If there’s one domestic destination that sparks upgrade fever, it’s Hawaii. Florida, Las Vegas, and Arizona are all warm, fun, and escapist, but not that far from most places in the lower 48, and economy class deals are so plentiful that upgrading seems like a nice-thing-if-you-can-get-it.
But Hawaii, the distance (it’s halfway across the Pacific, you know) and the romance (maybe a bit dog-eared but still there, like a remnant whiff of fine perfume) make an upgrade seem like the lucky charm that says this will be a great trip.
Major Changes: Surcharges. United’s is now $600 and American increased its surcharge by $50, to $350. Delta has loosened its rules, allowing upgrades on most discounted economy fares.
Mileage Strategy: ith advance First Class fares starting at about $1,600 from the West Coast and about $2,800 from the East Coast, and with no 2-for-1 fares available, you should use miles to upgrade from discounted economy to First Class.
Here’s our report card on the five major U.S. carriers, as well as two smaller carriers, that are best and worst for upgrading from the lowest economy fare to First Class, which is where you want to be.
Alaska: C
Requires 30,000 miles for a round-trip upgrade, with fares starting at about $900. The major downside is that its scanty route network funnels all travel to Honolulu through Seattle. The schedule also makes a stay-over in Seattle almost unavoidable, unless you’re coming from the West Coast.
American: B I
n December 2009, AA increased its surcharge from $300 to $350 round-trip to Hawaii. No big deal. The carrier still requires only 30,000 miles round-trip and an upgrade is valid with any economy fare. Upgradeable fares start at about $1,000 (including surcharge), which still offers a decent savings when compared to First Class fares. AA also offers an extensive feeder network to Honolulu (from Chicago, Dallas, and Los Angeles, among others). The large number of flights makes it easier to obtain an upgrade.
Continental: D
No joy here: It imposes the highest surcharge (up to $1,000, plus 35,000 miles round-trip) of any carrier serving Hawaii. It moved up slightly, from D-, only because domestic First Class fares have increased so much that this program, high upgradeable fares and surcharges notwithstanding, still offers a savings. That’s about as backhanded a compliment as you can get.
Delta: B
The biggest surprise! The carrier substantially decreased its lowest upgradeable fares in the last quarter of 2009 (now $600-$1,200, down from $1,200-$1,900), allowing upgrades with most economy fares, with the exception of L, U, and T (highly discounted economy fares). It still requires 30,000 miles round-trip. Like AA, it offers an extensive feeder network to Honolulu, with Atlanta, Minneapolis, and Los Angeles among the cities offering connecting flights.
Hawaiian: C
Allows upgrades with any economy fare, but requires 50,000 miles round-trip, the highest of any airline, and only offers flights from the West Coast.
United: C-
United is our biggest disappointment, falling from A- to a C-. The program now imposes a surcharge of up to $600 plus 35,000 miles, an increase of 5,000 miles. As recently as December 2008 you could upgrade on a $350 ticket from Los Angeles. Now, upgradeable fares average $1,200-$1,300 (including surcharge). The only bright spot is that United has an extensive route network to Hawaii.
US Airways: B
The carrier offers the lowest upgradeable fares on five of the six routes shown in the chart on page 4, allowing upgrades on any economy fare. The downside: It requires 35,000 miles round-trip, 5,000 more than AA and Delta, and offers flights only from Charlotte and Phoenix to Honolulu, making upgrade availability difficult.
Lowest Upgradeable Economy Fares to Honolulu
[table_opt style="gray-header" id="1370" width="" alignment="center" responsive="all" heading="thcenter" rows="tdcenter"]