Fly United’s Island Hopper for cheap with miles

United’s Island Hopper (Source)

The United Island Hopper is one of the most fascinating flight routes in the world. Operating under flight number UA154, United flies from Honolulu to Guam, stopping at Majuro, Kwajalein, Kosrae, Pohnpei, and Chuuk along the way. A regular ticket for this flight can cost more than $1,090 one way. Fortunately, using miles can make booking the United Island Hopper significantly cheaper. This article summarizes the key options.

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Key Tip

Fly the Island Hopper westward to enjoy daylight throughout the flight, providing better views from the window. Eastbound flights end in darkness despite the early start in Guam. Below, we focus on booking the United Island Hopper with miles.

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United’s Island Hopper Route (Source)

Booking United Island Hopper with MileagePlus Miles

Since United operates the Island Hopper, you can also book the flight with United MileagePlus miles. However, this program is more expensive than Miles & More, requiring 45,000 MileagePlus miles plus $13 in taxes and fees. Again, ensure you choose the flight with the correct number of stops, which are correctly displayed by United.

A connecting flight to Palau on the same ticket requires no additional miles, costing 45,000 miles plus approximately $111 in taxes and fees. The route Honolulu – Guam – Tokyo is possible for 55,000 miles, but the connection time is tight at 40 minutes.

Booking United Island Hopper with Avianca LifeMiles

Avianca LifeMiles is another option, costing 27,500 miles and $46. LifeMiles charges a processing/booking fee, making the total slightly higher than other programs.

LifeMiles often sells miles at low rates, sometimes just over 1 cent per mile, making the Island Hopper effectively bookable for around $400.

Booking United Island Hopper with KrisFlyer Miles

Singapore Airlines' KrisFlyer program is less suitable for booking the Island Hopper, requiring 59,500 miles due to Guam being categorized under the "North Asia 2" zone.

KrisFlyer is excellent for booking flights from the US mainland or even Central America to Hawaii, detailed in the next section.

Booking United Island Hopper with Aeroplan Miles

Booking through Air Canada's Aeroplan program costs 35,000 miles and approximately $64 in taxes and fees.

United Airlines (Source)

Travel Options to Honolulu

Flights to or from Hawaii are often sweet spots for many frequent flyer programs. The cheapest award flights from the USA to Hawaii can be found via the Executive Club. Many flights from the West Coast are just under the 3,000-mile band limit, costing only 16,000 Avios one way. For example, fly from Los Angeles to Honolulu for 16,000 Avios and $5 in taxes and fees.

American Airlines also flies to Lihue, Kona, and Kahului on other Hawaiian islands. If you can't find American Airlines award flights, book one of Alaska Airlines' many West Coast to Hawaii routes for 16,000 Avios. Flights from the East Coast to Hawaii cost up to 25,750 Avios one way due to the greater distance.

Miles & More is a better option for these longer flights, costing only 20,000 miles from anywhere in the USA to Hawaii, even for the 10-hour United direct flight from Chicago to Honolulu, with just $6 in taxes and fees.

KrisFlyer offers the cheapest rates, with flights from the USA to Hawaii for only 19,500 miles, including United flight 363 from Newark to Honolulu.

With some planning, traveling to Hawaii is manageable, especially for Economy Class. Business or First Class award flights to Hawaii are notoriously hard to find.

Travel Options from Guam

Departing from Guam can be more challenging due to limited flight options. The best-connected destinations are Japan, Korea, and the Philippines. United flies to Manila and five Japanese cities (Fukuoka, Osaka, Nagoya, Tokyo Haneda, and Tokyo Narita). Philippine Airlines flies to Manila, and Japan Airlines to Tokyo Narita. Several Korean airlines, including Korean Air, Jeju Air, Tway Air, and Jin Air, fly from Guam to Seoul and Busan.

For award flights, you have two main options: booking a United award flight to Manila or Japan, or a Japan Airlines award flight to Tokyo. The latter costs only 14,300 Avios and $86 in taxes and fees in Economy Class, and 31,200 Avios in Business Class.

Conclusion: Booking United Island Hopper with Miles

The United Island Hopper is one of the most fascinating flights you can experience, and it's gratifying that it's affordable to book with miles. With some planning, both getting to and from Guam or Honolulu can be economical using miles. The United Island Hopper is accessible to everyone with careful planning.

This article was first published on meilenoptimieren.com (in German)