Pioneering and seductive: setting Hawaiian flights apart from the crowds
Read on for details on our selection in today’s main photo. Sherry brought this topic to mind when she commented, “Travelling to Hawaii these days is no different than traveling to Newark.” “I want to cut costs, but there’s no reason to cut back on the aloha spirit,” she added. Being nice doesn’t cost anything.” That’s right, you, Sheri.
Many of us remember well what made flights to Hawaii so memorable, and sometimes still is. What do you remember?
After cutting Aloha short, Pam said of her trip to Hawaii, “They started handing out cookies and Coke, and when they got to our class, they said they ran out after three classes. We were starving. Thank God I had some stuff in my bag. This trip we only got “What an economy it has been given. With the cost of tickets, you’d think Americans could go to Costco and buy crackers, right? The ticket prices amaze me.”
“Before landing, we got two packages of Cramack candy,” Joe B recalled. “I’ve been hooked on them and have eaten them for the past 33 years. I’ve been to Hawaii over 20 times since then and no one does that anymore. The service on the airlines was It goes down quickly. On a recent flight on an American plane, my (first class) dinner was still frozen and I sent it back. No replacement. I asked the FA if there was another meal and they offered me one to buy!
Here’s a list of the things that made flights to Hawaii uniquely great, some of which have disappeared.
Traditional Leo greeting: Passengers were greeted upon arrival with fresh and fragrant Hawaiian roses. Don’t forget the lei stands at the Honolulu airport (of which a few remain), where we would go to buy lei for friends and family.
Live music: Musical performances can sometimes be found before, during, and after flights to Hawaii. While it would now be unusual for musicians to be greeted at the gate, you can still find live music at Hawaii airports.
Hula offers flight departure and arrival: Cultural offerings that set the tone for epic island vacations.
Special clothing for the flight crew: Crew uniforms with Hawaiian motifs or themes. While Hawaiian Airlines is still present in the trade, other airlines still have some touches. On Monday, a United Airlines flight crew heading to Hawaii had nothing more than a touch here and there — like Hawaiiana Square, for example.
Educational novels: On-board information about Hawaii’s history and landmarks. These were always a lot of fun arriving in or leaving Hawaii, and it seemed like we hadn’t heard about them in a while. We also remember the game we played halfway to Hawaii with the other passengers. The pilot will announce the distance, airspeed, headwind and take-off time to help you guess the correct answer.
Unique entertainment on board: Special programs highlighting Hawaiian culture and music. Here too, this is a concentration area for Hawaiians, and that’s what almost everyone knows. We also remember that some airlines, such as the defunct Northwest, offered exercise instructions on board. That was before the single aisle service and knee-breaking seat pitch.
Hawaiian cuisine and snacks: Authentic and unique Hawaiian meals on board. In a word, no. Maybe on first class in Hawaii, widebody flights, but other than that and some snacks in Hawaii, we haven’t seen this in a long time. But then we’ll save in-flight meals for a whole other story.
Cultural atmosphere: The cabin decor reflects Hawaiian cultural elements. This has always been in Hawaiian Airlines’ wheelhouse alone.
Island themed amenities: Both United Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines have distinct Hawaiian-themed amenity packages, as shown here. We also saw Hawaiian-themed blankets (Hawaii has a new line of these for their Dreamliner aircraft), pillows, and other amenities.
Special drinks: Island-style soft drinks, such as POG and Hawaiian cocktails, continue to be served to this day.
Hawaii has the longest flights over water in the world:
Flights to Hawaii are different. Why? These flights are among the longest flights over water in the world (without a transfer point), with more than 2,500 miles of open ocean separating the islands from North America. This means that you can be at any time up to three hours from the nearest transfer airport. For many reasons, safety takes on a new meaning.
Did you know that the FAA once said it would never allow flights to Hawaii on today’s twin-engine planes?
“It will be a cold day in hell before I allow the twins to fly long distances over water,” FAA Administrator Len Helms said in 1980 when Boeing asked him to approve ETOPS for longer. If you don’t know about ETOPS, we’ll share more in today’s post. It is crucial that the plane be able to fly on one engine across the Pacific, even when it is three hours away from land. For Hawaiian flights, this requires what is known as an ETOPS-180 certificate.
Alaska Airlines Flight 737 to Hawaii was groundbreaking.
Aloha Airlines was the first to operate a 737 (with ETOPS-180) to Hawaii. They paved the way for Alaska Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and United Airlines in this regard. That was in 2000, when they flew their Boeing 737-700. This also opened the door to today’s other twin-engine jet aircraft, the Boeing Airbus A321 used by American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and Hawaiian Airlines.
How much has aviation changed in Hawaii? It’s interesting how much has changed since the FAA said “no escape” from twin-engine flights to Hawaii. But now, four-engine planes have largely disappeared, especially from Hawaiian skies.
Hawaiian Airlines remains the leader when it comes to island-themed in-flight service: How important is this when choosing your airline to the islands? In the past, Alaska came in second place. We’ll be traveling with them in December to see if this is still true.
