank you.
If the app will load the passport information, and any necessary visa information, then you should be able to do OLCI as a non-US citizen. There are, however, mixed reports of how well this works.
That said, your plan is outrageously ambitious to the point of not being practical. Because you will be entering the United States, you will have to go through US Immigration and Customs at HNL. You’ll then be landside, and you’ll need to go through security (not sure if they do the agricultural inspection for UA154, but I’m guessing not) and then haul tail across the airport to the UA gates. Even without a checked bag, I don’t see how you make it, particularly if UA were to decide to enforce the contract of carriage provisions for international flights, which would mean check-in closes 60 minutes prior to departure and you have to be present in the boarding area 30 minutes prior to departure.
The official minimum connection time for your itinerary is 2 hours, so you’re coming in 40 minutes under that.
My advice would be to spend a couple of days enjoying Hawaii rather than racing from a nasty red-eye flight to maybe board an AVGeek type of flight. You won’t want to go to all of this trouble just to sleep through the Hopper — even assuming you get on.
That said, your plan is outrageously ambitious to the point of not being practical. Because you will be entering the United States, you will have to go through US Immigration and Customs at HNL. You’ll then be landside, and you’ll need to go through security (not sure if they do the agricultural inspection for UA154, but I’m guessing not) and then haul tail across the airport to the UA gates. Even without a checked bag, I don’t see how you make it, particularly if UA were to decide to enforce the contract of carriage provisions for international flights, which would mean check-in closes 60 minutes prior to departure and you have to be present in the boarding area 30 minutes prior to departure.
The official minimum connection time for your itinerary is 2 hours, so you’re coming in 40 minutes under that.
My advice would be to spend a couple of days enjoying Hawaii rather than racing from a nasty red-eye flight to maybe board an AVGeek type of flight. You won’t want to go to all of this trouble just to sleep through the Hopper — even assuming you get on.
There are no scheduled international arrivals between 2:10 AM and 5:50 AM. It wouldn't surprise me if CBP closed, and getting there 20-30 minutes early just means sitting on the ground for 20-30 minutes before they open the door. I'd ask someone who's taken that flight for their feedback.
I had my awesome Island Hopper flight and here is some info regarding my crazy trip ("connecting" in from RAR).
Luckily, my Hawaiian flight from RAR was +30min earlier and the nice crew moved me to the first row from Y so I could exit the aircraft quicker. It helped and I got to the immigration in about 2min. The immigration was open at that time and they processed at three desks the last pax of the Island Hopper flight (GUM-HNL route) when I arrived there (UA153 arrived @ HNL that night with +1,5h delay).
I passed through immigration very quickly and ran to the check-in desk, as I could not OLCI (I guess due to missing one of the first names from the reservation). The check-in kiosk didn't work either and I had to wait about 20min in line. Luckily, the check-in was not closed and they still checked in pax for Island Hopper well beyond the T-90 deadline.
The check-in agent had some calls to a back-office because she tried to link my UA154 to UA200 as transit in GUM (12h layover). She didn't tell me what was wrong but then I heard her talking about transit in GUM. I told her that technically GUM is my destination and I gave her the hotel reservation and everything was sorted out very quick.
The TSA security check line was looong, but after about 25min I passed it and headed to a shop to buy some food and drinks. When I got to the gate, the boarding was already in progress.
The flight was pretty busy, estimation of 85% LF, and the crew was really cool. I was very tired after my RAR-HNL flight so I decided not to leave the aircraft during the stops (maybe everybody did the same) and chatted with the crew.
We had a go-around at TKK due to wx, and overall, it was a great experience.
May 13, 2024, 4:37 pm
#1376
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: PHL, NYC, DC
Posts: 9,710
honor system early March, though they are renovating TKK and theres no place to hang around. I was escorted to the departure building, but they were nice enough to get me a souvenir stamp!
May 24, 2024, 10:15 am
#1378
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 1,334
Historically speaking, how would the TPAC airfare via this route compare to a normal TPAC itinerary price in J?
One problem I have encountered is that I can only book LAX-SFO/SEA/YVR-TYO on the outbound when I combined with the multi-stop hopper via my bank's reward travel OTA. However, I can get a direct LAX-TYO flight if I book the abbreviated MNL-GUM-HNL return. I have not been able to get the multi-stop hopper to show up at all as an option for MNL-LAX on the UA website. Are there any tips for forcing this trip on UA's website without a steep price hike that appears when all segments are manually entered?
I've been roped into going LAX-MNL over X-mas (a time I am loathe to travel). As expected, even Y TPAC airfare is astronomical for "the most wonderful time of the year" ($2k+; PE for $3.5K+), so the cheapest J is a relative bargain at $4.5k+. However, this is about 50% more than I have ever paid for a flight, and certainly more than I ever wanted to pay. I spent all of last year waiting for the airfare for my Thanksgiving JP trip to go down (it never did), so I am not getting my hopes up for this one, either. It feels completely insane to pay this much for TPAC in a 738 recliner seat, but doing this route in Y seems even more painful and any other routing would be the same or more expensive. I would mine less if I could manage to get a stopover on any of the islands between MNL and HNL, but that causes the price to triple. My plan is LAX-TYO/MNL-LAX, but I would be willing to do the reverse if it were cheaper. I have no desire to do the hopper RT, at least not at this price. I have tried multiple other options, including LAX-MNL RT, but TYO is the cheapest option (and I would be delighted to trade a few days in MNL for a stopover in TYO). Right now, the only reasonably priced return from MNL is via GUM; I would definitely prefer the more scenic hopper vs the direct GUM-HNL flight.
One problem I have encountered is that I can only book LAX-SFO/SEA/YVR-TYO on the outbound when I combined with the multi-stop hopper via my bank's reward travel OTA. However, I can get a direct LAX-TYO flight if I book the abbreviated MNL-GUM-HNL return. I have not been able to get the multi-stop hopper to show up at all as an option for MNL-LAX on the UA website. Are there any tips for forcing this trip on UA's website without a steep price hike that appears when all segments are manually entered?
I've been roped into going LAX-MNL over X-mas (a time I am loathe to travel). As expected, even Y TPAC airfare is astronomical for "the most wonderful time of the year" ($2k+; PE for $3.5K+), so the cheapest J is a relative bargain at $4.5k+. However, this is about 50% more than I have ever paid for a flight, and certainly more than I ever wanted to pay. I spent all of last year waiting for the airfare for my Thanksgiving JP trip to go down (it never did), so I am not getting my hopes up for this one, either. It feels completely insane to pay this much for TPAC in a 738 recliner seat, but doing this route in Y seems even more painful and any other routing would be the same or more expensive. I would mine less if I could manage to get a stopover on any of the islands between MNL and HNL, but that causes the price to triple. My plan is LAX-TYO/MNL-LAX, but I would be willing to do the reverse if it were cheaper. I have no desire to do the hopper RT, at least not at this price. I have tried multiple other options, including LAX-MNL RT, but TYO is the cheapest option (and I would be delighted to trade a few days in MNL for a stopover in TYO). Right now, the only reasonably priced return from MNL is via GUM; I would definitely prefer the more scenic hopper vs the direct GUM-HNL flight.
May 24, 2024, 10:28 am
#1379
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: MSP
Programs: DL PM, UA Gold, WN, Global Entry; +others wherever miles/points are found
Posts: 14,551
Searching multi-city on the United website is an effective way to force a routing and does not affect pricing or faring as a general matter.
LAX-MNL fares permit routing LAX-HNL-GUM-MNL, so you should be able to fly via the Hopper assuming there is inventory and you fly on the correct days. There is no difference between the various direct flights between HNL and GUM (nonstop, Hopper, etc.) which is the benefit of ticketing it as a direct flight.
ed. for an example "over Christmas"
LAX-MNL fares permit routing LAX-HNL-GUM-MNL, so you should be able to fly via the Hopper assuming there is inventory and you fly on the correct days. There is no difference between the various direct flights between HNL and GUM (nonstop, Hopper, etc.) which is the benefit of ticketing it as a direct flight.
ed. for an example "over Christmas"
Last edited by findark; May 24, 2024 at 10:34 am
May 26, 2024, 10:15 am
#1380
Join Date: Dec 2023
Programs: Cathay Pacific Asia Miles Korean Air Skypass Philippine Airlines Mabuhay Miles
Posts: 142
Can one use the island Hopper service to do Manila Terminal 3 to Terminal C EWR
Asking a question here is it possible to do UA Island Hopper as part of MNL T3 to EWR Terminal C trip both ways? If yes the entire trip from the east coast to the Philippines is simply B737 family all the way to EWR Terminal C from MNL T3