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HEADED TO HAWAII
With two cameras in hand, I was pretty stoked to be going to Hawaii! I haven't been there in four years. I used to go all the time when I worked as an admissions counselor at Marymount College in Palos Verdes. I was also excited to be flying Hawaiian Airlines for the first time across the Pacific. When I called to arrange an aisle seat, I was sure that I'd be put on hold, then told that they don't assign seats, like so many other airlines these days. But just the opposite happened.

CHECKING BAGS
I arrived at LAX two hours before my flight. Check-in was a breeze, taking only five minutes -- and most passengers were using the self-serve kiosks. You've just gotta love when the question, "how many surfboards will you be checking?" appears on-screen. If that doesn't get you all pumped up, what will? Unfortunately, at most terminals at LAX, when you check a surfboard or bag, they need to be brought to the TSA, which is a separate and typically much longer, slower line than the airline check-in. I still don't know why the TSA can't just allow the airlines to put checked bags on the carousel, like they do in most airports.

HAWAIIAN AIRLINES UPGRADE
There was no line for security. My flight was departing at 8:50am and by 8:15am, ninety-five percent of the passengers had already boarded. I was number one on the upgrade list and the agents informed me that I had a shot since one person still hadn't checked in. At 8:20am, the designated time that seats are released, my name was called over the PA system. I knew what that meant so I threw my arms in the air like an NFL referee signaling a touchdown. First of all, flying to Hawaii in any class of service is a special thing. But getting upgraded to first -- now that's just plain fantasy! Last-minute upgrades go for $369 one-way. That's not a bad deal but if booked in advance on Hawaiian's easy-to-use website (HawaiianAir.com), it's even cheaper. Surprisingly, Hawaiian Air has some reasonably priced last-minute fares to the island in the off-season. I just priced out a trip and found a one-way coach ticket three days from now, for $232 in economy; the first class fare was $654.

SECONDARY SECURITY SCREENING SELECTION
When they printed out my new boarding pass, the dreaded ol' SSSS showed up. The four S's stand for Secondary Security Screening Selection and meant that I'd been randomly chosen to undergo additional inspection. Even though I had already cleared security, I had to run my excited behind back to the TSA so I could get screened a second time and get a TSA stamp of approval. The agent was super-cool and just patted me down and didn't go through my bag. I really had to run because Hawaiian Airlines really strives for being on time and although there were still 15 minutes before departure time, they were closing the airplane door. No wonder Hawaiian Airlines was America's #1 on-time airline from 2004 to 2006 and is on track to win that honor again this year. The statistics are according to the Department of Transportation Consumer Report.

ON BOARD HAWAIIAN AIRLINES
I was assigned seat 1H, a bulkhead aisle seat in the navy blue interior cabin. The seats were the same as MAXjet but didn't recline as far back and didn't provide as much legroom. Entertainment options were also the same as MAXjet; portable Digiplayers with on-demand movies, TV shows and music and educational information about Hawaii, including how not to damage the reefs. In first class, Digiplayers are doled out for free but in coach, they have to be rented for $15. In coach, they also sell snacks and only take credit cards for payment, not cash. But don't worry: the meal service is free as well as the in-flight movie.



FLIGHT ATTENDANTS
The flight attendants' uniforms weren't as colorful as the plane's tail ... I love the Hawaiian Air logo. The men wore white aloha shirts with a dark purple design. The women wore conservative purple dresses. They did an excellent job and I was really impressed with the overall service (including keeping the bathroom clean). Not only did they frequently walk around the cabin, filling up glasses or removing dishes, but the two guys working up front were just cool people who love their job. Did you know that many of the flight attendants fly to Hawaii and back in the same day? Talk about a long workday.

FOOD IN FIRST CLASS
Before takeoff, the flight attendants came around with a choice of champagne or passion/guava juice. I love this sweet juice. After takeoff came hot linen refresher towels, mixed nuts with dried cranberries and pineapple, followed by the meal service. The food in first class was very good but not what I imagined. I was disappointed when I saw the menu; there was nothing Hawaiian about it. They were offering a deep-dish mixed vegetable frittata, antipasto with coronets of salami, grilled eggplant, fresh mozzarella and oven-roasted tomatoes, or crab bread pudding. What's that all about? I was sure I was going to be eating some of Chef Sam Choy's BBQ baby back ribs with a hint of coconut. Or Roy Yamaguchi's grilled Hawaiian satay skewers. But they did offer a soft tasty roll and fresh fruit (pineapple, kiwi, blueberries and strawberries) and just prior to landing, a hot chocolate chip cookie to ease my disappointment.

ALOHA
Overall, the five-hour, 23-minute flight to Honolulu was a dream. We took off and landed on time. And about 30 minutes before touchdown, the scenery really started to get good. I could feel my excitement rising. TIP: Even though you're headed to Hawaii, bring a sweatshirt because the plane's air conditioning was on high and the soft, navy blue fleece blankets they provided weren't wrapped in plastic, so who knows how clean they were.

VIDEO
Sorry! No video this week but we'll have a great one for you next week. As always, all of the Johnny Jet videos ever made are available for your viewing pleasure on YouTube.

NEXT WEEK
Here today, gone to Maui. Stay tuned.

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Happy Travels,
Johnny Jet

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All information presented here is accurate at the time of publication but prices, dates and other details are all subject to change. Please confirm all information before making any travel arrangements.

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Note: Flights were provided by MaxJet.com & Wailea Beach Villas




Copyright 2007 JohnnyJet, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.