United's upgrading 8 Hawaii routes with its nicest wide-body jets
Traveling to Hawaii this winter? Well, your plane might've just been upgraded.
Over the weekend, United Airlines filed a notable schedule update to eight of its Hawaii routes from the mainland, per Cirium schedules. The Chicago-based carrier removed its high-density Pratt & Whitney-powered Boeing 777s from the routes and instead swapped in some of its nicest jets in the fleet for much of the winter season.
The eight routes getting a (plane) upgrade between October 2021 and March 2022 include:
| Destination | Origin | Equipment change |
|---|---|---|
Honolulu (HNL) | Chicago (ORD) | 1x daily Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner |
HNL | Denver (DEN) | 1x daily Boeing 777-200, 1x daily 767-300 and some Boeing 757-200 |
HNL | Houston (IAH) | 1x daily Boeing 777-200 |
HNL | Los Angeles (LAX) | 1x daily Boeing 777-300 |
HNL | San Francisco (SFO) | 1x daily Boeing 777-300, 2x daily Boeing 757-300 |
Maui (OGG) | DEN | A mix of the Boeing 777-200 and Boeing 767-300 |
OGG | ORD | 5x weekly Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner |
OGG | SFO | A mix of the Boeing 767-300 and Boeing 757-200 |
In confirming the move, United's citing strong demand as the reason for the upgrade, with the full statement below:
As travel demand to Hawaii remains high, United has loaded our planned flights to the islands through March 2022. We’re extending travel options to the islands that customers enjoyed like our additional Denver-Maui flights and offering more travel experiences with more premium seats on more routes. We will offer Polaris lie-flat seats and United Premium Plus on more routes throughout the winter schedule. While we anticipate the Pratt and Whitney 777s returning soon, we want to minimize any potential customer disruption given the aircraft’s large capacity and the strong bookings we’re seeing to Hawaii for the Winter season.
The move to swap the jets on the aforementioned Hawaii routes comes as United's Pratt & Whitney-powered Boeing 777s remain grounded following a mid-flight engine failure on Feb. 20, 2021. The carrier parked this sub-fleet of 777s just days after the accident, and there's still no timeline yet for when these planes will return to the sky.
The Federal Aviation Administration has since issued an Airworthiness Directive (AD) that requires all U.S. aircraft with certain Pratt & Whitney PW4000 engines to undergo further inspections.
Historically, United has deployed these jets on some of its busiest domestic routes, especially on those with strong demand for coach seats. The jet's woefully outdated cabin features 28 forward- and rear-facing business-class seats arranged in a very tight 2-4-2 configuration. The 336 economy seats are outfitted in a 3-4-3 configuration without any seat-back entertainment.
Compared to the Pratt & Whitney-powered Boeing 777s, United's replacement planes represent a major upgrade.
Related: Every United business-class seat ranked from best to worst
Except for the narrow-body Boeing 757-300, the replacement jets feature United's top-notch Polaris cabin (except for just a handful of Boeing 767-300s). Travelers in the pointy end of the plane will enjoy lie-flat biz pods with direct aisle access, along with updated inflight entertainment screens, a dedicated storage compartment and other modern touches.
Additionally, the Boeing 777-200s (powered by GE engines) and -300s, as well as the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, offer United's Premium Plus cabin, which features extra-reclining seats with leg-rests, additional pitch and larger entertainment screens.
For now, the carrier is selling Premium Plus as a separate cabin on routes east of California. For flights to and from Los Angeles and San Francisco, savvy travelers can book a coach ticket and select a premium economy recliner for the cost of an extra-legroom Economy Plus seat. (For many Premier elites, this will be a free upgrade.)
Though United's replacing the Pratt & Whitney-powered Boeing 777s on its Hawaii routes throughout the winter, the plane is still on the schedule for other domestic flights, including between Washington/Dulles (IAD) and San Francisco (SFO), as well as seven other transcons. Of course, that's subject to change based on when the planes are ungrounded.
In addition to the equipment swaps, United made notable adjustments to its two newest Hawaii flagship routes.
The carrier's flight from Newark (EWR) to Maui (OGG) will be extended from March 27 and May 5 with four-weekly frequencies. Additionally, the 4,213-mile route between Chicago (ORD) and Kona (KOA) will now fly between Jan. 8 and April 30 with a varying number of weekly frequencies.
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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.