Question for the Big Island Folks

[cobra2326]

I just noticed that flights are pretty cheap to oahu from here, but twice as much to hilo!  Is there a cheap was to get to hilo from oahu?  I may have to come to the big island instead of going to costa rica...

[bgl]

Jon,

The ONLY way to travel between Honolulu and Hilo is by air, and the main carriers are Aloha Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines:

www.alohaairlines.com

www.hawaiianair.com

Most oneway fares right now are $49 or $59, and a few flights may be as much as $89. But if you're somewhat flexible you should be able to avoid the expensive ones.

Mesa Airlines also started flying between the islands some time ago under the marketing name "Go Airlines", using smaller regional jets (CRJs):

www.mesa-air.com and go to the right side of the screen and click on "go! Hawaii Airline"

You should be able to pull up any of these 3 and check prices on days you may be interested in.

If there's anything else you want to know - let me know!

Bo-Göran

Edit: I should point out that when travelling from or to Hilo, it's ALWAYS a good idea to also check out what the fare is from/to Honolulu, and then buying the Hilo ticket separately. A couple of years ago when I called United Air Lines (which code-shares with Aloha, so I can make a reservation on United all the way from Hilo, first on Aloha to Honolulu, and then on United) to make a reservation to Europe, I asked about the price from Hilo and they gave me an astronomical price. I then asked how much the same trip would be, but beginning and ending in Honolulu. The price they gave me was $800 less!!!! And I can buy the Hilo-Honolulu roundtrip for roughly $100....

[mike in kurtistown]

I always buy my Honolulu-Hilo ticket separately for that very reason. Even the on-line ticket dispensors (Orbitz, Cheaptickets) do that, so you have buy separately on them,too.

Also, some airlines like ATA may have flights directly to Hilo from US mainland cities like Oakland, Las Vegas, or Phoenix.

[cobra2326]

Alright, thanks.  I'm still pretty set on going to costa rica this year, but the Big Island is always a possiblility.  My wife and I were in Maui last year for our honeymoon, so we want to try something different.  Your advice was very helpful though and we definitely plan on coming at one point in the semi-near future.

BTW, we'll be in costa rica right around the time of the bicentennial (last week of april + first week of may).

[Al in Kona]

Jon, You just might want to check on direct Mainland flights to KONA and avoid Honolulu altogether.  That way you arrive about 15 minutes quicker than to Honolulu and also avoid having to change planes, then wait for a flight to Hilo and then another 40 minutes or more to fly to Hilo from Honolulu.  American, United and Aloha Airlines all have direct flights from or to KONA from Mainland cities (mostly West coast but United has a direct flight to Chicago also).  Anyway that's something to check out but with the understanding that from Kona it is almost a 2-hour drive to Hilo.  However, if you are coming to vacation that drive is very interesting and beautiful in places.

[Kim]

Does anyone know offhand what time of year the prices of flights tend to be lower?  I'm assuming there are seasonal differences.

[bgl]

Kim,

Off season is April/May, Sep/Oct/Nov, so if your question is about U.S. mainland-Hawaii flights, you may be able to get a better deal during those months (and probably on hotels here as well). If you're asking about flights within Hawaii, those are not affected by peak/off-peak season. What drives the inter-island prices up, or down, is the level of competition between the 3 major carriers, and how desperate, or willing, they are to take losses in order to maintain market share.

Bo-Göran

[cobra2326]

Al,

Thanks for the suggestion!  Looks like direct flights to Kona are pretty close in price to those to HNL.

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

If you fly from Honolulu to Hilo, just make sure your pilots are well rested and don't fall asleep in the cockpit.

Jerry

PS. Sounds like Kona is the way to go from the mainland.  Rent a car and drive to Hilo.

[bgl]

Jerry,

For anyone planning to visit the Big Island it's probably a good idea to check flights BOTH nonstop to Kona and flights to Honolulu (and then buying a separate ticket to the Big Island). I have personally been given prices - on the very same day - that differed $300 between Kona and Honolulu. So, if the nonstop flight to Kona is $300 more than a flight to Honolulu, it's obviously cheaper to go via Honolulu. Assuming you're willing to go thru the extra inconvenience.

Also, to keep in mind (and I think this was pointed out in some other thread): the ONLY nonstop from the U.S. mainland to Hilo is ATA Airlines Oakland-Hilo. Not sure if it's a daily flight. At certain times of the year, it's daily, and at other times it's only 4 times per week. They usually have pretty competitive prices. They work with Southwest Airlines, which has a heavy presence at Oakland. In other words, you can fly Southwest into Oakland, and connect to the ATA nonstop flight to Hilo.

Bo-Göran

[BS Man about Palms]

So, I suspect its cheapest if you get on the plane to Hilo where the pilot falls asleep. Right Bo?  

[bgl]

I believe that's only by special request

[cobra2326]

I wonder how this will affect island hopper flights:

http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080322/aloha_bankruptcy.html

[bgl]

Prices will go up. The problem with the inter-island market here in Hawaii is that it is, even in the best of times, a two airline market. When a third airline decides to enter the market (as has happened on a number of occasions in the past) prices will drop, and everybody is losing money (I'm talking about the airlines!). Sooner or later something will have to give - meaning one of the 3 airlines will drop out, one way or another. In the past it was always the newcomer that gave up, and the situation returned to what it had been before the newcomer's market entry: Aloha Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines remained the two major carriers. This time things may turn out differently, since Aloha now has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The only things that would maintain the current 3 airline scenario is if someone with plenty of money steps in and purchases Aloha. Reminds me of the old expression "if you want to make a small fortune in the airline business, you'd better start out with a big fortune!".