I am delighted to share with you my impressions of recent flights with exotic airlines between the islands of the world's most remote archipelago.
In the Hawaiian Islands, the only (with rare exceptions) type of inter-island communication is the plane. This, of course, plays into the hands of those who like to fly, and even on different planes by different airlines.
There will be 4 reports in total.
See Report No. 1 here
See Report No. 2 here.
See Report No. 3 here.
В concluding note No. 4, we will talk about the flight between the island of Hawaii, aka the Big Island (the city of Hilo) and the island of Oahu (the city of Honolulu, the capital of the state) with Hawaiian Airlines.
Hawaiian Airlines is the largest airline in the Hawaiian Islands (state of Hawaii) , which operates flights connecting both the main islands of the archipelago and these islands with the US mainland, as well as with countries such as Canada, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti and Samoa. I also want to add that this is almost the only airline in the US that includes free full meals in economy class (transoceanic flights) in the service on board the ship!!!
The ticket cost me $107 for a direct 53-minute flight. As I said, on average for an hourly flight, the usual price here is $ 100 (plus or minus this price depends on the time of departure, working days, holidays or weekends).
Departure date: April 22, 2016
Departure time: 11:01.
Travel time: 53 minutes.
Airline: Hawaiian Airlines.
Plane: Boeing 717, age 11.5.
The city of Hilo was my last stop on the Big Island before flying to Honolulu and then home. Like everywhere else in Hawaii, the airport in Hilo is located near the city, so getting to it is not difficult. You can go by public bus or taxi, and you can walk in a couple of hours if you wish. I rode my bike in 15 minutes.
I left for the airport, as always in advance, as it was necessary to pack the bike especially carefully this time - he had to fly in this package on three planes (to Honolulu, Tokyo and Vladivostok).
On the way to airport.
The road to the airport (Airport Rd.), departing from the main highway number 11 against the backdrop of the volcano Mauna Kea.
Yes, their roads are a fairy tale!!!! And what about the excellent quality of the road and in the wilderness, where cars rarely drive!
To the right behind the fence is the territory of the airport.
So you go to the terminal, going around the huge areas of the airport.
The weather on the morning of departure was amazing. A view of the Mauna Loa volcano also opened up.
View of the terminal from the taxi rank.
All airports in Hawaii are similar in appearance but inside they are different. This you will immediately notice when you see a photo of the interior of Hilo Airport.
Upon arrival at the airport, the first thing I did was to prepare the bike for transportation. My slow but polished technique, I confess, greatly puzzled taxi drivers and airport police. Without hesitating, they approached me, asked me what and how they were surprised, they said that they saw this for the first time!
After completing the packing of the bike, I changed into a decent look, throwing away my cycling clothes, which were seriously worn out and very smelly, and went to register and hand over baggage, and then explore the general area of
Registration this time took place in the usual, familiar mode. I did not check in myself through the nearby kiosk, which is located next to the counter, as when flying from Lihue to Kahului. The front desk clerk did everything himself.
Upcoming departures board.
United's empty registration area.
The airport looks, as I said, similar to other Hawaiian ports.
Pleasant green areas-gardens.
In one of the gardens there is a concrete scale model of the island, which clearly demonstrates its relief. Great idea, well done! Only if I were them, I would also paint it the way it looks from space.
Cute turtles attract attention.
Exit from the baggage claim area. As you can see, no doors, no locks, no guards. No one checks the tags, admission is free. Nobody steals anything. I really like this attitude of Americans towards each other!
Closer to the left end of the terminal there is a helicopter aviation registration area, for the most part these are tourist excursions. They charge $200-300 per person for a 50-minute flight.
And I decided to take a walk further.
The end of the terminal.
In the middle behind the fence tourists are disembarking/embarking into helicopters.
Another helicopter is landing.
A the other, on the contrary, takes off.
B717 Hawaiians take off in the distance.
I sat here for a while under a tree on the grass and went to the screening area.
Entrance. First, they check the passport, and then a personal search.
Hawaiian ports are strict with liquids, all containers larger than 50 ml are taken away. You need to take off your shoes and belt, as well as outerwear. Most passengers do not pass through a rectangular frame, but through a special "magnetic vertical scanner".
Exit from the screening area to the sterile area.
Photographed the inspection, of course, furtively. However, I did not see any signs prohibiting photography there. And if there are no signs in America, then you can take pictures. Well, if they grab you, you can always say that you were specifically looking for prohibition signs, but didn’t find them, so I took a photo.
Further, after the inspection, I was stunned. .
Really, it looks somehow at home, well, or like a lobby in a hotel. Wood and cotton.
Drinking fountains are the norm. The water is good, tasteless and cold! By the way, I will say that for all 4 weeks I bought only a couple of bottles of water. I drank from fountains (usually on beaches) and plain tap water from a tap. If locals and tourists drink, then why can't a seasoned Russian organism?! Saved a lot of money on water! I had a 3 liter bike drinker. Fill it to the top and you'll be provided with water for the whole day.
Shell stand.
There is also a shop here with inflated prices typical of airports.
To get to the gates, you need to go up to the second floor.
A there is just a long corridor with gates and small waiting areas.
Went to look around.
An earlier Hawaiian flight to Honolulu is ready to take off on the B717.
The same board leaving the runway.
My gate.
My plane has arrived.
The luggage has been unloaded, and a new one is being loaded.
The boarding has been announced. Passengers with limited mobility and passengers with children are given priority first, followed by first class and privileged, elite passengers. And then everyone else.
I love that moment of boarding, when the entrance to the plane is shown for the first time from the gangway and you enter it.
From the gangway a bridge with the Hawaiian greeting Aloha leads to the plane.
Airline logo on the fuselage to the right of the door, reflecting a female Polynesian facial features.
I go in, look, and the cockpit is open, like last time. Asked permission to take a picture.
The interior, as in the previous review of the 717th, looks very fresh.
First class (aka business). Massive brown leather armchairs. I think they are quite comfortable.
Economy. Simple, slender, blue leather seats.
The backrest of the seats is quite thin and does not recline, which is not so important during an hour-long flight.
Seat pitch for short flights is also acceptable. My height is 185.
At the emergency exit, the step is much larger.
The table is very small, but still it's good that he is. You can put a tablet on it, and juice or something else.
In the pocket you can find a safety manual and a logbook.
The geography of Hawaiian flights is wide, as I said at the beginning of the review.
See the flight map.
Top panel.
During taxiing to the runway, a standard briefing was conducted.
Hilo Airport Terminal from the apron.
Almost at the runway.
Sharp and rather noisy takeoff.....
.... with a quick left turn to the northeast.
It was very interesting to fly.
The city of Hilo and the bay of the same name flew by. This bay is tsunamigenic. The city of Hilo was hit twice by deadly tsunamis in the 1900s. There is a museum dedicated to these events. Everywhere in Hawaii there are sirens, and very often there are signposts regarding the threat of a tsunami (evacuation routes, etc.). Sirens are tested once a month. I heard them on Kauai how loud they roar. The main natural hazard in Hawaii is not volcanoes, as one might assume, but tsunamis, which kill the most people. There is even some special type of tsunami that is characteristic of these places.
Two giant volcanoes were also perfectly visible: Mauna Loa (far) and Mauna Kea (near), which I talked about in note No. 3.
Flying around Mauna Kea volcano on the right.
Its top with white dots is an observatory.
Extraordinary landscapes of the top of Mauna Kea.
Leaving the island of Hawaii. Its northwest coast.
Water or juice was offered in flight. The juice is delicious, fragrant.
Nothing else of interest could be seen from the port side until the island of Oahu, the southern coast of which appeared first before landing.
Pearl Harbor in particular.
Already over the runway. Bottom United at the executive. And the Hawaiians and Island Air roll like cuttlefish towards the runway.
Noisy braking and I completed my Hawaiian circle, landing in Honolulu.
Then the plane goes to the Hawaiian terminal.
Moored next to the same B717. The porthole is right next to the engine - I was sitting in this flight (row 25). There are a couple more rows behind me, there are windows, but with a view of the engine, which closes the entire view.
Before leaving the plane, I specifically went to the restroom to see what it was like in this plane. The flight attendant was surprised at my interest and total cabin photography, to which I explained to him that I was doing this in order to tell about your airline in Russia. Wish me luck.
A farewell look at the aircraft.
Following is the path of passengers from the air bridge to the baggage belts (as you go).
In the usual scenario, my bike was neatly tucked away from the baggage years.
There is a mini version of Starbucks in the baggage claim area.
Shuttle (high-speed bus) stands to the city center. 30 dollars in both directions (airport-hotel-airport at the time you need).
Special phones for ordering various services are no less interesting.
I had to leave my bike overnight in a storage room. There is no luggage storage service at Honolulu Airport. For security reasons, they, it seems, even throughout the country, abandoned luggage storage at airports. But there are private companies that pick up your luggage, store it in their warehouse near the airport and bring it to you at the right time and place.
Here this service is called Passenger Baggage Storage, call 88.
Storage of one suitcase costs $20 per day. Non-standard luggage, which was my bike, costs 35. The next morning, at the appointed time, they brought it to me on a trolley to the Japan Airlines check-in counters.
You know, very convenient! After all, with such luggage you can’t get on a public bus for $ 2.5, only a shuttle for $ 30 in both directions. So decide to take the bike with you to the hotel for one night and then drag it back to the airport, paying $ 30 for the shuttle. Or leave it in storage for $35 and travel light into town on a $5 round trip bus...
The terminal area at the exit of the baggage claim area. This is the first level of the terminal.
The city bus number 19, 20 to downtown Honolulu also stops here. I talked about the nuances of travel (luggage/without luggage...) in public transport in Honolulu in my previous report (Tokyo-Honolulu).
Conclusion.
Only positive emotions remained from Hilo and Honolulu airports, as well as from flying Hawaiian Airlines on the B717.
Hilo Airport pleased us with a cozy, almost homely atmosphere in the sterile area waiting room! Honestly, I did not expect such an almost Asian element in an American port.
Honolulu Airport. There are no special beauties. Everything is simple, understandable, clean, fast!
Special thanks to the airport services for their careful attitude to the bike.
Hawaiian Airlines ... relying only on the experience of domestic flights, the airline left a feeling of reliability and punctuality....
In general, all 4 flights by three airlines were, I'm not afraid of this word - PERFECT. Many thanks to everyone for that!
Cyclists!!!!! Hawaii is the best place for cycling! I personally met and talked with cyclists from several countries who specially came here with their bikes or rented them on the spot.
The presence of a huge network of chic quality roads with paved roadsides (sometimes up to 3 meters wide), often with separate bike paths, a variety of landscapes, an amazing mild climate - this is a paradise for cyclists!!!!
I can’t say which island I liked more bike races. They are all very different and all interesting, each of them has unique places that do not repeat on other islands, and of course the roads leading to them! Therefore, you need to visit at least 2-3 islands, but always with the island of Hawaii (Big Island). The Big Island has the greatest expanse and the greatest mileage.
For a more or less serious bike cruise in Hawaii, you need to be in good physical shape, as many interesting places are high up! For example, the Grand Canyon of the Pacific with Koki Park (Kauai Island) 1200-1500 meters above sea level; the active volcano Kilauea in the National Park "Hawaiian Volcanoes" (Hawaii Island) - 1200 and above meters above sea level; the most picturesque road to Hana (Maui Island), the total route is about 80 km from the city of Kahului along the coastal serpentines with frequent ascents and descents; Saddle Road, connecting the east and west of the island of Hawaii through the saddle of the largest volcano mountains in the world - 2000 meters above sea level; road through Waimea, Hawaiian ranches (Hawaii Island) - 850 meters above sea level
Thank you all for watching!
Aloha
P.S.
Honolulu...
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