Loyalty programs vary wildly on this route—here’s a report card

It’s not a pretty picture. One of the best carriers on the route, American Airlines, now imposes a cash surcharge on mileage upgrades to the Aloha State, and the worst makes you pay through the nose even after you’ve earned the miles. The table below shows the lowest upgradeable fare (for May 1 departures) from four different gateways, along with the regular First Class fare to Honolulu for comparison’s sake.

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Grading the airlines

A- United: Allows upgrading with its lowest fares, and imposes no upgrade surcharge, which makes it a better deal than American and Continental. By the way, the airline’s 2-for-1 program, Ameniti.com, is worth checking out.

B+ Northwest: Upgradeable fares are decent, if not good, but always check the applicable fullcoach fare (not in the chart above). It is often little more than the lowest upgradeable fare, but the mileage upgrade requirement is half as much.

B US Airways: The carrier’s only route is Phoenix-Honolulu, so there are few seats to go around. Still, the upgradeable fares are low and there’s no cash surcharge, so try to upgrade with miles. Published First Class fares are relatively low, too, so consider paying cash and saving the miles. Remember, United is a Star Alliance partner and has low First Class fares and flights to Hawaii from many US cities.

B- American Airlines: Despite the new $300 round-trip surcharge, upgradeable fares are still a good value. From some cities (e.g., Los Angeles) published fares can be so low it’s worth buying the ticket instead. Availability is always better on paid tickets and garners a load of bonus miles.

D Continental: The award chart, which contains the full schedule of upgrade fees, is a thicket of confusion. Get an experienced, sympathetic OnePass agent on the phone rather than trying to make sense of it. Failing that, try to find a low published First Class fare on SkyTeam partner Delta or Northwest, as you can still earn Continental miles and elite status. Continental’s First Class fares are generally not competitive.

F Delta: All that loyalty for nothing. The airline makes you pay a $2,265 fare in order to use your 30,000 miles to upgrade to Honolulu from Atlanta, yet it sells a First Class ticket outright for $1,675. Not only is the First Class ticket easier to get than an upgrade seat, it earns mileage and elite credit bonuses. Upgradeable economy fares on many routes are as much as 300% more than the competition’s, meaning it’s often cheaper to buy First Class outright on another carrier.