May Transcon & Hula Loophole, Free Side-Trip Update

May 2024
Read Offline

You can still get to Hawaii and the Caribbean for free with a smart strategy


Transcon fares are down for American, up for Delta and JetBlue, and holding steady for United for non-red-eye and 6 a.m. flights. Here’s the latest.

Business Class Fare Update
Between New York & Los Angeles Nonstop

 fares for travel within 55 days range from $1,999 to $3,375, for travel 55 to 230 days out, fares range from $1,599 to $2,459, and from 231+ days out, fares range from $1,449 to $2,039 (down from $1,849).


Delta — lowest fares up 18%: fares for travel within 45 days range from $2,648 to $3,297, for travel 46 to 112 days out, fares range from $2,199 to $2,888 (up from $1,798), and from 113+ days out, fares range from $3,097 to $3,397.

United — lowest fares unchanged: fares for travel within 45 days range from $2,018 to $3,045, for travel 46 to 110 days out, fares range from $1,889 to $2,469, from 111 to 240 days out, fares run from $1,889 to $3,777, and from 241+ days out, fares range from $1,359 to $2,039.

JetBlue — lowest fares up 7%: fares for travel within 120 days range from $1,547 to $2,747 (up from $1,348), and for travel 121+ days out, fares range from $2,947 to $3,797.

The Transcon Is More Than Just Between NY & LA

There are some low-fare non-New York-Los Angeles nonstop transcon routes like Washington, DC-Los Angeles for $997 round-trip, and others for $1,157 and less. This chart is good reading.

[table_opt id="6974" style="gray-header" header_rows="1" width="default" alignment="thcenter" heading="thcenter" rows="tdcenter" responsive="no" /]

Hawaii For Free. What’s Not to Lava?

The transcon – Hula Loophole update is still going strong with a cheaper than free trip to Hawaii. The key is to find a low-fare route to Hawaii that gives you a free stopover in a West Coast city that you’re already planning to visit. For example, when fares are high on the New York-Los Angeles transcon route, think about adding a stop in Honolulu, Kona, Lihue, or Maui to enjoy a bonus destination — for free or sometimes just a little more. Screenshots below.

New York > Los Angeles > New York > $2,459

Example of Hawaii for Free:

New York > Los Angeles > Kona > New York > $2,086

By adding Kona to your transcon trip you save $373.

A free trip to Hawaii gets our stamp

Pre-Baked Trips to Cali That Get You to Hawaii in First Class for Free or Nearly Free from New York

While fares are constantly changing and vary by date, here’s what we recently found if you’re at all flexible…

[table_opt id="6969" style="gray-header" header_rows="1" width="default" alignment="thcenter" heading="thcenter" rows="tdcenter" responsive="no" /]

San Juan for Free…

The key when flying from the West Coast is to find a low-fare route to the Caribbean that offers a free stopover in an East Coast city you’re already planning to visit. For example, when fares are high on the Los Angeles/San Francisco-New York transcon route, think about adding a stop in Nassau, San Juan, or St. Thomas to enjoy a bonus destination — for free or sometimes just a little more.

Pre-Baked Trips to New York That Get You to the Caribbean in First Class for Free or Nearly Free


[table_opt id="6970" style="gray-header" header_rows="1" width="default" alignment="thcenter" heading="thcenter" rows="tdcenter" responsive="no" /]

[["Airline","Between","#colspan#","R/T Fare"],["Delta","Washington, DC","Seattle","$719"],["American, JetBlue","Boston","#rowspan#","$780"],["Delta","Atlanta","San Diego","$947"],["United","Washington, DC","Los Angeles","$997"],["Delta, United","Boston","San Diego","$999"],["\n\n\nUnited","Philadelphia","San Francisco","$1,020"],["#rowspan#","Raleigh","#rowspan#","$1,029"],["#rowspan#","\n\nNew York","San Diego","$1,039"],["#rowspan#","#rowspan#","Seattle","$1,039"],["Delta, United","#rowspan#","Portland, OR","$1,067"],["Delta","Orlando","Seattle","$1,117"],["United","Ft. Lauderdale","San Francisco","$1,119"],["JetBlue, United","Boston","Los Angeles","$1,127"],["United","#rowspan#","San Francisco","$1,157"]]
[["Start Your Ticket In","Your Hawaiian Destination","Your Stop","Fare","Compare to Transcon Round-Trip","Cost / Savings"],["\n\n\n\n\n\nNew York","Kona","\n\n\n\n\n\nLos Angeles","$2,086","\n\n\n\n\n\n$2,459","-$373"],["#rowspan#","Maui","#rowspan#","$2,241","#rowspan#","-$218"],["#rowspan#","Kauai","#rowspan#","$2,283","#rowspan#","-$176"],["#rowspan#","Honolulu","#rowspan#","$2,383","#rowspan#","$76"]]
[["Start Your Ticket In","Your Free Caribbean Destination","Your Stop","Fare","Compare to Transcon Round-Trip","Cost / Savings"],["Los Angeles","San Juan","\n\n\n\n\nNew York","$2,072","$2,459","-$387"],["\nLos Angeles*","St. Thomas","#rowspan#","$1,854","$2,459","-$605"],["#rowspan#","Nassau","#rowspan#","$1,839","$2,459","-$620"],["San Francisco","San Juan","#rowspan#","$2,287","$2,459","-$172"]]
<small>*The 3 tickets in your itinerary must be booked individually.</small>