Best airline to fly to the Big Island? (Honolulu, Hilo: car rental, sales)

[Alicia64]

We're flying out of Sacramento. So we could fly out of Sac, Oakland or San Francisco.

We'd like to fly straight into Hilo. Or Kona?

Can you recommend the airline w/ a good deal?

Is September cheaper than August?

Thanks,

Alley

[mogon]

Originally Posted by Alicia64

We'd like to fly straight into Hilo. Or Kona?

With ATA's demise, no airline flies direct to Hilo from the mainland.

You can fly on United to Kona from SFO. You can fly to Kona on Alaska by flying Sacramento/Oakland/SFO-Seattle-Kona.

Is September cheaper than August?

Yes, usually. Fare sales are historically announced ~August 1 or so.

[mdand3boys]

If you will be staying along the Waikoloa coast area or Kohala coast (based upon your previous posts) you will want to fly into Kona. Rent the car at the airport and be at your hotel 20-25 minutes later. Otherwise, it will take you about 1.5 hours to go from Hilo airport to your hotel - most likely in the dark. Night driving on the Big Island is not for the faint of heart.

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

Hawaiian Airlines flies from Oakland to Honolulu to Hilo. (I just checked their website). If you are staying on the Hilo side, I agree with Mdand3boys that it's a long drive from Kona to Hilo. But you would be driving through great scenery!

The fares should start going down in September, after the kids go back to school. Check sites such as Farecaster, Kayak, or even Travelocity that will send you notices when the fares change. It's all a very confusing game.

[mogon]

Originally Posted by Dreaming of Hawaii

Hawaiian Airlines flies from Oakland to Honolulu to Hilo. (I just checked their website).

Well, yes. If you want to connect through HNL then there are lots of options from OAK, SMF, or SFO. But there are no direct flights to ITO.

If you are staying on the Hilo side, I agree with Mdand3boys that it's a long drive from Kona to Hilo. But you would be driving through great scenery!

I certainly agree on the second count, but the drive time from ITO to the Waikoloa area is going to be more than an hour and a half.

The fares should start going down in September, after the kids go back to school. Check sites such as Farecaster, Kayak, or even Travelocity that will send you notices when the fares change. It's all a very confusing game.

Agree on all counts. A flying/travel-oriented website like flyertalk.com would be a helpful resource for flight stuff.

[mdand3boys]

Hawaiian Airlines does fly from Oakland to Honolulu and offers connecting flights to Kona and Hilo about every 45 minutes to one hour. I have already spotted some September mainland to Hilo fares that are almost $250 cheaper than flying in August.

With the Saddle Road realignment almost done, it's the road to take. With the exception of a 10-15 mile stretch near the North end, it's a very nice route and will take a newbie transplant about 1.5 hours from Hilo to Waikaloa. I have round-tripped this route 4 times in the past week alone. Going clear to Kona would add another 25-30 minutes.

Taking route 19 around the long way,to Waimea adds about 30 minutes,one-way! Sure, it's beautiful, but most likely their flight would get in late afternoon or early evening - not a good time for newbie night driving while fatigued. Plus, you wouldn't see anything in the dark.

Another thing to be wary of for new island drivers is the near total lack of night lighting, billboards and the very small, mostly non-reflective road signs. It is very easy to miss a turnoff and get lost. (and there is no such thing as a straight road on the island. Everything curves.)

[mogon]

Originally Posted by mdand3boys

With the Saddle Road realignment almost done, it's the road to take. With the exception of a 10-15 mile stretch near the North end, it's a very nice route and will take a newbie transplant about 1.5 hours from Hilo to Waikaloa. I have round-tripped this route 4 times in the past week alone. Going clear to Kona would add another 25-30 minutes.

I would agree with you, unless the travel over Saddle Road's west part takes place at night. I find it a pretty scary stretch of highway, and there are potholes that can easily take out a tire that are hard to see much in advance (and, if you get caught on what is really a 1 1/2 lane road by another driver, you may not be able to avoid them, even if you see them).

But you're right about the eastern part of the road; it is lovely and the scenery is dramatic in its own way as one ascends.

Taking route 19 around the long way,to Waimea adds about 30 minutes,one-way! Sure, it's beautiful, but most likely their flight would get in late afternoon or early evening - not a good time for newbie night driving while fatigued. Plus, you wouldn't see anything in the dark.

Agree completely, although I think, as I said, you can make the same argument about the Saddle. Best bet, I think, would be to fly into KOA (which has a lot more flights from HNL than ITO).

Another thing to be wary of for new island drivers is the near total lack of night lighting, billboards and the very small, mostly non-reflective road signs. It is very easy to miss a turnoff and get lost. (and there is no such thing as a straight road on the island. Everything curves.)

Amen on all counts. And for those used to timing a drive by taking the mileage and dividing by 50 to get the number of minutes -- think again! Between Hilo and Waimea on the Belt Highway there are only 3 or 4 passing lanes (and they aren't very long) and if you get behind a slow car or truck, you'll be spending even more time.

[KoaKine]

Originally Posted by mdand3boys

Hawaiian Airlines does fly from Oakland to Honolulu and offers connecting flights to Kona and Hilo about every 45 minutes to one hour. I have already spotted some September mainland to Hilo fares that are almost $250 cheaper than flying in August.

With the Saddle Road realignment almost done, it's the road to take. With the exception of a 10-15 mile stretch near the North end, it's a very nice route and will take a newbie transplant about 1.5 hours from Hilo to Waikaloa. I have round-tripped this route 4 times in the past week alone. Going clear to Kona would add another 25-30 minutes.

Taking route 19 around the long way,to Waimea adds about 30 minutes,one-way! Sure, it's beautiful, but most likely their flight would get in late afternoon or early evening - not a good time for newbie night driving while fatigued. Plus, you wouldn't see anything in the dark.

Another thing to be wary of for new island drivers is the near total lack of night lighting, billboards and the very small, mostly non-reflective road signs. It is very easy to miss a turnoff and get lost. (and there is no such thing as a straight road on the island. Everything curves.)

Aloha,

LOL MD still having trouble driving at night I see.

The OP didnt state where she was staying ? All the responses are correct in where and why to land at each airport. We just need to know what area they are staying so we can recommend.


5 months and counting!!!

[mdand3boys]

Alicia64 had posted other threads about Kohala Coast resorts, so I based my response on that.

ps-I think getting a Cadillac with the built-in night vision windshield would be A+ for this island!

[SkyBob]

Originally Posted by mdand3boys

I think getting a Cadillac with the built-in night vision windshield would be A+ for this island!

A Cadillac on the Saddle Road? Have the car rental companies relaxed the restrictions about using their cars on that road?

Bob