I'm planning our honeymoon and have decided to fly first class to Hawaii. Does anyone have a recommended airline and aircraft (i.e. B-747 vs. DC-10, etc.) Thank you.

Mark, the airlines are all the same. It's just the name that's diffrent. And the level of customer service. Personally I've had some bad experiences with American Airlines. My experiences with United and Delta have been very positive. It also depends on where you would be leaving from as far as the airfare goes as well. Have a good trip and congratualtions!!
Mike

In my experience, the best first class will be on an aircraft with three levels of service(coach/business/first).

Also, with some airlines, if you are flying business class to HI, you may be able to fly first on the mainland portion in a two class aircraft.

Mark. I fly them all and I really think you get the most bang for your buck on Continental's Business class.
Chuck

Has anyone used travel-hawaii for discount first class air to Hawaii on Northwest? The rate on their website is $1147 roundtrip from Milwaukee which sounds quite good. We would be traveling in April and the rates I've come up with on expedia and travelocity for coach are $800-900. I thought it might be worth the extra money since it's a long flight. Any input would be appreciated!
Thanks,
Anna

I flew first class on Northwest two years ago. Now I know why they were so cheap compared to other first class fares. On a 747 going there and a DC10 coming back. The 747 was a *little* better than the DC10, but basically not much more room, seats hard as a rock and the food not much different than coach. I hear United is much more classier and roomy - - but then you get what you pay for most of the time - - they are more expensive.

Dear Mark,

Just got back from Hawaii on 9/23. We flew on Delta first class from NY to LAX on a really nice plane - I forget the type of plane but it was a newer aircraft with only business class, no first class. The service and plane were great - spacious seats, good food, your own personal TV screen (you can choice from a variety of movies). Then from LAX to HNL, we were put on a L1011 which was awful. Though we were in first class, the plane was run down and old. The menu was exactly the same as the flight from NY to LA. The movie screen was small and hard to see from certain seats. The list goes on and on. I couldn't imagine the conditions in coach. We also had to take an L1011 from HNL to ATL on the return trip and it was a bit better than the first trip. I would definitely try another airline - call ahead and find out the type of aircraft that will be used. Hope this helps.

Dear Mark,

Just got back from Hawaii on 9/23. We flew on Delta first class from NY to LAX on a really nice plane - I forget the type of plane but it was a newer aircraft with only business class, no first class. The service and plane were great - spacious seats, good food, your own personal TV screen (you can choice from a variety of movies). Then from LAX to HNL, we were put on a L1011 which was awful. Though we were in first class, the plane was run down and old. The menu was exactly the same as the flight from NY to LA. The movie screen was small and hard to see from certain seats. The list goes on and on. I couldn't imagine the conditions in coach. We also had to take an L1011 from HNL to ATL on the return trip and it was a bit better than the first trip. I would definitely try another airline - call ahead and find out the type of aircraft that will be used. Hope this helps.

Mark,

I am going to Hawaii for my honeymoon also, and I checked all the airlines and prices and for the money and the service...United is the BEST. Even when you are delayed they work the hardest I have found to make you as comfortable as possible. If I had one suggestion it would be to spend the money on this trip, because it is supposed to only happen once. Have a Great Trip!!

Contrary to what Mel has described, I recently flew business class on Northwest in a DC-10 over the pond and it was great -- similar to the first part of Marisa's description for Delta. The food and service were excellent and the attendents were continually offering more of same. Plenty of leg room, with pop-up footrests too. The plane did not pull away from the gate early, and in fact they made every effort to accomodate all of their passengers.

My earlier flight on United was okay, but not so accomodating.

So pays ya money, and takes ya chances.

Hi Mark,
It depends on where you are traveling from. We went to Hawaii for our honeymoon too. But from Chicago, United only had DC-10 for direct flight to Honolulu. We used our mileage points to get upgraded. The DC-10 is only a 2-class plane. On our way back though, we missed our flight and had to go to SanFran but still got upgraded. That was really nice....it was a 2 level plane (747) and we were upgraded to business which was nicer than the first class on the DC-10. But I have to say, no matter what plane, first class is way better than coach anytime!!! I've only had experience with 1st class on United so can't speak for others. Also United's 777 plane has a business class which is great too!

If you go to this site, United has pictures of planes and their seating maps:
http://www.ual.com/airline/default.a...ry=our_gallery

I have always liked Hawaiian Airlines from SFO/Honolulu/Kaui (and back) - the first class service is the best I've ever had and with their first class ambiance you feel like you're on the islands before you leave the ground. The flight attendants are exceptional, too. (No, I don't work for the airline).

Anna...assume you are talking about the travel agency Travel-Hawaii, located in Hawaii.

Have booked with them several times.

Sometimes they get some good deals. (yes, have booked deals on first class)

Very good service, and reputable in my dealings with them.

This post is from 5 years ago - I certainly hope Mark has already taken his honeymoon!

And their first born is about to enter preschool.

Yeah...funny thing about that...ya sorta do have to check the posting date!!!...thanks guys...

I'm jealous the last time I rode in first class was in 1969 from Taiwan to Seattle because of some kind of glitch. I couldn't even appreciate it because I was just a kid. Is there some magical way to get upgraded?

The magic's in the money.

Well, I guess I'll just always say that I got to ride in first class once. Maybe after we get our one and only out of college in 3 years----I'm happy for the young honeymooners and the rest though.

marymg - If you fly one airline for 25K miles a year, you can become an "elite" FF flyer. Besides getting bonus miles, priority boarding, dedicated lanes at selective security checkpoints, etc, most airlines have some automatic or semi-automatic upgrade schemes, at least for domestic flights (may not include Hawaii). That's your best hope if you don't want to buy a FC ticket.