aloha airlines???
 

I'm not the best at flying (actually i'm terrible at it) and i was curious if anyone has flown with aloha airlines recently? Is it a tiny plane? Was it bumpy?

*I've heard bad reviews about the small planes that fly between islands, but i can't remember which airline it was.

Aloha Airlines has an all jet Boeing-737 fleet, which hold between 150 and 188 passengers.

The airline which has the small planes is Island Air. (used to be Aloha Island Air). They have flights to or from Kapalua (JHM), Kalaupapa (LUP), Kaunakakai (MKK), Lanai (LNY). So if you're not flying to any of these smaller airports, you shouldn't have a problem.
((S))((*))

actually, island air also flies to hilo, kona, maui and oahu. some connections booked on aloha use island air so check before you book. it is a nice flight though, longer but lower so you can see more. and yes, it can be bumpy!

We just got back from Hawaii and flew Aloha from Maui to Oahu and on to Kauai then back to Oahu with no problems at all. Very smooth flight with great takeoff and landings. Each flight is 20 min.long from the other Islands.Hope this helps!

The flights from the mainland are all on big 737's and are very comfortable, no different than the other carriers. The inter-island flights can be a little bumpy, but remember there are flights almost every hour, so the pilots are very experienced at this. If you have a choice, the earliest flights in the day are likely to be the smoothest.

Thanks everyone for clearing that up for me! I think i can do 20 minutes, bumpy or not (i mean i am flying from NY to get to Hawaii... so whats 20 minutes?)

I flew Aloha a few years ago and their planes were big then too. But regarding the Island air I can confirm those planes are small, propeller planes. I am swimming by Black Rock last week and I heard this loud noise and I looked up and it was flying over the beach landing in Kapalua. If you are afraid to fly stay away from it.

Hi Aliwec how are you flying from NYC. I fly from New York once a year.

I am not sure where you heard the interisland flights are bumpy?

Usually people are referring to turbo engine planes but Aloha and Hawaiian don't use them and they are the main inter-island planes.

Which islands are you flying too.

I have had bumpy rides from Honolulu to Kauai but at night and during a storm. So no worries. You will be fine. Fear in the air is almost always irrational. That is what I remember if I get spooked.

aliwec seatguru.com and see where you are sitting on all planes. See if you are next to the babies on that flight from NYC, that is what I like to do.

Did you also check to see of you are the most scenic side of the plane. I always arrange this if I am taking new people to Hawaii.

Sarah... I meant that if i can take the flight from JFK to OGG airport for 11 hours, than whats a little 20 minute island hop ride.

Normally, the whole checking out where you are seated on the plane thing would be a good idea and checking the scenic side, but i hate to fly. So there will be no looking out the window for me! The less i see, the better! But thanks for the suggestion.

oh that is so funny ali


Listen for whatever reason after a few years of skiing I developed a fear of down hill skiing. OUT OF THE BLUE.

I was fortunate enough on one of my club trips to meet a member that was a license hypnotherapist. Anyway, what he told me was that many fears and phobias are connected to other issues people have and they are frequently not related to the potential accident or whatever they are afraid of. He said some fears are connected to guilt and things that you would never suspect. He has to also administer counceling in his sessions to reveal to the client what is connected to their fear.

For me I get...in my slope side session LOL. You are out of work (03) and you are skiing, think you might feel some guilt about that. Had to laugh but that is exactly when my fear started. I think understand these kind of connections can relieve some of the angxiety.

Food for thought is all I am saying.

Oh believe me i totally know that your fear is related to some other issue. I have a psychology degree... so i'm a bit familiar with it. I even thought about doing virtual reality therapy, but i was in college and it was on the expensive side.

Anyways, my issue... is lack of control. My fear of flying is the inability to let someone else be in charge and have complete faith in planes and the pilots. I used to fly to florida 3 times a year when i was little to see my father and as i got older, i got more afraid.

But don't worry... i don't let it stop me from going anywhere. I always suck it up anyways. Its just not a fun day, thats all.

so Ali because I got to Hawaii just about yearly I am always curious in the routes people use from NYC. What are the legs of your flight?

We're flying American Airlines and we leave at 2:30pm from JFK. We fly to LAX and then get into OGG in maui at 8:30pm. I think its an 11 hour trip all together. We're stopping in LAX for only like 25 minutes (i called the airline to see if we were changing planes or just refueling and they said anything under an hour is refueling).

not to freak you out Ali just make sure its refueling because sometimes they do book you with inadequate change time.

LAX is huge and long ago I can remember hiking at record speed to make a connections, huge trolly in tow.

Like i said above, they already told me that they'll be refueling and not changing planes. But thanks for the suggestion. :)

aliwnec - When are you going? I don't see a direct JFK-LAX-OGG flight on American's timetable. It'll be even better if you give me your flight number.

And whoever tell you it's just only to be a fuel stop is most likely wrong.

We are going in october of 2006. And i called the airline to ask them specifically about the stop and they said it was to refuel. Why would they lie??

The agent didn't lie. He/she just didn't know what he/she's talking about. Which is not that unusual.

The two LAX-OGG flights on AA are 161 and 253. I checked all the way to 10/31/2006, and neither one originates from JFK. And neither arrives 8:30pm. Further more, AA uses mostly 767-200 for JFK-LAX, while 161/253 are on 757-200.

She probably did not lie she was just misinformed, not unusual and that it what I meant about the need for a second call. In your origninal response she said "(i called the airline to see if we were changing planes or just refueling and they said anything under an hour is refueling" that sounds like a guess to me. I have bought tickets that were mistakenly sold with too short of a connection and its never been about refueling. On AA I might add too.

Also its fair to state that airlines frequently add a plane in these incidents. AA might be watching seat sales before they do this.

okay so i have to ask RKKWAN... why are you checking out my flights and why are you so interested??? I'm not lying. We're flying out of JFK on october 9th 2006 and flying to LAX then to Maui at 8:30pm. Whats the big deal?

aliwnec10 - Because I'm always interested about plane travel. If you look at the "airlines" forum, you'll see me post often. Also on flyertalk.com.

Just trying to help. Nothing to alarm about.

The big deal is that I want you to understand what flights you're booked onto. There's a huge difference between a flight making a 25-minute fuel stop, or if you're booked into a 25-minute connection. If it's a fuel stop, you're fine - BUT NOT SUCH FLIGHT EXISTS ON AA. If you're booked into a 25-minute connection at LAX, then it's "illegal" in airline lingo. You will not make the connection and the airline doesn't have the obligation to rebook you on your next flight.

Anyways, I believe you're booked onto AA161 LAX-OGG 6:00pm 8:26pm

Your JFK-LAX flight may be AA117 2:30-5:17pm. So you'll have 43 minutes, which is probably legal, but tight. You may want to consider switching to the previous JFK flight, AA3 12:00pm 2:51pm, which is will give you just over 3 hours at LAX.

Or switch to a DFW connection, or to a LGA-ORD-OGG one.

Anyways, I'm just trying to help. If you don't want me to contribute to your thread, I can certainly use my time on other things.

Look i didn't mean to offend you, i just thought it was a little odd that you were so interested. But to each their own right?

We're on flight 117 American Airlines on October 9, 2006 leaving JFK to LAX which gets in at 5:17pm. Then we're on flight# 161 to OGG at 6pm, which gets in at 8:26pm. Other than calling the airline and specifically asking again, what can i do? If the operator didn't know if there was a plane change, why wouldn't she have just said "i don't know?"

aliwnec10 - You don't need to call anybody if you're comfortable with the 43 minute connection. You don't need to get luggage, and you'll have the boarding pass of the next flight. But you will need to get off your 767-200 flight and go board a 757-200 at a different gate. All AA flights use Terminal 4. For example, if you fly today, flight 117 will arrive at gate 49A while 161 wiill depart from 47B. Should be a short walk.

Now, about this 43 minute connection and your risk. First, schedules may very well change, likely more than once, between now and next October. So, your 43 minute connection may become a 35-minute one, or a 60-minute one. No way to tell this far out. So, check your reservations every few months.

Second, I pulled up the TOUCH DOWN time of recent AA117 JFK-LAX. The flight is scheduled to ARRIVE AT GATE at 5:35pm in the current timetable. But just looking at flights in the past month, these flights didn't make it on the ground by 5:35pm, let alone the gate:

12/15 6:17pm
12/13 5:53pm
12/12 5:56pm
12/5 6:56pm
12/4 10:16pm
12/2 6:00pm
12/1 5:38pm
11/27 6:12pm
11/23 6:17pm

You have to decide if it's worth the risk to take this connection. The next non-stop to OGG is the next morning. You'll need to pay for your hotel in LA if the JFK flight was late due to weather or traffic. Or they may put you on the later HNL fligth (~8pm) that arrives Honolulu around midnight.

Personally, I don't like such a short connection, especially since the consequence of missing it is not too pretty.

aliwec you understand you are in a travel chatroom and this sort of thing is fun for us?

Is this your first chatroom experience?

We are travel geeks my dear! Its really not unusual that rkwan gets a kick out of looking up options, next time she will be more knowledgable when she goes.

My daughter who has a fear of flying was once scheduled to Hawaii on Aloha airlines. She was so nervous she almost cancelled the trip . At check in she told the agent how nervous she was and asked about their safety record
and was reassured that they had a good record.
As she was boarding a flight attendent tapped her on the shoulder and said "follow me girls" and led them to the first class section.
They had been upgraded to first class,
drank champagne all the way there and were treated royally by the staff .
Couldnt have been a better experience -

Thats a nice story sunbum

Rkkwan... you're really starting to scare me. What am i supposed to do? I hate flying to begin with so i can't see waiting around in an airport for 2 hours. Just so you know... i called again and the person i spoke w/said i'd have to change planes (flight #'s are different). Why would the first person tell me different? I never would have booked that flight if i'd known.

In my experience, on every flight i've been on, we're always early. But the recent landings you pulled up say just the opposite. What should i do?

aliwnec - If you're not an experienced flyer, you shouldn't chance a 43-minute connection for a flight to Hawaii. You'll be much more comfortable booking the earlier flight, AA3, that arrives at LAX around 3pm. Three hours at an airport is tolerable. Eat, read, whatever. You can relax.

Otherwise, all you'll be doing on your 6-hour JFK-LAX flight is worry about missing your connection. I would not chance that.

The 43 minute connection time in LAX is very much doable, if your incoming flight get's in on time. Terminal 4 is ver manageable. I's no more than a 10 minute walk from one end to the other, and in this case, if the gates stay the same, it's practically a minute or less walk.

That said, I totally agree with <b>rkkwan</b> on many of the issues raised.

There will be at least 2-3 schedule changes between what you have now and the actual schedules in OCT2006. Check your reservations about every 2 months. VERY IMPORTANT.

If the conection time goes under 40 minutes, AA will at no cost to you change to an earlier flight at that time. 40 minuts is the &quot;legal&quot; connection time for AA from domestic to Hawaii flights in LAX. So, right now you're fine and if you don't want to pay for any changes, just keep the schedule as is.

As far as if missing a connection because of a delay flight from JFK? If you do miss the connection, and this is the last flight to OGG for the day, AA will at their expense, put you up at a local LAX airpor hotel for the night and give you few $s for food and you can catch the next day flight, but are you willing to take that chance? If you are willing to take that chance and understand that possibility, don't change anything, and in most cases it won't happen, but there is always that chance with close connections to a last flight out to your final destination. If you decide to change to an earlier flight now, you also have to understand that with most of the coach fares and some business fares, there is a fee involved when changing a flight.

BTW, <b>rkwaan</b> is an old timer around here and s/he knows a great deal about airline business, so listen to the advice because most of the time it's great advice. :-D

I'm a very frequent AA flyer (over 130,000 miles this year) so I know AA specifically.

The schedule as is, is very much doable, but as stated above, it will change, that's very normal with the airlines these days. Keep on top of the situation by checking your itinerary occasionally.

rkkwan -- could you pls tell me where you find flight touchdown times such as the ones for flights that you cite in your response at 12:18 on 12/17. I'm not looking for the flight you show, but for other ones. thanks

AAfrequentflyer... thank you so much for your advice. You definitely made me less nervous about everything and i think i'm going to take your advice and wait. I'll just keep checking my flights.

rkkwan... i really didn't mean to offend you. I've been posting on here for about 7 6 months now and you just caught me off guard with the amount of interest you had. I see that you were just trying to help and thank you for that.

One more question... if the plane is late getting into the airport, if i tell the flight attendent and there are other people headed to maui, would the airport hold the plane (if its only a matter of minutes)? I've heard of this happening before.

It depends.... if there are more than few connecting passengers on your fight and it's only minutes late, they may, but generally they don't.

Allow me to correct something from my earlier post.

When I talked about AA paying for a hotel if missing a connection, I was thinking about myself. They do take care of their top tier status holders.

If the delayed flight is beyond AA's control, i.e. weather, ATC hold, major mechanical, etc., AA may not be so accomodating to the average Joe/Jane. They may give you a hotel room, but it's also possible they may choose to only give you a distressed rate cert at one of the local airport hotels. It's also possible the may not do anything at all if the delay is weather, ATC related.

But that's months away, so this is nothing to worry about at this point.

One more correction - :-)

When I said - &quot;AA may choose not to do anything&quot;, I meant that they may choose not to help you with accomodations for the night. <b>They will re-book you on the next available flight to OGG.</b>

aliwnec - Hey, no big deal. I'm still posting in this thread, right? :)

About the hotel thing, as AAFF says, if the delay was due to weather or traffic control (i.e. basically anything but a mechanical), AA won't pay for your hotel. Usually they'll arrange hotels nearby at a discount rate, or some coupons.

dona - I get the info from this new but very powerful website: www.flightaware.com Register to get data from further back. Another site with some data is www.flightstats.com, but they have the data arranged into categories, and you can't look up specific dates. Data can also be accessible from the government: www.bts.gov. But flightaware is the place I go now.

Thanks so much for the info, rkkwan. I'll check the sites out. One always worries about connections and knowing what time flights typically arrive will be helpful.

Sorry this is off-topic. What a cool web site. Now I'm tracking my son's flight. Thanks rkkwan!

Yes, that flightaware.com site is the bomb. You can search for specific flights, you can search for all flights to/from an airport, you can search for all airborne flights of a particular plane type.

The maps are huge with current altitude and groundspeed. If a plane is put on hold, you can often see the loop on the flight path. Maps also have weather superimposed on them. There are flight routes currently being used.

I can easily spend hours just reading this and that. :)