Airline Ticket Options - What would you have done?

The water cooler
1

OK. Here is the story about how I am now experiencing the wonderfully high airline fares this year. Here is the choice we had, for three tickets for my wife and two kids, ages 15 and 12:

  1. Non-stop twelve-hour flight: $2550 per person, $7650 total
  2. Two flights, total 31.5 hours, 16 hour layover, $1950 per person, $5850 total

The above prices are for the total trip, but the itineraries are for the outbound part only. For the second option the returning leg has an eleven our layover at that fee but also has a non-stop option available for about $70 more per ticket. Which of the two would you have chosen?

This is for a one-month stay. I will be joining them two weeks later, as I can not get an entire month off from work, and we will be returning together. My airfare is not included in the totals above. :frowning_face:

2

Personally I like non-stop flights, but at almost $2,000 less I might deal with the long layover. If it was a week long trip I might pay the $2,000.

3

Is there a hotel inside the layover location ? If not. I’d do direct.

2 Likes
4

For me, $70 is worth avoiding 11 hours in an airport with nothing to do.

5

It is 2,000 less.

Unless there is a hotel in the airport, I would do the direct. Otherwise, you save money, but it is a lot of hassle with small children.

6

The $70 going back is not the issue. Going out there is no such option.

It is the Honolulu Airport, and the arrival would be around 8 PM with a departure the following day around 12 PM. There are hotels close to the airport. Still, we opted for the non-stops.

7

Close isn’t the same as in the airport. Some airports have rooms inside the terminals now. With 16 hours I would consider that. Otherwise, it’s too much of a hassle with children and I hate going through security as it is.

I always try to fly direct even if there is more money involved. I just do not like the hassle of layovers.

8

Normally I agree with you. The one factor here is that the final return destination is Los Angeles and, as is the case with almost everything about LAX, going through immigration there is miserable. That mitigates the non-stop benefit.

Five years ago my family returned via Vancouver, and you can go through US immigration at that airport. They did not miss the hassle at LAX.

9

What about global entry?

10

If we traveled more frequently it would probably be worth it. As is it, it is $100 per person, which probably isn’t worth avoiding the LAX immigration hassle this one time. Plus, a quick Google search showed that it could take as short as a few weeks or as long as six month to receive approval. With a departure in a few weeks, which side of the approval time would you bet on? :wink:

11

My credit card pays for it. I’ve never used it for immigrations but it works for tsa pre check as well.

The kids may not need one.

12

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