The Coffee House

[table1349]

Yep, we are taking 9 people to Hawaii for 9 days and 8 nights here in a couple of years. If the kids could take enough time off to do so I would much rather take a cruse ship from San Diego to Hawaii and back than fly. As it is we will not be flying United to Hawaii and back.

Look into Alaska Air to Hawaii. They fly out of SF, SD, LA, Portland, Seattle... They have a credit card offered through BoA that gives you a $122 companion pass each year ($99 plus fees). The last time we went to Hawaii we used them and had 2 of the companion passes so for 4 of us we paid a total of $2k (so $500 pp) for our airfare which was a great price for rt from Boston to Maui and then Oahu to Boston. We overnighted in Portland on the way there which was a nice way to break up the long trip if you have young ones traveling with you.

Thanks, I will look into them. It will depend on where we can find a flight. One codicil to this, I have never flown first class, (usually too cheap to do so) but this is going to be a long enough flight that the wife and I are going first class. We have already told the kids that they are welcome to fly first class with us, but......we will pay for the standard fare and they have to pay the difference. After all of 2 seconds discussion among the kids and their spouses we are going to need 9 first class seats.

 

[Gary A.]

Yep, we are taking 9 people to Hawaii for 9 days and 8 nights here in a couple of years. If the kids could take enough time off to do so I would much rather take a cruse ship from San Diego to Hawaii and back than fly. As it is we will not be flying United to Hawaii and back.

Look into Alaska Air to Hawaii. They fly out of SF, SD, LA, Portland, Seattle... They have a credit card offered through BoA that gives you a $122 companion pass each year ($99 plus fees). The last time we went to Hawaii we used them and had 2 of the companion passes so for 4 of us we paid a total of $2k (so $500 pp) for our airfare which was a great price for rt from Boston to Maui and then Oahu to Boston. We overnighted in Portland on the way there which was a nice way to break up the long trip if you have young ones traveling with you.

Take a cruise ship to SF, SD, LA, Portland or Seattle.

 

[Gary A.]

Yep, we are taking 9 people to Hawaii for 9 days and 8 nights here in a couple of years. If the kids could take enough time off to do so I would much rather take a cruse ship from San Diego to Hawaii and back than fly. As it is we will not be flying United to Hawaii and back.

Look into Alaska Air to Hawaii. They fly out of SF, SD, LA, Portland, Seattle... They have a credit card offered through BoA that gives you a $122 companion pass each year ($99 plus fees). The last time we went to Hawaii we used them and had 2 of the companion passes so for 4 of us we paid a total of $2k (so $500 pp) for our airfare which was a great price for rt from Boston to Maui and then Oahu to Boston. We overnighted in Portland on the way there which was a nice way to break up the long trip if you have young ones traveling with you.

Thanks, I will look into them. It will depend on where we can find a flight. One codicil to this, I have never flown first class, (usually too cheap to do so) but this is going to be a long enough flight that the wife and I are going first class. We have already told the kids that they are welcome to fly first class with us, but......we will pay for the standard fare and they have to pay the difference. After all of 2 seconds discussion among the kids and their spouses we are going to need 9 first class seats.

I've been upgraded to first class a few times ... sorta like that guy who was hauled off the plane, solely the luck of a draw type of thing. It is quite nice and a lot less painful.

 

[Derrel]

Got upgraded to First Class only one time, on our way from PDX to Newark, NJ, a non-stop cross country flight with the former Missus. Ehhhh...a wider seat, a little bit better food, and a hot towel, not that much difference to me. I cannot see a $900 or more cost jump being worth what First Class really "is". But to some, I guess the experience sounds like it's worth the added expense.

 

[table1349]

Yep, we are taking 9 people to Hawaii for 9 days and 8 nights here in a couple of years. If the kids could take enough time off to do so I would much rather take a cruse ship from San Diego to Hawaii and back than fly. As it is we will not be flying United to Hawaii and back.

Look into Alaska Air to Hawaii. They fly out of SF, SD, LA, Portland, Seattle... They have a credit card offered through BoA that gives you a $122 companion pass each year ($99 plus fees). The last time we went to Hawaii we used them and had 2 of the companion passes so for 4 of us we paid a total of $2k (so $500 pp) for our airfare which was a great price for rt from Boston to Maui and then Oahu to Boston. We overnighted in Portland on the way there which was a nice way to break up the long trip if you have young ones traveling with you.

Take a cruise ship to SF, SD, LA, Portland or Seattle.

I would, I'm retired and the wife would as she has the vacation time, but she isn't going to without the granddaughters. The kids.....eh who care, but the granddaughters

 

[table1349]

Got upgraded to First Class only one time, on our way from PDX to Newark, NJ, a non-stop cross country flight with the former Missus. Ehhhh...a wider seat, a little bit better food, and a hot towel, not that much difference to me. I cannot see a $900 or more cost jump being worth what First Class really "is". But to some, I guess the experience sounds like it's worth the added expense.

I'm 6'3" tall, a little more room in the sardine can is always appreciated, especially if we are going to be in the air for 11 hours or so.

 

[limr29 2]

I was flying back to NY one year from Europe and was sick as a dog. In the last hour of the flight, a flight attendant finally took pity on me and let me finish the flight in an empty first-class seat. It was nice. Woulda have been nicer if the pity was offered at the start of the flight, but still. It's the only time I've ever been in first class.

Having flown 10 hours in coach, in the middle seat of the middle aisle, stuck between a large, talkative Turkish man and a quiet teenager with her broken leg extended halfway across my leg space - and this being closer to my typical flying experience than not - I would sell my left kidney for a chance to fly first class the whole way, just once in my life.

 

[SquarePeg36 7]

From what I've read on flyer talk, domestic 1st class is just meh compared to international 1st class on some of the carriers where they have lay flat seats, private cubicles, 5* meals, pj's and slippers and even the in flight showers (Emirates I think?). I've had a few domestic 1st class upgrades (back when it was more about who you knew than your airline frequent flyer status) and some business class flights when someone else was paying and it is definitely a 1000% improvement over coach but... for me it's not worth the extra money.

@gryphonslair99 - it's too bad this wasn't a few years ago. The BoA companion pass used to be good for 1st class as well but now is only for coach.

 

[Designer]

United Airlines is paying for their misjudgement in a big, big way today!

Figure it cost them $3,200 (paying customers $800 ea. x 4 bumped customers) to get four crew to the next city.

I wonder how much it would cost to charter a small aircraft to get them there?

Or they could just create a public relations nightmare by dragging someone off a flight, and lose oh, I dunno, say several $million in potential revenue from all those passengers NOT buying tickets.

Do the math.

BTW: we have sworn off United years ago for P.P. customer non-service. They send us "invites" in the mail and we don't even open them. Trash, just like their customer relations mission statement.

 

[Designer]

I cannot see a $900 or more cost jump being worth what First Class really "is".

Oh, but wait!

The first class passengers actually arrive at their destination a couple of milliseconds BEFORE the coach passengers do.

Think about that while you're standing in line at the gate! That's got to be worth something.

 

[Frankinfuji]

I cannot see a $900 or more cost jump being worth what First Class really "is".

Oh, but wait!

The first class passengers actually arrive at their destination a couple of milliseconds BEFORE the coach passengers do.

Think about that while you're standing in line at the gate! That's got to be worth something.

Not on a double deck A380! Coach arrive at thr same time as First. Ha!

 

[snowbear115 46]

I only fly on the Grace L. Ferguson Airline (and Storm Door Co.)

 

[JonA_CT]

I haven't purchased my own airfare on anything other than Southwest in probably 6-7 years. I don't fly often (usually no more than 2-3 times a year, and usually less), but I've never had a single problem.

United tried to screw us over when we were flying back from Chicago with my daughter as a lap infant, but we didn't buy those tickets. (They weren't sure they could change the seat assignment to make sure that my wife and daughter were sitting in a row with an extra oxygen mask. They did.)

 

[table1349]

From what I've read on flyer talk, domestic 1st class is just meh compared to international 1st class on some of the carriers where they have lay flat seats, private cubicles, 5* meals, pj's and slippers and even the in flight showers (Emirates I think?). I've had a few domestic 1st class upgrades (back when it was more about who you knew than your airline frequent flyer status) and some business class flights when someone else was paying and it is definitely a 1000% improvement over coach but... for me it's not worth the extra money.

@gryphonslair99 - it's too bad this wasn't a few years ago. The BoA companion pass used to be good for 1st class as well but now is only for coach.

Yep we are aware. The wife retired from BoA as a vice president in the trust division. The retirement benefits are nice but that's not one of them anymore.

 

[jcdeboever]

I used to travel 70% not that long ago, for quite a few years. It wears on you. I used to fly so much, I'd frequently get bumped to 1st class. I was basically only home on weekends for several years. Those days are gone, thank the Lord.