It was time to fly from Los Angeles to Honolulu the following morning after spending the night at the Hyatt Regency LAX. I don't think it makes sense to do a full review of the flight since it will be very similar to the one I just published.
I will focus on some of my key insights from this flight, which left Los Angeles at 8:15AM and arrived in Honolulu at 12:12PM.
It has been a couple of years since I flew through Terminal 4 at Los Angeles International Airport, and it was exactly as I remembered. We got to the airport at 6:30AM and the security took around five minutes to clear.
I'm a member of the Executive World Elite Mastercard, but access isn't included with a ticket. The club was not crowded.
We could get Hawaii PreClearance wristbands if we had access to the club. Hawaii is dropping domestic travel requirements later this month, but you still have to fill out a pre- travel form and show proof of vaccinations or a negative test. The agents from the Admirals Club were able to verify our documents and give us wristbands, which allowed us to enter without having to wait in line.
The boarding was scheduled to start at 7:30AM from gate 46B. This was the same gate we arrived at the evening before, as we flew the same plane all the way to Honolulu.
It is hard to judge hard products to Hawaii since airlines fly a combination of narrow body and wide body aircraft to the islands. The last time we flew to Hawaii, we had the standard domestic configuration, while this time we had the reverse herringbone seats.
There was some bedding the night before. I believe this is the standard long haul premium economy bedding, with a small pillow and blanket. It is better than nothing.
It wasn't the ideal product for a 5hr55min flight, but at least it was a daytime flight, so we were awake.
The crew was lovely and the service can make a difference in the experience of a flight. I felt like I won the lottery because I had another American Airlines flight with a good crew.
The male flight attendant who was working in economy, but still entertained all passengers, was given a special shout out. Many people didn't bring pens with them because they had to fill out travel forms. Typically crews make announcements that they don't have any extra pens.
That wasn't the case here. The flight attendant got on the PA to give passengers pens.
“If you need a pen, you’re in luck. I brought my vintage hotel pen collection, so just let me know if you need one.”
He gave a funny commentary as he distributed the pens. He said that since there were only 80 people on the flight, they had empty seats.
The first class crew was great, but this guy stood out and made the flight more memorable. A little positive interaction like this can have a big impact on one's perception of a flight.
Breakfast was served on this flight. We both had drinks before we left.
Warm towels were given out. I think this is the first warm towel I have received on American Airlines in over two years, so that was pretty exciting.
I had water and coffee.
There were two options for breakfast, a fruit plate or an omelet. We chose one of them. There was a choice of a biscuit, a croissant, or a cinnamon roll.
The fruit plate was consistent with melon, pineapple, strawberry, and blueberries. There was a side of yogurt.
The omelet didn't have great presentation, but Ford said it was otherwise decent. It had a side of yogurt and a fruit plate.
A variety of snacks from brands you have probably never heard of was passed around before the basket was loaded.
One of the best parts of flying with American is Viasat, which is among the best in the industry. Most of the flight didn't have wi-fi because this doesn't work over most of the Pacific. We flew up toward the Bay Area due to the strong winds. We had about an hour of wi-fi, and it was free.
We just downloaded some of our own shows, and I did a lot of writing on the flight, though American also has streaming entertainment.
When you fly from the mainland to Hawaii, you're over the Pacific for five hours, so it's exciting to finally see land. You first pass some other islands when you fly to Oahu. I think of Maui or Molokai.
We flew past the airport before turning back towards the airport.
Reef runway!
Hello, Kalaeloa Airport!
The arrival experience in Honolulu was quick despite the fact that we were a bit behind schedule. I missed Japan because I parked across from a Boeing 767.
We had a nice view of the American A321neo that flew us safely all the way to Honolulu.
Thanks to the Hawaii PreClearance wristbands we had, we were on our way to the Four Seasons Oahu at Ko Olina, which we were looking forward to visiting.
We were very happy to be flyers for American Airlines. It was nice to see a return of American's pre-pandemic catering, and we had friendly crews on both flights.
There is a lot of inconsistency when it comes to the products offered between the mainland and Hawaii. On some routes, airlines offer flat beds with direct aisle access in first class, while on other routes it is just a standard domestic experience.
I enjoy this route because I can get a flat bed to Hawaii. Flying from the East Coast to the West Coast in the evening and then flying to Hawaii the next morning broke up the journey and made it more pleasant. I would repeat this route in a heartbeat.
What was it like to fly American first class to Hawaii?
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