Trying to book flight from Boston to Honolulu for January cruise

[Shooraq]

I am currently booked go on NCL's Pride of America in mid-January. Right now I see prices of flights from Boston to Honolulu ranging from $850-$1000. The aim is to fly out Friday 1/12/13 and fly back Sunday 1/20/13. Cheapest is using United and a little more is either Hawaiian/Jet Blue or Alaskan Airlines.

 

Does it pay to wait another couple of months to see if prices will drop? Can prices go below $850 for a winter flight? Preference of airline to go for?

 

Thanks for your help! :)

[Zach1213]

I am currently booked go on NCL's Pride of America in mid-January. Right now I see prices of flights from Boston to Honolulu ranging from $850-$1000. The aim is to fly out Friday 1/12/13 and fly back Sunday 1/20/13. Cheapest is using United and a little more is either Hawaiian/Jet Blue or Alaskan Airlines.

 

Does it pay to wait another couple of months to see if prices will drop? Can prices go below $850 for a winter flight? Preference of airline to go for?

 

Thanks for your help! :)

 

You can play the waiting game, but I don't see it going below $850. Not only are you flying across the whole continental US, but you're flying across have the Pacific Ocean as well. $850 for all that, during winter travel season, sounds very fair to me. If you wait for it to go below $850, you also are waiting for it to go above $1,000.

 

Airline preference is completely up to you. Do you have any preference on alliance/do you care about collecting miles? From a comfort and customer service standpoint, I love Alaska Airlines.

[Shooraq]

You can play the waiting game, but I don't see it going below $850. Not only are you flying across the whole continental US, but you're flying across have the Pacific Ocean as well. $850 for all that, during winter travel season, sounds very fair to me. If you wait for it to go below $850, you also are waiting for it to go above $1,000.

 

Airline preference is completely up to you. Do you have any preference on alliance/do you care about collecting miles? From a comfort and customer service standpoint, I love Alaska Airlines.

 

No preferance on alliance. With living outside Boston, we end up using every type of airline, so it is almost useless collecting frequent flyer miles. Honestly, I want a fair price, and comfortable seats with reasonable legroom. That's it. :)

[Keith1010]

On a related note since often people post on the board after they have made the reservations just wanted to note two items. Be sure to fly in a day or more before your cruise so that a flight cancellation or delay doesn't cause you to miss the ship. Also, if you have to change planes allow more than the legal times for your connection.

 

Good luck with all of this.

 

I am one who just will lock in my flight. While airlines sometimes run deals for flights after the holidays this is a very popular time for people to travel to Hawaii so I am not sure you would see any deals by waiting.

 

Keith

[Zach1213]

No preferance on alliance. With living outside Boston, we end up using every type of airline, so it is almost useless collecting frequent flyer miles. Honestly, I want a fair price, and comfortable seats with reasonable legroom. That's it. :)

I've never flown Hawaiian or jetBlue, but like I mentioned, I have had very good experiences with Alaska. Comfy planes with comfy seats, friendly crew, relatively on-time, and their buy-on-board food is pretty darn tasty (I recommend the cheese plate). Seattle is also quite an easy airport to transit through (assuming that's your connection point).

[Novastar]

I also would vote for Alaska. I flew them from Oakland to Hawaii a few months ago. Flight attendants were excellent. They made many trips up and down the aisle to make sure no one needed anything. Food on board was good even though it cost like $6.

 

If you can snag the exit row there is tons of leg room, even more than in 1st class.

[First Time 2008]

Right now I see prices of flights from Boston to Honolulu ranging from $850-$1000. The aim is to fly out Friday 1/12/13 and fly back Sunday 1/20/13. Cheapest is using United and a little more is either Hawaiian/Jet Blue or Alaskan Airlines.

 

Does it pay to wait another couple of months to see if prices will drop? Can prices go below $850 for a winter flight? Preference of airline to go for?

 

Thanks for your help! :)

 

Calendar alert: 1/12/13 is not a Friday! :confused:

 

Honestly, I want a fair price, and comfortable seats with reasonable legroom. That's it.

 

You are flying over 10,000 miles round trip. $850-$1000 is a fair price. Sure, it could come down, but it also could go up. At 8.5-10c per mile, it's fair nowadays.

 

Comfortable seats for 12+ hours of flying each way? Good luck. All airline seats are about equally bad.

 

For legroom, United Economy is usually 31", Economy Plus usually 34". Alaska is pretty uniformly 32". How much legroom you need depends on your leg size. Petite: anything will do. Basketball player: nothing short of 34 will do.

[Shooraq]

Calendar alert: 1/12/13 is not a Friday! :confused:

 

 

 

You are flying over 10,000 miles round trip. $850-$1000 is a fair price. Sure, it could come down, but it also could go up. At 8.5-10c per mile, it's fair nowadays.

 

Comfortable seats for 12+ hours of flying each way? Good luck. All airline seats are about equally bad.

 

For legroom, United Economy is usually 31", Economy Plus usually 34". Alaska is pretty uniformly 32". How much legroom you need depends on your leg size. Petite: anything will do. Basketball player: nothing short of 34 will do.

 

Thank you, I meant the 11th, the cruise is on the 12th. :D

 

And I'm working with a big teddy bear of a husband, so 32" is a little more ideal.

[Gardyloo]

And I'm working with a big teddy bear of a husband, so 32" is a little more ideal.

 

In which case I'd apply for an Alaska Airlines-branded Visa card, get 25,000 (or more) frequent flyer miles (enough for a round trip) on signing, but - much more importantly - get a $99 companion certificate good for any fare on Alaska Airlines, including confirmed first class.

 

First class BOS-SEA-HNL and v.v. on Alaska is around $1650 per person, so call it $1750 for two. You can do the math.

 

Alaska's first class is very nice indeed, and changing planes in Seattle is easy (you'd also get lounge access at SEA during your layover.)

 

Remember that it's farther from Boston to Honolulu than it is from Boston to Moscow or Rio de Janeiro, so creature comfort will matter - lots.

[Shooraq]

In which case I'd apply for an Alaska Airlines-branded Visa card, get 25,000 (or more) frequent flyer miles (enough for a round trip) on signing, but - much more importantly - get a $99 companion certificate good for any fare on Alaska Airlines, including confirmed first class.

 

First class BOS-SEA-HNL and v.v. on Alaska is around $1650 per person, so call it $1750 for two. You can do the math.

 

Alaska's first class is very nice indeed, and changing planes in Seattle is easy (you'd also get lounge access at SEA during your layover.)

 

Remember that it's farther from Boston to Honolulu than it is from Boston to Moscow or Rio de Janeiro, so creature comfort will matter - lots.

 

Thanks for the suggestion, I really appreciate it! :)

 

Sadly, I rather not open a credit card, especially one with an annual fee for an airline that we will probably won't use again for years. It's taken a bit just to reduce the number of credit cards in our household. :rolleyes:

 

And we don't need first class, we have managed fine in coach for direct flights to Europe for 8-9 hours. If we end up on a NY/NJ to Honolulu leg, we can manage the 11 hrs okay. We are only in our 30's and I can't justify spending the money for first class. When we start travelling to Asia, then I will have to save plenty for first class then. But coach is good.

[greatam]

Thanks for the suggestion, I really appreciate it! :)

 

Sadly, I rather not open a credit card, especially one with an annual fee for an airline that we will probably won't use again for years. It's taken a bit just to reduce the number of credit cards in our household. :rolleyes:

 

And we don't need first class, we have managed fine in coach for direct flights to Europe for 8-9 hours. If we end up on a NY/NJ to Honolulu leg, we can manage the 11 hrs okay. We are only in our 30's and I can't justify spending the money for first class. When we start travelling to Asia, then I will have to save plenty for first class then. But coach is good.

 

Please take a look again at what Gardyloo posted. For THE SAME PRICE OR LESS as coach, you can fly first class with AS companion certificate.

 

Yes, you have to get the credit card. Yes, there is a fee. But when you add it all together, unless you are GUARANTEED an $850 fare RT, you are spending more for coach than FC. If adding the AS card doesn't negatively impact your credit score, it's truly a no brainer. You don't have to use the card.

[Gardyloo]

Yes, you have to get the credit card. Yes, there is a fee. But when you add it all together, unless you are GUARANTEED an $850 fare RT, you are spending more for coach than FC. If adding the AS card doesn't negatively impact your credit score, it's truly a no brainer. You don't have to use the card.

I can certainly understand people not wanting more credit cards. I get it.

 

However there's no cost in doing some scenarios, and the one I'd use goes like this -

 

Cost - Conventional fare, $1650, companion fare, $120 (including taxes etc.), first year card fee, $75. Total costs $1845.

 

Miles earned, cardholder, 40,519 - 25,000 signing bonus plus 10,346 flight miles x 1.5 (first class "cabin bonus.") Companion, 15,519 miles (just the flights.) Total miles earned, 56,038.

 

Potential redemption options - cardholder, round trip on American Airlines to Europe or deep South America (Chile, Argentina, Brazil, etc.) - 40,000 miles off-peak. Estimated value, $1100. Non-cardholder, one way on Alaska to anywhere in the USA or Canada (except Hawaii.) Est. value $300. Total mileage value, say $1400.

 

Net cost if adding in redemption values: $445 for two first class round trip tickets to Hawaii from Boston, a coach round trip from Boston to Europe or South America (or of course anywhere "cheaper") and a one-way ticket to somewhere in the US/Canada.

 

Versus... two economy seats at $850 each, total cost $1700, total miles earned 10,346 each passenger, not enough for any redemption trips.

 

Alaska's mileage plan allows earning and using miles on numerous airlines, including Alaska (duh) American, Delta, British Airways, Air France, KLM, Cathay Pacific, Qantas, Lan, Icelandair, Emirates, Air Pacific/Fiji, and probably a couple I'm forgetting. There are MANY options to earn and use Alaska miles; it's one of the more versatile FF programs out there. So just flying on Alaska isn't an issue; virtually any flying trip you take can be used for accumulating or spending Alaska miles.

[Shooraq]

Please take a look again at what Gardyloo posted. For THE SAME PRICE OR LESS as coach, you can fly first class with AS companion certificate.

 

Yes, you have to get the credit card. Yes, there is a fee. But when you add it all together, unless you are GUARANTEED an $850 fare RT, you are spending more for coach than FC. If adding the AS card doesn't negatively impact your credit score, it's truly a no brainer. You don't have to use the card.

 

Thank you for clarifying that better. That does make more sense. I will definitely keep that in mind then.