Question about flying one way, but two airlines

[aboveH20]

I'm starting to do some pre-planning for an Aulani vacation next February. I have a question about flying two airlines on the way there and two on the way back.

I can fly United (and pay their baggage fees and hope I don't need to reschedule) for approximately $1,200 round trip. OR I can fly Southwest to Los Angeles and THEN Hawaiian Airways to Honolulu for roughy $700 ( no baggage fees and better rescheduling policy) . My concern is, since I'll be flying out of upstate New York in winter, what happens to my second flight if i don't make it to LAX in time?

I don't want to be penny wise and pound foolish, but the difference for two people is about a thousand bucks.

Anyone have any experience with this? Maybe it's something people do all the time, I'm just not familiar with it.

Thanks!

 

[DebbieB]

I'm starting to do some pre-planning for an Aulani vacation next February. I have a question about flying two airlines on the way there and two on the way back.

I can fly United (and pay their baggage fees and hope I don't need to reschedule) for approximately $1,200 round trip. OR I can fly Southwest to Los Angeles and THEN Hawaiian Airways to Honolulu for roughy $700 ( no baggage fees and better rescheduling policy) . My concern is, since I'll be flying out of upstate New York in winter, what happens to my second flight if i don't make it to LAX in time?

I don't want to be penny wise and pound foolish, but the difference for two people is about a thousand bucks.

Anyone have any experience with this? Maybe it's something people do all the time, I'm just not familiar with it.

Thanks!

They are not even in the same terminal at LAX. If you buy separate tickets, you would have to go to baggage claim, get the luggage and check back in again in the other terminal. I would only do it if you have a long layover, even then it's risky.

http://www.lawa.org/uploadedFiles/LAX/pdf/LAX Airline Location Map.pdf

 

[aboveH20]

Thanks, Debbie. I never even thought about the airport layout. (I would have about a five hour layover.) My gut tells me I should bite the bullet and just go United, but I hate to spend an extra thousand dollars.

 

[DebbieB]

I would buy travel insurance.

 

[leebee]

Can you fly to LAX on day 1, then take the flight to Hawaii on day 2? I don't know how much time you have available or what the flight schedules are like, but a couple of nights in a hotel (one each way) is still cheaper than United's airfare. Also, I "second" buying the trip insurance if you do two airlines!

 

[seashoreCM]

It's not recommended unless you have a few days of layover.

If your first flight is delayed so you miss the second flight then it is a no-show and not a missed connection. It is possible that you could forfeit the second ticket's value completely.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

OR I can fly Southwest to Los Angeles and THEN Hawaiian Airways to Honolulu for roughy $700 ( no baggage fees and better rescheduling policy) . My concern is, since I'll be flying out of upstate New York in winter, what happens to my second flight if i don't make it to LAX in time?

An itinerary with connections involving two different airlines is not a problem... but ONLY if you're on a single ticket involving two airlines with an interline agreement. In that case, one of the airlines issues the ticket. The airlines then have an obligation to get you from your city of origin to your final destination, just as if both segments were with the same airline. If there's a schedule change with either airline, the issuing airline will change one or both segments to make sure you get to your destination. On the days you travel, you check your bags to our final destination. If you miss your connection because your first segment is delayed, you'll be put on a later flight, just as if both segments were on the same airline.

However... Southwest does not connect with other airlines (except with AirTran) on a single ticket (and no interline baggage transfers either).

If you buy two separate tickets and one airline changes its schedule, the other airline has no obligation to allow you to change to another flight time without a change fee -- even if your second segment is now scheduled to depart before your first segment is scheduled to arrive.

Even if the schedules don't change, you could have problems if you buy two separate tickets. If the first segment is delayed (flight delays are common) and you arrive at the connecting airport too late for the second segment, you are a "no-show" for the second flight segment.

You may be able to find a connecting itinerary involving Hawaiian Airlines and another airline (on a single ticket) for a lower price than an itinerary entirely on United. I've also seen cases where Chicago-to-Oahu itineraries involving American Airlines and Alaska Airlines are substantially cheaper than itineraries entirely on American.

Keep looking.

 

[aboveH20]

I would buy travel insurance.

I certainly will, but last year we had to reschedule a trip to Alaska (I had surgery that left me temporarily unable to talk) so we "lost" the $400 insurance and still had to pay United $350 to reschedule. $300 change fee and $50 travel agent fee (first time we used a travel agent, second trip I booked it myself).

Can you fly to LAX on day 1, then take the flight to Hawaii on day 2? I don't know how much time you have available or what the flight schedules are like, but a couple of nights in a hotel (one each way) is still cheaper than United's airfare. Also, I "second" buying the trip insurance if you do two airlines!

Good suggestion. As we speak my son's drving cross country to seek his fame and fortune in LA. By February he'll be ready to visitors.

It's not recommended unless you have a few days of layover.

If your first flight is delayed so you miss the second flight then it is a no-show and not a missed connection. It is possible that you could forfeit the second ticket's value completely.

That's what I was wondering, the whole no show thing.

An itinerary with connections involving two different airlines is not a problem... but ONLY if you're on a single ticket involving two airlines with an interline agreement. In that case, one of the airlines issues the ticket. The airlines then have an obligation to get you from your city of origin to your final destination, just as if both segments were with the same airline. If there's a schedule change with either airline, the issuing airline will change one or both segments to make sure you get to your destination. On the days you travel, you check your bags to our final destination. If you miss your connection because your first segment is delayed, you'll be put on a later flight, just as if both segments were on the same airline.

However... Southwest does not connect with other airlines (except with AirTran) on a single ticket (and no interline baggage transfers either).

If you buy two separate tickets and one airline changes its schedule, the other airline has no obligation to allow you to change to another flight time without a change fee -- even if your second segment is now scheduled to depart before your first segment is scheduled to arrive.

Even if the schedules don't change, you could have problems if you buy two separate tickets. If the first segment is delayed (flight delays are common) and you arrive at the connecting airport too late for the second segment, you are a "no-show" for the second flight segment.

You may be able to find a connecting itinerary involving Hawaiian Airlines and another airline (on a single ticket) for a lower price than an itinerary entirely on United. I've also seen cases where Chicago-to-Oahu itineraries involving American Airlines and Alaska Airlines are substantially cheaper than itineraries entirely on American.

Keep looking.

Thank you for such a complete answer. I had forgotten to ask about the baggage thing, but was wondering about that, too.

Another possibility is flying Hawaiian out of JFK. My home airport is Albany (the capital of New York) but I guess we don't have enough people going to JFK because there are no flights! The Hawaiian flight leaves at 9 AM so we'd have to do an overnight in NYC. And, it's a non-stop flight so that would be some serious air (rear end) time!

Once again, thank you all for taking the time to post. I love the way people on dis are so helpful.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

I can fly United (and pay their baggage fees and hope I don't need to reschedule) for approximately $1,200 round trip. OR I can fly Southwest to Los Angeles and THEN Hawaiian Airways to Honolulu for roughy $700 ( no baggage fees and better rescheduling policy) .

Where are you finding those prices?

I agree that an all-United itinerary from ALB to HNL would be around $1200 + baggage fees.

But a two-airline itinerary is likely to cost a similar amount. The Southwest Airlines part is likely to be around $600 with no baggage fess. The Hawaiian Airlines part is likely to be around $600 + baggage fees.

Perhaps you can do a little better with two airlines, but I would be surprised if the savings are $500 per passenger ($1000 total).

If you could really save $1000 and if you have enough vacation time, you could consider flying ALB-to-LAX the day before you fly LAX-to-HNL. (Pick a ALB-to-LAX flight that's early enough to make sure you get to LAX that day, even if you miss your connection.) You could get a nice hotel room near LAX and still be ahead financially.

A big advantage of two-day travel is that you could arrive at Aulani in the afternoon. You could actually enjoy your arrival at Aulani. Eastern time is 5 hours ahead of the Hawaiian time during winter and 6 hours during winter. In February, when a clock on Oahu shows 2 p.m., it will feel like 7 p.m., but when it shows 10 p.m., it will feel like 3 a.m. (until you get used to it).

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Another possibility is flying Hawaiian out of JFK. My home airport is Albany (the capital of New York) but I guess we don't have enough people going to JFK because there are no flights! The Hawaiian flight leaves at 9 AM so we'd have to do an overnight in NYC. And, it's a non-stop flight so that would be some serious air (rear end) time!

That seems like a wonderful option.

Hawaiian Airlines' nonstop leaves JFK at 9:00 a.m. and arrives in HNL at 3:30 p.m. Sure, the flight takes 11 hours and 30 minutes, but, because it's a nonstop, there's no chance of missing one or more connections. At HNL, you need to claim your luggage, rent a car, and drive to Aulani. If the flight in on time, you should arrive at the resort around 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. (It will feel like 11:00 p.m. to midnight.) Traffic between HNL and Ko Olina can be awful that time of day.

The price is terrific. When I put in sample dates for February 2013, the price was just $639 roundtrip + baggage fees.

Perhaps you could take a shuttle from Albany to JFK the day before. I'm not personally familiar with this company, but it might be an option: https://premierelimo.com/

There are quite a few hotels with courtesy shuttles near JFK, but I don't have personal experience with any of them.

Please let us now what you decide.

 

[aboveH20]

That seems like a wonderful option.

Hawaiian Airlines' nonstop leaves JFK at 9:00 a.m. and arrives in HNL at 3:30 p.m. Sure, the flight takes 11 hours and 30 minutes, but, because it's a nonstop, there's no chance of missing one or more connections. At HNL, you need to claim your luggage, rent a car, and drive to Aulani. If the flight in on time, you should arrive at the resort around 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. (It will feel like 11:00 p.m. to midnight.) Traffic between HNL and Ko Olina can be awful that time of day.

The price is terrific. When I put in sample dates for February 2013, the price was just $639 roundtrip + baggage fees.

Perhaps you could take a shuttle from Albany to JFK the day before. I'm not personally familiar with this company, but it might be an option: https://premierelimo.com/

There are quite a few hotels with courtesy shuttles near JFK, but I don't have personal experience with any of them.

Please let us now what you decide.

Thank you Horace for taking the time, again, to post such a thorough and thoughtful response.

I'm planning a surprise birthday trip, so haven't shared the options with my husband -- yet.

It's my birthday, but the first year we were married my husband's idea of a birthday surprise was that he played basketball and I went out to dinner. I learned that birthdays aren't high on his list of priorities. He gets restless legs on long flights, so I'm hesitant to do the JFK departure.

Decisions, decisions.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

He gets restless legs on long flights, so I'm hesitant to do the JFK departure.

I get restless on long flights too, but I'd much rather have a single long nonstop than two or three connecting segments to the same destination.

With connecting flights, the total flying time is longer. There's also the time waiting at airports and sitting in the plane waiting for each departure. And there's the very real possibility of missing a connection if your arrival at a connecting airport is delayed for any reason.

Hawaiian Airlines flies Airbus A330-200 aircraft between JFK and HNL. These are wide-body, twin-aisle airliners with 2+4+2 seating in coach. Many connecting flights to Hawaii will have most or all segments on narrow-body, single-aisle airliners with 3+3 seating. When I'm on a long flight with my wife, we like having 2 seats between an aisle and the window, without a stranger sitting in a third seat next to us.

Unlike most other domestic carriers flying to Hawaii, Hawaiian provides complimentary meals in coach.

If you decide to book with Hawaiian, consider Hawaiian Coach Plus instead of regular Hawaiian Coach. In addition to the usual coach service, you also get the first 2 checked bags per passenger for free, and if you need to change your ticket, the change fee is waived (but you would have to pay a fare difference if the new fare is higher). The additional cost is relatively low considering the benefits.

Aloha!

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

What you are suggesting in post 1 is called an "unprotected" connection.

In other words if SW doesn't get you to LAX on time then Hawaii has NO obligation to assist nor does SW.

I do these sometimes, but you MUST have a very good understanding of what you are getting into.

1. If you miss flight two due to an issue with flight one you may be stuck. You may have to pay a full fare walk up to get where you are going. (My last one was going to Paris, but there I did have the train option. It would not have been cheap but cheaper then a flight from London to Paris at the walk up rate0

2. Allow LOTS and LOTS of time. My minimum is 4 hours, but for LAX I would want more like 6 (it's a HUGE nightmare of an airport)

If I were doing this I would do the overnight in LAX option. (I would probably do that rather then 11 hours on plane, but that's me and others would rather do the non stop, it's really a personal call on what you want at that point!) But you need to think about the return too.... Do you want to overnight on the return?

 

[chasgoose]

While I agree with others who have cautioned you against the unprotected connection. If anything goes wrong on the Southwest flight, they won't protect you on Hawaiian Airlines. Additionally, your luggage would have to be rechecked (not a huge issue since you are going to have to change terminals and go through security again anyways). Is JetBlue an option for getting to LAX? They have a partnership with Hawaiian that would better protect you.

If you do choose the Southwest flight, I will say the connection at LAX won't be very difficult. Not to say LAX isn't usually a nightmare for connections to different terminals, but this particular one isn't. Southwest arrives in Terminal 1 and Hawaiian departs from Terminal 2, and its about a 5 minute walk from the Terminal 1 baggage claim to the Terminal 2 check-in area. You can probably be in the check-in line for your Hawaiian Airlines flight within 30-45 minutes of pulling into the gate at LAX.

If your husband doesn't do well with long flights, I would caution against taking the JFK-HNL nonstop. That is a very long flight and its probably better to be able to get off the plane a couple times to let him stretch his legs than to be on that long of a flight even if it means more connections. Also, since there are only two, the non-stop flights from NYC to JFK tend to be a lot more expensive than those from LAX so you will probably have to pay more than even the United flight through LAX.

 

[aboveH20]

GRRRRR. I'm starting to think I could have a very nice vacation at the Polynesian (and fly Southwest) for what this trip is going to cost.

My grand plan is to spend six nights at Aulani and then do the seven night Pride of America cruise around the islands.

Does anyone have suggestions for a travel insurance company that would cover air, Aulani and the cruise? I've just started looking into renting points, and my understanding is once you sign on the dotted line no refunds.

I get restless on long flights too, but I'd much rather have a single long nonstop than two or three connecting segments to the same destination.

With connecting flights, the total flying time is longer. There's also the time waiting at airports and sitting in the plane waiting for each departure. And there's the very real possibility of missing a connection if your arrival at a connecting airport is delayed for any reason.

Hawaiian Airlines flies Airbus A330-200 aircraft between JFK and HNL. These are wide-body, twin-aisle airliners with 2+4+2 seating in coach. Many connecting flights to Hawaii will have most or all segments on narrow-body, single-aisle airliners with 3+3 seating. When I'm on a long flight with my wife, we like having 2 seats between an aisle and the window, without a stranger sitting in a third seat next to us.

Unlike most other domestic carriers flying to Hawaii, Hawaiian provides complimentary meals in coach.

If you decide to book with Hawaiian, consider Hawaiian Coach Plus instead of regular Hawaiian Coach. In addition to the usual coach service, you also get the first 2 checked bags per passenger for free, and if you need to change your ticket, the change fee is waived (but you would have to pay a fare difference if the new fare is higher). The additional cost is relatively low considering the benefits.

Aloha!

Thanks again for the detailed answer.

I'm getting closer to telling my husband we're going to Hawaii for my birthday so I'll see what his preference is. I've read nice things about Hawaiian Air, which is part of the reason I wanted to fly them, plus I'm still mad at United for change fees from last year, and I think they've gone up to $200!

What you are suggesting in post 1 is called an "unprotected" connection.

In other words if SW doesn't get you to LAX on time then Hawaii has NO obligation to assist nor does SW.

I do these sometimes, but you MUST have a very good understanding of what you are getting into.

1. If you miss flight two due to an issue with flight one you may be stuck. You may have to pay a full fare walk up to get where you are going. (My last one was going to Paris, but there I did have the train option. It would not have been cheap but cheaper then a flight from London to Paris at the walk up rate0

2. Allow LOTS and LOTS of time. My minimum is 4 hours, but for LAX I would want more like 6 (it's a HUGE nightmare of an airport)

If I were doing this I would do the overnight in LAX option. (I would probably do that rather then 11 hours on plane, but that's me and others would rather do the non stop, it's really a personal call on what you want at that point!) But you need to think about the return too.... Do you want to overnight on the return?

One time flying out of Albany to Orlando we were on the cusp of a giant snowstorm. The airport was closing very shortly after our flight and was going to be closed for two days. The dollar signs would be whirring in my head if we missed time in Hawaii!

Based on yesterday's information, now I'm considering flying to LAX a day ahead, visitng my son (who called last night from Kansas City as he makes his way to LA) and then flying Hawaiian the next day.

I'm not as concerned about the way home.

While I agree with others who have cautioned you against the unprotected connection. If anything goes wrong on the Southwest flight, they won't protect you on Hawaiian Airlines. Additionally, your luggage would have to be rechecked (not a huge issue since you are going to have to change terminals and go through security again anyways). Is JetBlue an option for getting to LAX? They have a partnership with Hawaiian that would better protect you.

If you do choose the Southwest flight, I will say the connection at LAX won't be very difficult. Not to say LAX isn't usually a nightmare for connections to different terminals, but this particular one isn't. Southwest arrives in Terminal 1 and Hawaiian departs from Terminal 2, and its about a 5 minute walk from the Terminal 1 baggage claim to the Terminal 2 check-in area. You can probably be in the check-in line for your Hawaiian Airlines flight within 30-45 minutes of pulling into the gate at LAX.

If your husband doesn't do well with long flights, I would caution against taking the JFK-HNL nonstop. That is a very long flight and its probably better to be able to get off the plane a couple times to let him stretch his legs than to be on that long of a flight even if it means more connections. Also, since there are only two, the non-stop flights from NYC to JFK tend to be a lot more expensive than those from LAX so you will probably have to pay more than even the United flight through LAX.

Good point about the whole baggage thing.

We just drove 468 miles from Maryland, "only" nine hours, and I was ready to do some serious wiggling when we got home. I don't have the restless leg my husband does, but 11 hours on a plane is a long time.

Good question about JetBlue. I think maybe I have heard that they're talking about coming to Albany. I know my son likes JetBlue.

Thanks all for your replies. I keep telling myself it shouldn't be this stressful to plan a vacation and I'm trying hard not to let my frugal side get in the way of what is "best".

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Does anyone have suggestions for a travel insurance company that would cover air, Aulani and the cruise? I've just started looking into renting points, and my understanding is once you sign on the dotted line no refunds.

Go to insuremytrip.com and look at your options.

 

[aboveH20]

Does anyone have suggestions for a travel insurance company that would cover air, Aulani and the cruise? I've just started looking into renting points, and my understanding is once you sign on the dotted line no refunds.

Go to insuremytrip.com and look at your options.

Thanks for the suggestion. I will.

 

[Greysword]

You can get travel insurance for most of your trip, but I would caution that the insurance will likely not cover your loss for the points you are renting. You can ask the insurance company, but since it is a transaction between two people, and not and official business, the insurance may not be applicable.

 

[aboveH20]

Thank you "Gray." That makes sense.

I just got an email from my brother that my 88 year old mother, who lives alone, is beginning to have some memory/confusion problems -- she's one of the reasons I'm concerned about insurance.

I think I need to take a deep breath and regroup.

Thank you, again, so many people have been so generous with their time and information regarding my situation. I've certainly learned a lot!

 

[aboveH20]

Thank you again all for responding.*

We decided we would fly Southwest a day early and stay overnight in Los Angeles (my son moved there this week and we could at least have dinner with him) then take Hawaiian Airlines the next day. Flight times didn't work out on the way back, so thought about biting the bullet and flying Evil United.

I just went to do some pricing -- even though I've read to wait until about four months out -- and the Evil United one way fare is $1600, roundtrip on Evil United is $1050. Geez! I guess we'll be flying Evil United roundtrip unless we want to get ourselves to JFK and fly Hawaiian round trip.

It shouldn't be so complicated.

*How do the rest of you do so well typing without typos. I find 16 before I submit and then another six after!