I am in the early phases of planning a trip from Maui to visit my daughter who is moving to the Arlington area. My travel dates are still up in the air right now, but ideally I'll travel soon after the weather turns warmer, late spring?
, stop in LA area for a few days and then from LAX or ONT on to DC. It seems I have a lot of flight options--too many! Any suggestions? I need cheap fares! Which airport? Any low-cost airlines you like? I have no trouble flying Southwest or other budget airlines to save a buck and I am healthy and can easily change flights if it will save me $$. I am used to seeing my daughter several times a year, as flights from Maui to LA were easy and fairly affordable. I hope, that with a few adjustments and some creative planning I can still go a few times a year.

I am also open to direct from OGG to DC area suggestions. What flights do you beltway denizens like to fly Maui?

Do you know about kayak.com? You can enter OGG as origination and put any of the DC area airports and then have it check nearby airports. Results come up sorted by price, but you can have them resorted by time, stops etc.

If your top priority is savings, then any of the airports will do.

DCA is the most convenient to Arlington and also to the Metro system, having its own subway station. Naturally, this advantage makes it more difficult to get excellent fares.

Both Dulles and BWI offer public transit express buses that connect with the Metro subway system, and BWI also offers a shuttle to the faster but pricier Amtrak trains into Union Station.

My daughter attended college in DC. The weather in DC resembles Maui's for about a week in April, and then suddenly it's hot humid summertime. Personally, I'd rather risk cooler weather and put on a jacket rather than deal with the hot humid swampy DC summer weather. Temperature isn't everything.

Between Boston and DC, we usually use AirTran, which flies into BWI, and this has worked out well for us.

I 2nd Kayak.com - click on "multi cities" put in the cities and the dates that you want to visit and they will come back with the airlines that can accomodate that schedule.

From there, you can start researching pricing by going directly to the airlines website that you want.

I just did the same thing with my own itin to OGG -

DTW-FLL-OGG-MCO-DTW.....

Actually, I know how research and find cheaper fares. Rather, I was hoping for some input on the various options I am finding, such as of the three airports, which do travelers through that are prefer and why. And what about the airline choices themselves? I know, personally I have done the OGG - LAX flight enough to now know that with price being equal there are some I love and some I'd pay a higher price to avoid. I could tell you who has better seats, or which flights generally fly less than full, what time of day the airport is busiest, etc.

I was hoping some of the travelers who do DC to OGG or LA-DC flights might have some opinions of their own on some of the various options to help me narrow the field. I don't mind SW, but if there is a better choice for the same price--newer plane, better schedule, less surly service,a few more inches, more business travelers, less kids, etc. There is no point in making my 11 hours in the air a bigger ordeal than it already will be!

You can't underestimate the inconvenience of airports. I live in Arlington and I've all but decided that unless I can save $150 or so or it is the only nonstop, I refuse to use BWI. It's just too far to go to save $75.

National is far and away the most convenient of the three airports if you are going to Arlington. Dulles is okay--except during rush hour--but hard to navigate. Still, it has the most non-stop connections from the West Coast.

From LA, you can soon fly nonstop on Virgin America to Dulles. Because United is a Dulles hub, you can usually get competitive, non-stops to Dulles. There is a single non-stop to National (which is by far the most convenient airport) and that's on Alaska.

JetBlue flies out of Long Beach, but has crazy times.

Any of the 3 airports are "OK", but, as mentioned, DCA is the best.

It usually cost a little more but you need to look at the whole package. For example: A taxi from BWI to Arlington will be about $60 (each way - arriving and departing) and will take about an hour whereas from DCA you can either hop a $1.35 subway ride or a a less than $10 taxi (either option from DCA is about 10 minutes).

So, if the "savings" you get from BWI is around $50 , then you really are not saving in the total package.

IAD is a little betterthan BWI: about a $40 (each way - arriving and departing), taxi one way is about 40 minutes.

I also put a price on my on time and the convenience factor so unless IAD or BWI saves me $100 or more, then I always go DCA.

When we lived on Kauai we went to DC about once a month for several years (had an apartment in Arlington for work). Long haul, always involved a red-eye flight going east. Nice to have a stopover like you are planning in LA.

For sheer convenience I flew into DCA about 90% of the time...such a breeze to jump on Metro and be at our Arlington apartment in 2 stops. BWI- forget it, it is such a time waster getting to and fro. IAD is a pricey cab ride to Arlington.

Yes, one of my priorities is savings, but with so many options so close in price a bigger priority would be value.

I'll be renting a car. How far is the drive from BWI to Reston? Obviously that will be one consideration.

I was looking at Virgin America. Anyone flown with them yet? Also hadn't thought of Jet Blue, but LGB is a possibility for me too.

Since my dates are flexible and I have time to plan it really helps to know which airlines to watch. Being self-employed, normally I travel when a good fare comes up. I'll track both VA and Jet Blue. Any others, beside the usual--UA, AA, SW, etc--that you can suggest I watch? Thanks, guys!

watch them all.

If your daughter is going to live in Reston, then Dulles may actually be closer to her. The drive from BWI to Reston is at least an hour, and that's with no traffic.

Since you are renting a car, BWI could be added back to the mix - but only if you avoided high traffic times - and the Washington DC area defines "rush hour" as a far longer time span than many cities. Weekends should be OK.

I personally can not stand Dulles - but that is because whenever I fly thru IAD there is some sort of equipment, weather or unexplained major problem. Not a reason not to use it just because I have bad luck.

Another thing to add to the mix in choice of airline is FF programs. Since you say you will be making this trip with some regularity and it involves a good chunk of miles, look at what other travel you might do, where else you might go and pick a specific airline FF program. Get a credit card affiliated with that program - miles can add up to a free trip or 2 to see your dtr, although flights during peak season will be tougher to find.

What am I missing here?

Everyone ASSUMES you'll need some sort of public transport from the airport.

Is there any possible chance that your daughter could actually MEET you at the airport..with a car?

I would definitely look into JetBlue to IAD.

Dukey, we gave up on the public transit comments one the OP mentioned that she'd be renting a car.

OK,lots of things to mull over here. Thanks to all. Gail, I already have my Hawaiian miles business and personal cc and debit cards and use those Hawaiian miles to travel to CA and back several times a year for business. DH has his United Visa and he uses that twice a year to make sporting trips to the mainland. I don't think we can spend any more just for the miles! lol

An hour drive from an airport is nothing to me, coming form Los Angeles where any drive time trip is easily an hour just to go 15 miles! lol

So IAD is closer? Do I have that right? OK, time to start tracking fares.

Thanks again.

IAD is closer to Reston. But you first said Arlington - those towns are nowhere near each other!

If you are going to Reston instead of Arlington, I would also pick IAD over BWI. BWI would be way out of the way for Reston.