We paid extra for all the interisland flights for first class which wasn't that much more, but gave you the comfortable and guaranteed 2x2 seating with a nice recline and comfy wide seats - the Y section is 2x3. The most important thing was that flying F even for 21.5 minutes gave us each a tier point!!! The flights were always great with separate first check-in each airport has it's own lounge with soft drinks and you get whatever you want to drink on board (Although on the Maui flight it was quite uncomfortable trying to neck the diet coke down before landing!!!)
The longest flight between Honolulu and Hilo on the Big Island was 50 minutes, in which time we have no fewer than three drink services and more was offered but I just couldn't take it. The internal flights are just like getting a bus but the crew are always hospitable and the airports are the best .
The flight paths are also some of the best in the world with the best approaches with the pilot using a virtual hand-brake turn to get you on to final just in time for the wheels to touch the runway!!!
So after that we arrived back into HNL for the trans pacific flight in the domestic part of HNL. We went to the HA lounge but got bored with it very quickly. So we decided to see what was around the international/mainland part of the terminal. We decided not to take the wiki-wiki (it's a bus but it sounds so much cooler saying wiki-wiki) and walk instead. The international part is fantastic a sort of inside/outside airport and I've never been so close to the nose of a 747 without normally being separated by glass. It also has this wonderful courtyard in the middle which has three or four different themed garden areas. Decided to use our Priority Passes and went into the CO Pres Club, much the same as any other club (is there just one company that decorates most US airline clubs?) but had free alcohol so a bloody mary went down well.
Headed off for our aircraft after a while and straight on board. Glass of champagne, so so - got better after the third glass. Push backed ten minutes early and was soon heading out past Honolulu and our last look of Diamond Head for another year or so. Shortly after that the digeplayers were handed out (hand held v-port without games) and then a couple of drink rounds where the Mai Tais were definitely getting stronger.
Food came up after a while starting with satay beef, chicken and prawn (we call it prawn right, no way is that a shrimp) which was a large portion with nice salad and noodles with great garlic bread for mopping the sauces up. We didn't have a choice of mains as we were the last to have our order taken but didn't matter as the stir fried pork was fantastic complete with crispy noodles. Desert followed with a coconut pancetta which I have to say was the best tasting desert I have ever had - and believe me I've tried a good few.
The FSM came and had a chat to us - he recognised the accent as his brother-in-law is the goalkeeper for Middlesbrough and we had a chat about our holiday. He also had a good knowledge about virgin as he'd recently been over to watch the football and loved their bed!
Then he bought out some beer making the comment that he knew the US beers aren't what we really are accustomed to but the Big Island has a micro-brewery and makes a mean beer that is served in F in a bottle! The only time I've ever had a bottle of beer on a plane, the great thing was the TSA don't allow bottle openers so they use your seat belt to open the bottle top!!!!
Anyway after a four and a bit hour flight we started our way into the bay area and were soon on the ground and off the plane making our way to baggage reclaim.
We had a really great flight with them on the way out, and it was even better on the way back. Even the internal flights were constantly of a high standard and really make you want to fly them again real soon.
One thing that makes them slightly euro-unfriendly is that you can't book flights on their website direct (you can if you're Australian or Mexican) so you have to book through travelocity or someone like that or their office here in the UK which no one should ever do, I emailed them and they came back with fares 1000 each more expensive than HA.com 'because they are the web rates' was the response. That really doesn't make travelling to Hawaii that easy for europeans. I also phoned them before we left to arrange our seats (for the SFO part there are only two rows on the 717s) and to give out flying club numbers which they said were on all our flights. We also showed them our cards at check-in (though no check-in agent even realised we were partner airlines) but still no miles. So quick copy of the itinerary was sent off to The Office Tuesday and by Thursday morning our miles had been added and more importantly our 8 tier points (2 for each leg of the 1300 second flights!!!!)
