Drive to the airport was completely uneventful, and it was sad to say goodbye to the convertible and the Hawaiian sun…and head back to the frozen wastelands of Washington. But, at least we had business class to look forward to, and a direct flight to DC thanks to the cancelation. One of a few times I can remember really leveraging a cancelation to my advantage. (Remember my delayed Dubai-Frankfurt in Lufthansa first that I managed to change to Dubai-London in Emirates A380 First?!)
Anyways, went straight to TSA pre-check after dropping the car off, and we were through security with plenty of time to spare, and even enough time to grab the lunch we never had. That of course meant it was time to stop by Kona Brewing Company for one last round of liquid aloha!
Quick lunch, and it was time to walk to the gate, with an impressive view of several United birds parked in a line:
But, oops, too much liquid aloha…time for a stop by the Kane room…idk why but the Honolulu washroom signs always amuse me!
Boarding was…chaos. Imagine, people grumpy to be leaving paradise, self-important Washingtonians, and tons of elites trying to prove to their spouses that all that business travel was worth it…and you have the gate area. In my dozens of trips to Hawaii I’ve never been on the direct flight, but I have to say the attitude in this gate area was way below what I normally experience on flights via the west coast. Maybe it IS something in the DC water supply…
Managed to get on board relatively early, find places for bags, get a glass of sparking Château le Jeff, and soon it was time to say Aloha to Hawaii.
United flight 144
Honolulu, Hawaii (HNL) to Washington, Dulles (IAD)
Depart 16:55, Arrive 7:08 next day, Flight Time 9:13
Boeing 767-400 ER, Registration N76062, Manufactured 2002, Seat 1B
Thanks to the relatively new electronic devices policy, a few shots of Waikiki on departure:
Then, it was time to eat. I can honestly say, it was the most disappointing business class meal I think I’ve ever experienced on a nine hour flight. Generic chicken and tomato sauce, and Jeff’s fave…a bit of salmon with a lemon wedge and capers:
Of course, it was redeemed by the sundae cart!
…and with that, I passed out for 6 hours, and slept the entire way to Washington. I have to admit, the nonstop flight made a giant difference, and going forward I’ll definitely pay a few hundred extra for it if that’s an option. Huge time saver, and plenty easy to sleep on. Until I had to land in DC where it was 60 degrees colder and I had to practically run to the lounge to change back into jeans. BRRRRR!
Next up: a month at home of doing absolutely nothing for a change but working…and loving it!