Any flight tips?

[jmw33]

Any tips for booking flights? We are a family of 4 (2adults, 2older teens) coming from Philly. Sticker shock did occur but I feel like I need to book the extra legroom...at least for my husband and I. Not sure what airline is best? Wish I could do first class, but that is not in the budget.

 

[VGCgroupie]

I personally have found tickets to a Hawaii at least from where I live drop in price about 45-60 days out on Hawaiian air

 

[OnThisMagicNight]

We visited Aulani in summer of 2024. Flew PHL to LAX on American Airlines and spent a few days in Disneyland first (also helped adjust to the time change!) Then flew from LAX to HNL on Hawaiian Airlines. We flew nonstop home from HNL to JFK on Hawaiian Airlines. I don't know that we'd do it again; it was rough! Longest flight I've ever been on, so I don't have a lot of experience to pull from there. The plane was older and the main cabin seats had much less leg room than the model we flew from LAX to HNL, which was new and much nicer. Definitely splurge for extra leg room if you're going to do it. My kids are younger so it was more work for us in that aspect as well. We'd probably stop in CA or somewhere else on the way home for future Hawaii trips, but maybe I'll feel differently after my kids are grown. Hawaiian Airlines was great though - amazing customer service and also full meal service provided. As far as deals, I used Google flights and I think 1 or 2 other flight trackers to keep an eye on pricing. I was able to grab all of our flights at low points this way (it's amazing how much the pricing fluctuates when you really start tracking.) I recall our Hawaiian Airlines flight from LAX to HNL was less than Southwest Airlines pricing at the time we purchased (and it included breakfast and snacks.)

 

[jimmymc]

In my experience, the three major airlines tend to be about the same for domestic flights, with Delta being a little better for cabins and customer service and American having tighter connections and worse delays. You also might have more options on Southwest if you're willing to drive to BWI or direct options from New York. Flights direct from the east coast to Hawaii tend to use widebody planes, which are more comfortable than the other options and sometimes have better legroom in economy.

I'm 6'1" and have done extra legroom flights on some long routes, like non-stop to Asia. I generally think it's not worth it if you have aisle access. You'll have plenty of time to walk on the plane and during a layover.

 

[_19disnA]

It has been a number of years since we last went to Hawaii, but I think many of the same considerations would still apply. It takes a LONG time to get to Hawaii from anywhere east of the Mississippi. Does your family really want a non-stop from PHL over one with a layover even if they are similarly priced? Check to see which airlines provide service to where you are going and look at the type of equipment they use. Make sure to check the layover time on any flight, since many airlines now show connecting flights with excessive layover times where in the past they would simply show they don't provide service between those cities. I don't consider anything a 'connecting' flight if the layover time is in excess of 8 hrs. Wide body planes are likely used by the major airlines for their longest domestic flights. I believe Southwest only has 737 aircraft regardless of where they are flying.

For the longer flights it pays to upgrade to seating options that provide more leg room. Using the various online travel websites you can easily compare who offers what and how much it would cost.