Tier Point Run to Hawaii in Jan 2023: Summary

The last in a trilogy of trips to Hawaii has concluded and it was another enjoyable one. Everything went according to plan and none of the flights (10 in all) were subject to any material delay. Perhaps that’s tied in with relatively mild weather and nothing that would cause any concern for flights being delayed or cancelled.

Other highlights and lowlights of this trip:

BA Flights

The flights to and from Budapest were good and BA has maintained their high quality assessment re onboard services. Food was very good and cabin crew were also really good.

The First Class flight to and from New York were ok – old First in both cases, which is sad compared to the new First Class suite available on a lot of BA aircraft now. The food on the day flight to New York was good but I had a problem with a frozen hard boiled egg in my salad. I also couldn’t find any movies I was interested in so the IFE was poor for me this time around.

My time spent in all of the new JFK lounges was satisfying. The Chelsea Lounge was packed on Fri evening but almost empty on Mon evening. Looks like they have sorted some of the dinner service issues out and all meals are now available from the menu. Unfortunately, LPGS has finally bitten the dust in respect to champagne in the lounges.

BA Lounge staff did a wonderful proactive job in moving me to the early flight from New York to Heathrow; that may have partly been in their interest but I appreciated it all the same.

AA Flights

AA continued in their commitment to punctuality and determination to get there on time. Good levels of service in the First Class cabin.

I have said all there is to say about the Hawaii First Class seats – they are the weakness in the AA fleet/route network so the less I think about them the better!

Ibis Styles Hotel, Budapest Airport

Another good stay at this excellent hotel; great value for money and style. It’s the only place to stay if on an early flight from Budapest.

Hilton, Los Angeles Airport

Nice upgrade secured but I never sleep well here. I don’t think that is anything about the hotel as such; more about the situation my body is in at the time I stay there.

Hilton Waikiki Beach

Nor, firmly established as my favourite hotel in Waikiki. I was upgraded to a very high floor with a great view of the Pacific.

Hilton Garden Inn, Waikiki Beach

This was my go-to hotel in Waikiki, but it’s now the worst I have stayed at, primarily down to a lack of any real status-focus by the staff that work there. I’ll only stay there if I need a late checkout since it’s the cheapest in respect to points.

Pearl Harbor

I really enjoyed the short time I spent here on Sun morning. It’s so moving and so educational. Would go again in a heart beat.

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