Continental or Delta to Hawaii from East Coast
 

Does anyone have an opinion about these 2 airlines with flying 1st class from Tampa to Honolulu?

I'll be flying from TPA to HNL in December, on Delta, first class. FF miles made the decision pretty easy for me. If I had a choice, I would have taken Continental because you only have the one stop in Houston. However, if you don't like being stuck on the plane for more than 5 hours, take Delta because your stops in ATL and LAX (or SLC) make the longest leg of the flight around 5 hours. Go to seatguru.com to find more info about the seating in first class on these planes. On Continental, your IAH to HNL will be on their "Hawaii" version of the 767. Your flight back will be on the 777.
Delta flies the 767-400(764)to/from Hawaii.

Form your other post, it seems like you are trying to use FF miles to get to Hawaii. If that is the case, I would use whatever airline that you can get a first class seat at the lowest number of miles. To Hawaii, I believe Delta has a slightly lower mileage requirement than Continental.

Other than that, the airlines are pretty much the same.

McLaught - thanks for the info - as I look at Delta's flight from Atlanta to Honolulu on their website - it shows direct to HI with no stops in LA. On the way back there is a flight to LA and then direct to TPA with no stops (using Song). I was wondering about the airlines quality. I will look at the seatguru.com. I have never heard of that site before. Just another new thing I've learned here on the Forums.

I usually try to avoid Delta at all costs. The term "Doesn't Ever Leave The Airport" always seems to apply.

Delta just started the non-stop flights from Atlanta to Honolulu.....and Honolulu to Atlanta yesterday, August 12, 2003.
There's still lots of good flights on Delta from Atlanta thru SLC and LAX......at least you do get a chance to stretch your legs....We always fly Delta, but since the FF miles are becoming numbered..I have recently started checking Continental...they have some really great rates into Honolulu connecting in Houston...
We seldom have problems flying Delta

Nancy,
Keep in mind that Song has only coach service so your LAX-TPA flight won't be in first class, if that's the routing you choose.

You may also be interested in reading this post at flyertalk:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum1/HTML/009089.html

And this one...

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum20/HTML/008461.html

Bottom line, if you have the choice, it sounds like CO is the way to go.

The number of aisles on the plane is important to me. I would not pay extra or use miles for first class on a 757. 777 you have the ability to walk around and tv sets on every seat. You also have more privacy with the separation of first class and coach that is available on a 777. On a 757 you are only in front of the plane.

Message: How many days out can I book Continental? I know Delta is 331, but I have been unable to find out about Continental.

I don't know the exact number of days Continental lets you book ahead but it's at least 300. I booked an Aug. 30, 2003 flight in Oct. 2002.

If you are trying to book first class award tickets on Continental, good luck. Even calling 331 days in advance won't necessarily get you tickets at their saver award rates. People apparently have better luck waiting until within 30 days of desired flight date. CO is by far the worst frequent flyer program when it comes to award availability.

Ditto what MileKing said. If you're looking to redeem ff miles, then consider yourself lucky to get FC award seats on either airline to Hawaii, that is unless you're willing to spend double the amount of miles for EasyPass or SkyChoice awards. If you're planning the use the lower mileage 'standard' or 'saver' awards, I wouldn't worry about which one is better at this point, just go with what you can get.