Go Behind the Scenes on United's Famous Island Hopper Flight
For the past couple of years, United's been running a video series called "Big Metal Bird," offering a mix of aviation and promotional content. Some of the episodes are more interesting than others — I really liked the segments on turbulence and how to turn a plane, but the video focused on basic economy (ugh) got a big thumbs down from me (and many other YouTube viewers, it seems).
United's now fully recovered from that video promoting its dumpster-fire-of-a-fare-product, though, thanks to this week's segment focused on one of my absolute favorite aviation topics: the Island Hopper.
While I have yet to join the Island Hopper myself, several TPGers have had the privilege — most recently, Katie and JT Genter, who penned 12 Things to Know Before Flying the United Island Hopper.
The Island Hopper is operated by a small subfleet of five Boeing 737-800s, based in Guam (GUM). They're also used for flights between Guam and some of United's destinations in Asia, including Manila (MNL) and Tokyo (NRT). Inside, they're almost identical to the 737s United flies within the US, with 16 seats in the first-class cabin, and new slimline seats in economy and Economy Plus. There's no Wi-Fi, though hopefully it'll be added to this fleet at some point.
Operating as United 154 on the westbound legs and United 155 on the return, the Guam-bound Island Hopper flies five hours from Honolulu (HNL) to Majuro (MAJ), then 90 minutes to the army airfield in Kwajalein (KWA), one hour on to Kosrae (TTK), another hour to Pohnpei (PNI), one more hour to Chuuk (TKK) and finally another two hours to Guam.
Generally, the Island Hopper is the only major link these islands have to the rest of the world. In addition to carrying passengers, who come and go at the various stops, these 737s also haul mail and packages, plus items passengers are bringing along to loved ones on other islands.
In the video above, a United pilot even details the concept of the "Micronesian Suitcase" — essentially a cooler that customers load up with fish in Chuuk, which they bring to family in Guam, then load it up with meat for the trip back.
So, as you can see, United 154 is far more than an item near the top of each Avgeek's bucket list — it's a lifeline for Micronesia.
For more on the Island Hopper, see:
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- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
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- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
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- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
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- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
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| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
| 10X miles | 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
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Earn 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200K miles when you spend $150K in the first 6 monthsLIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus milesAnnual Fee
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Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month