Concerned about our Spring Break Hawaii flight

[Claudia1]

Even though I feel like I'm betraying my Main Mouse by not going to WDW, my family voted to go to Hawaii this year. I'm sure that we will have a good time and I'm looking forward to it.

We are Ambassadair members (American Trans Air's travel club) and like that many of the flights are non-stop or short stops. After I made our airline ressies, I noticed that we don't get a meal on our return trip.

We leave Honolulu at 11:45 pm (yes, it is an overnight flight) and land at San Fransisco 5 hours later. We do not get off the plane (and they don't want us to, either) and we take off 1 hour later. Same seats, same flight number. We land at Indy 4.5 hours later. That means we will be on the plane for almost 11 hours (with boarding, etc...) with just airline snacks of peanuts and cookies. EVen though we will be sleeping for at least half of the flight, we will still get hungry!

I asked Customer Service about it and they said I was welcomed to bring food on the plane. I politely asked him what food I could bring that would still be edible 7 or 8 hours later. Besides, this will be our return flight and I won't have a kitchen to make a box lunch.

We are traveling with our 19-month DGD, plus our two children. 11 hours is too long without a meal, IMHO. This is not a plane or flight change. Our flight is considered to be a direct flight, with the same number for both legs of the journey.

Anybody else ever run into this?

 

[powellrj]

wow, thats along time without meal service. I can't think of anything to help you, but will give it some thought. Is this one of the new ATA cost cutting measures?????

 

[Kallison]

GEez I hope you don't have any security problems where you get stuck in the plane. That happened to us twice. I always bring food. Once we ate an entire box of Krispy Kreme doughuts while stuck on the tarmac for 2 hours. That is why it will be a long time before I ever get to Hawaii, I could never make that flight. You are a brave, brave woman! My kids say Florida is their flight limitation.

 

[binny]

you dont get a meal on your return flight? with United we do, I think??


weird. Maybe I ought to check on that.

They wont let you get off the plane at SFO? are you sure? they have a Mcdonalds right there on the same floor as arrivals.

 

[Claudia1]

I don't think they will stop us if we get off the plane but they greatly discourage it. We would also not want to take a chance of missing the flight, either, in a strange airport.

DH has been to Hawaii twice on business, my parents have been 5 times, plus we have other family & friends that have gone. None of them can ever recall a flight of 4 hours or more without a meal of some type. This is our first trip there on ATA.

Powellrj, you have a good point.....it may be part of their cost cutting. I do know that this particular plane is a new configuration for longer flights, with 20 seats removed to allow extra space per row. I think the galley was also reconfigured.

On our trip over to Hawaii, we have the same plane and the same stop-over in SF. It is also considered one flight, not a plane change. We leave Indy at 3:17, fly 4 + hours to San Fransisco, and stop for 40 minutes. The meal on that flight will be served after we leave SF. I'm guessing our evening meal will be served around 9pm! At least we can eat a late lunch before we leave Indy.

BTW, I asked about buying a meal and they said it was not available.

 

[mommytotwo]

That is a long flight. I always bring food when I travel if it's with or without our daughter. You may want to check with the Honolulu airport terminal and see if there will be any restaurants at the airport that will be open so that you can get something to bring on the plane with you. If not, then pick up something there. You can go to the 7-11 stores, Zippys which is a local restaurant that has pasteries, hamburgers, plate lunches...most of them are open 24 hours, and as for a grocery store, you can get things at Foodland. Hope you enjoy your trip here and if you have any questions, I will be happy to answer them. I don't live on that island, but have gone there many of times before.

 

[clh2]

We brought breakfast on the plane with us when we went down to WDW last October. Certainly not an 11 hour flight, however, since we were leaving the house at 4:30 in the morning, we brought breakfast for the plane.

We picked up some of the muffins from Sam's club - sorry I don't remember the brand. Each muffin was individually wrapped, there were several varieties, a chocolate chocolate chip, banana nut and blueberry. Worked out great for us!

 

[DawnCt]

Why not stop at a grocery store before you leave, buy some juice boxes, granola bars, cereal bars or even some of the individual prepackaged cereals and plastic spoons, fruit, etc. I am sure that they will have milk as part of the beverage service but if not, try the Parmalet milk that doesn't have to be refrigerated.

 

[GIGGLES266]

I just returned from Hawaii last month. We took the same flight home as you are planning. We stopped at the store and bought beef jerky, juice boxes, raisins, granola bars, (just remember not to bring fruit on board, some cannot be brought be back to the mainland) all food that did not require refrigeration. It turned out fine. The flight home messes up your system to the point where you are really not hungry like you normally would be.

Have a great time!

 

[DawnCt]

Originally posted by GIGGLES266
I just returned from Hawaii last month. We took the same flight home as you are planning. We stopped at the store and bought beef jerky, juice boxes, raisins, granola bars, (just remember not to bring fruit on board, some cannot be brought be back to the mainland) all food that did not require refrigeration. It turned out fine. The flight home messes up your system to the point where you are really not hungry like you normally would be.

Have a great time!

Oh you are right about the fruit. I forgot! Actually you could bring canned fruit with the covers that open with a pull top.

 

[Melora]

We too are flying to Hawaii this spring break via ATA. We start in LA though. They have told us no food available. I think your concern is how long hte food will have to sit before you eat it. Can you bring a collapsible cooler? The kind made out of soft material? We have one form Costco. Pack it in your luggage flat and then on the return home (course you could use it on the flight THERE too) pack the food you want to stay cold.

Do you like ATA? We've never flown it before. Im wondering what to expect with movies (is there a drop down screen, no luck I suppose on individual screens!)