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Fly Your Entire Family to Hawaii in Delta One Lie-Flat Seats With Saver Award Tickets

Oct. 15, 2018
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4 min read
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Fly Your Entire Family to Hawaii in Delta One Lie-Flat Seats With Saver Award Tickets
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Here's something you don't see often: saver level space on a coveted Delta lie-flat seat to one of the most awe-inspiring places on Earth. Oh, and something else you rarely see: enough of those seats to fly your whole family there during summer break. Presumably in an attempt to draw more attention to Delta's upcoming nonstop service between Detroit (DTW) and Honolulu (HNL), the carrier is offering as many as eight business class seats at saver level on each flight. Now "saver level" is a bit of a tricky concept when using Delta SkyMiles as they no longer have a published award chart, but it is still an important distinction when booking with partners, which is the better deal we will get to in a minute.

Looks like a family vacation for Summer 2019 is in your future...

As a reminder, the Detroit-Honolulu route will be served with Boeing 767-300ER aircraft equipped with 25 fully lie-flat seats in Delta One, 29 seats Delta Comfort+ and 171 seats in the Main Cabin. The onboard experience includes access to Wi-Fi, free personal in-flight seatback entertainment screens and power ports at every seat. At 4,475 miles one-way, that's a whole lot of flight time to enjoy the product.

Virgin Atlantic is charging just 37,500 miles for a one-way award on Delta's nonstop between Detroit and Honolulu

While the award search engine on Delta.com shows one-way business class pricing at anywhere between 55,000 and 102,500 SkyMiles from late June 2019 onward, there's a better way to book.

Compared to Delta.com's award pricing (shown here), Virgin Atlantic is the clear winner

You can book Delta One seats via Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, and even if you've never flown Virgin Atlantic, you can still take advantage. Simply head over to Virgin Atlantic, create a free account, and search for the date or dates that would work for you using their five-week date search. Once you've found the ideal match, you can transfer American Express Membership Rewards, Citi ThankYou points and Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Virgin Atlantic's program. You can even mix and match, transferring a bundle from one program and a bundle from another to reach the amount you need to book the tickets. We've created a step-by-step guide to booking Delta seats via Virgin Atlantic right here.

Note that when searching for Honolulu as a destination on the Virgin Atlantic site, it may not pop-up automatically. If that happens, click on the purple circle in the search field and select the airport manually.

9 hours and 43 minutes aboard a Boeing 767-300 with a Delta One lie-flat seat (for the whole family!)

Virgin Atlantic is pricing out these lie-flat seats at 37,500 miles one-way, with up to eight seats available on each flight. That's a veritable steal considering the ~10 hours you'll spend onboard, and Detroit is a pretty easy airport to reach within the Delta network. Once you're in Hawaii, take a look at our guides below to make the most of your trip.

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Peering down from a ridge hike in Oahu, Hawaii (Photo by Darren Murph / The Points Guy)

If you're looking to boost your available points across any of the aforementioned credit card currencies, be sure to check out our guide to the best travel rewards credit cards for families.

H/T: View from the Wing

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Apply for American Express® Gold Card
at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees
Best for dining at restaurants

American Express® Gold Card

TPG Editor‘s Rating
4 / 5
Go to review

Rewards Rate

4XEarn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
4XEarn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
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2XEarn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
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  • Intro Offer

    As High As 100,000 points. Find Out Your Offer.

  • Annual Fee

    $325

  • Recommended Credit

    Excellent to Good

Why We Chose It

There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)

Pros

  • 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
  • 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
  • Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
  • Solid welcome bonus

Cons

  • Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
  • Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
  • You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
  • $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
  • $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
  • $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
  • $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
  • Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
  • No Foreign Transaction Fees.
  • Annual Fee is $325.
  • Terms Apply.