For the last two years, Delta has been offering some of the lowest First Class fares to Hawaii—$1,100 to $1,300 roundtrip—from many West Coast cities, including Los Angeles and San Francisco. At the same time, American and United’s First Class fares were $2,800+. The only airlines that came close to Delta’s fares were Alaska and Hawaiian.
United’s Brand New First Class Fare
Without any fanfare, United matched Delta’s First Class fares—but only from Los Angeles—Hawaiito Honolulu at $1,215 round-trip. The carrier also slashed fares from Los Angeles to Maui, Kauai, and Kona. (American still charges 57% more.) Maui and Kauai often have about the same fares as Honolulu; Kona is about $150 more. Depending upon the season the fare difference between islands ranges from $150 to $300.
The Purchase Window Requirement: United is the only major airline that does not have one, so you can book these fares for travel this Christmas or even next year. Just remember that the holidays are peak season for travel to Hawaii. Over Christmas, the fare increases $100 to $200 to Honolulu and can be $200 to $300 more to the other islands. If you book Delta 181+ days out, the fare will be $1,404 more than United, whereas inside 180 days, the fare is about the same.
When Two Tickets are Cheaper than One…
As previously mentioned, right now the new fare is only offered from Los Angeles. That said, you can buy a separate discounted First Class ticket to LA (see FCF’s April issue for ).
For example, from Boston, you could buy a ticket to Los Angeles for $906 round-trip. The total fare to Honolulu is $2,121, which is a lot cheaper than booking BostonHonolulu’s $3,233 fare. By combining two low-fare routes you can save $1,112 (34%).
Use Miles?
United charges 80,000 miles round-trip for a free award ticket from LAX to Hawaii. If you have miles to burn, use them, knowing that the return is only 1.5¢ per mile. The return per mile on an upgrade is about the same. The lowest economy fare is currently $617 (T class) from LAX, plus $250 co-pay and 55,000 miles (replacement cost is about $2,070).
Cost-per-Hour to Upgrade
Here’s a side-by-side comparison of Los Angeles-Honolulu on United. As you can see from the chart below, the First Class fare is $1,215 and the economy fare is $618, a difference of $597 or $52 per flight hour.
However, once you figure in all the extra costs economy class can incur, such as bags and economy-plus seats, the difference declines to only $369 or $32 per-flight-hour.
Still, if you figure in other extras, such as meals and drinks ($40) and the difference in miles earned ($112), the difference is only about $217 or about $19 per-flight-hour.
Comparing Cost-Per-Hour to Upgrade Los Angeles - Honolulu on United
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[aside headline="Elite-Think Warning:" alignment="alignright" width="half" headline_size="default"]
If you go to Hawaii with any frequency, as many do, you will pay much more if you are hooked on American’s loyalty program. What some will pay for an elite card is amazing!
Should you jump at these fares, bank Delta flight credit with a partner such as Air France or Virgin Atlantic, if you can, because the miles will be worth much more than they will be in the SkyMiles program, generally speaking.[/aside]
United Fare Restrictions to Keep in Mind:
Valid Travel Days: Monday through Thursday
Booking code: P
Valid Travel Dates to Honolulu (other islands vary): now through June 5; Aug. 11 through Nov. 19; Nov. 27 through Dec. 11; and Dec. 29 through March 12. (Other travel dates, such as weekend and peak season, will increase the fare starting at about $150+.)
Valid Travel Dates from Honolulu: now through June 12; Sept. 2 through Nov. 27; Dec. 3 through Dec. 27; and Jan. 8 through March 19. Advance-purchase requirement: 14 days.
Minimum stay: 3 days.
Maximum stay: 60 days.