Equipment choice to Hawaii.........

Flying to Hawaii this summer. Choices are....
1- American airlines. Embraer rj 140 jet, then Boeing 757 to Hawaii/ Maui
2- united airlines. Em2 , then 767 to Hawaii/ Maui
Which is the best ride for safety and comfort. Flying coach. First class to Hawaii is a joke.
Tia
Ed

 

How far are you flying the Embraers? I have no qualms about the Brasilia, but not everyone likes them. As for the Boeings, I'll take the 767 over the 757 anytime.

 

Flying embraers from Monterey to Los Angeles. Approx 400 miles
Ed

 

I don't think it makes much difference.

From Monterey, personally-- I would do neither. A straight Falcon 50 would do the job nicely, though.

 

a falcon is not an option, since i'm flying via united or aa. suppose i could just drive the 400 miles if embraers are that bad....... then fly either a 757 or 767 to maui.
ed

 

I'm no expert on the commuters but a 400 mile flight wouldn't be that long or difficult. As far as the leg to Hawaii, it would be the 767. Iv'e flown in both the 757 and 767 and both are good but the 767 is more comfortable. Done it twice to Hawaii in 767 Hawaiian Airlines and you can't beat it...unless you're going on one of the 747's in first class.

 

It's sure gone up a LOT recently - I have to go to Oahu from Seattle 2-3
times a year on business. I always bite the bullet and buy first class cuz
I just can't stand 6 hours in coach anymore.

My last trip in the fall was $1100 round trip. I just checked rates for my
trip in April or May and the same flight, same airline (Delta) is now $1380,
whereas coach is only $600

The REAL joke is buying first class with MILES POINTS. 150,000 on Delta
That's just ridiculous.

Jedi

 

I go to Hawaii at least once a year for vacation. I flew United about 3 years ago and can say the coach section is terrible. I'm only 5'-8" and my knees were hitting the seat in front of me. Seriously, I think Southwest has more legroom than United. I ended up doing their "economy plus" on the return flight which gave a little more legroom. The plane was very old and the flight attendants acted like they really don't want to be there. That was the last time I've flown United anywhere.

I'm currently planning my trip to Kauai in May and it's a toss up between American and Hawaiian from LAX. American coach is about $100 cheaper and non-stop, but the times I've flown Hawaiian, the planes are much nicer (I flew in one that was brand new last year,) the service better and they aren't currently bankrupt so I'm probably going with Hawaiian this year.

The inter-island flights are so short that the non-stop flights really don't save that much time. Plus, it is kind of nice to get into "Island time" sipping on a mai tai at the Honolulu Airport before heading out to whatever island you're going to.

 

Embraer RJ's are quiet, have good headroom and the fuselage walls don't confine you like they do on Canadair RJ's for example when you are in the window seat. I prefer them over an Airbus or Boeing product for 2-3 hour flights. They also have lots of overhead bin space for carry ons, as well as 2+2 configurations.

As for the 757/767 comparo, it really doesn't matter. The routes to Hawaii are all pretty busy, so seat pitch is at a minimum anyways if you are trying to save $$.

Buy an E+ seat on United.

 

Will be using mileage account. Any tips for using miles?
Ed

 

Just use your hard earned miles for the basic ticket.

Always pay for the E+ seat, RCC lounge pass, Premier Access privileges, or anything else you want, if you do not already have *G status with Mileage Plus that is, in which case you've already got the above.

 

Booked united coach. 80k miles per ticket.
Not a 767 but a 763? Supposedly, a 763 is a 767 but with fewer seats.
Ed

 

In 1997 we did O'hare to Honolulu in a DC-10....I think they called it an overwater version....It had an extra main-gear on the fuselage centerline. 8-1/2 hours in coach..Lots of fun. We asked how much an upgrade to 1st class would be.....$1,500.00 per person...Yikes.

Geffen

 

uh, no. 763 means 767-300 (they have more than one configuration)

Use seatguru.com and it will explain all...

Have to ask, why fly regionial to LAX and have a layover when you could just drive to SFO and fly nonstop?

 

That was an MD-11... the McDonnell-Douglas successor to the Douglas DC-10.

Several significant changes from the old DC-10, including the extra belly main gear.

 

i went to hawaii from chicago in the early 80's on a 747,great trip and a piano in the lounge too

 

Personally, I wouldn't be concerned about flying Embraer..... Though I don't think FC is a joke, esp. if you can upgrade with miles.

Someone here mentioned SFO and if that's an option, I think a 777 flies out for United (or maybe it was American).......

 

I think that it would be SOO ELEGANT to book on a Boeing 314 and take a lovely comfy flight with room to move about and visit the library, or the observation deck, and then sit down to a gourmet meal in the dining salon after which you could retire in your sleeping quarters for a glass of brandy before you were tucked away in your soft and cozy berth to be lulled to sleep by the sound of four Wright R2000's as you gently wend your way across the Pacific to what was then Paradise.

 

I've never seen a Boeing 314 in real life but it does look like a great way to travel.
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I agree!

I wonder how long it took to go from San Francisco to Honolulu in a 314?

 

Cruised about 180 mph... 16 hours or so...

Pilots were overjoyed when PanAm switched to DC-4's and DC-6's... faster, much easier to fly (and land) and no specialized training.

There were actually very few pilots qualified to fly these seaplanes; to the extent that when the US 'enlisted' the 314's during WWII, the original PanAm crews flew them for the US during the war.

 

I'm going to take a guess that the pilots (the Captains, at least) weren't as thrilled about the change as the accounting department was... or Juan Trippe.

 

That's because they're all scrapped or at the bottom of the ocean.

 

No... the 314 flew like a beached whale, a sloooow loud beached whale. And were challenging to operate.

Of the 12 314's built, 1/4 were lost to accidents.

Quote: "One of the 314's most experienced pilots said, "We were indeed glad to change to DC-4s, and I argued daily for eliminating all flying boats. The landplanes were much safer. No one in the operations department... had any idea of the hazards of flying boat operations."

When PanAm got rid of them, they were all eventually scrapped.

They were also moot, during and after WWII, thousands of runways had been built worldwide; no need for the poor handling seaplane.


But, like Bob Parks, I think it would be a kick to cruise to Honolulu on a 314.

 

The DC-10 series 30 also had additional main belly gear, this was not exclusive to the MD-11.

It's quite possible that they were on a DC-10 and not an MD-11.