On our recent family trip to Oahu, we flew United Airlines from San Francisco International Airport to Honolulu in a direct flight.  We flew on a Boeing 777, nearly 2400 miles in a 5 hour and 12 minute trip.  We planned to leave our car at long-term parking in San Francisco, so we got an early start on a Monday morning.  Getting to the airport with an hour and a half before our flight, we left our car and proceeded to check-in at the United counter.  Let me tell you that Monday mornings at any airport, especially SFO in this case, is a zoo.  We waited in a line for 40 minutes to get our bags checked and boarding passes.  Luckily a kind man ushered us to the “family” line for security otherwise we would have missed our flight.  Once through security we had to walk really fast to get to our gate which was already boarding, huffing and puffing we made it on our plane.  Here’s the rest of the reasons to fly United Airlines from SFO to Honolulu.

Accommodations 
Reservations were made for us by the Oahu’s Visitor’s Bureau and we were happy to have 5 seats in a row on the flight to the island.  The seating configuration is 5 seats in the middle in economy class with two on either end of the plane near the window.  Having the whole middle row was perfect for our family, made it simpler to manage food, drinks, naps, and activities on the flight.  It was convenient to not have to bother strangers when we needed to get up and stretch or use the restroom.  Unlike on our flight to Maui on Hawaiian Airlines, meals were not included in the price of the ticket, but food and snacks were available for a fee.  We had hoped to grab breakfast in the airport, but due to the long lines and rush, we needed to purchase food on the plane.  On both flights, we were happy to see blankets in sealed plastic for use.  No matter how you dress, the air-conditioned cabin is cold, the blankets helped the kids and even me who brings extra socks to wear around the plane!

Food and Drink
Turkey sandwiches come on a pretzel roll with cheese and are a good size but will set you back $7 each!  Also, their snack boxes are around the same price but offer treats for the family.  On the flight to and from Honolulu, I’m sure we spent about $80 for meals and snacks, make sure you plan accordingly.  Drinks such as soda, water, coffee, juices, and tea is offered for free and on a 5 hour flight, the cart comes around twice.  Water, tea, and coffee is walked around about 2 times between carts as well.  Items for purchase are easily paid for now with your credit or debit card, United no longer accepts cash, making it convenient.

Entertainment
Music and television shows are offered on the flight the entire flight which is nice.  Earphones are provided in each seat-back pocket for free and plug easily into the arm rest.  Music is provided by Zune and about 20 different music varieties are available to choose from.  On both flights there was a time at takeoff and landing where you could tune into the captain’s quarters to hear their conversation with the airport towers, my husband enjoyed that!  Comedy TV shows like “Parks and Recreation” and “Big Bang Theory” were shown which we all loved and laughed to.  On the flight to Hawaii the movie presentation was “Arthur” with Russell Brand, and to my children’s utter delight, “Rio” was shown on the flight home.  Music and video really keeps kids and parents help pass the time, I rarely saw my kids aged 5, 10, and 12 pull out their personal electronics due to being kept busy thanks to United!

Hemispheres
Along with the SkyMall catalog that just got my two older kids chatting the entire trip about all their unique gifts, Hemispheres is United’s magazine filled with a mix of news,
technology, fashion, business, lifestyle and in-depth features.  You can also find crossword puzzles, games, and menus in the magazine along with the TV, music station, and movie guide at the back of issue.  Like SkyMall you can take the magazine with you if you wish.

Overall we had wonderful airline hosts during our trip, there was always an abundance (8, if I remember correctly) and were available for questions and needs.  Both flights were smooth, little turbulence, and gentle landings.  My son and husband are thankful for the smooth ride, but also were dosed with Dramamine due to motion sickness. We did feel that this airline was competitive with their prices, our family paid about $500 for a RT to Honolulu which was about $125 less than competitor prices at the time of booking!  It was a pleasure to fly with United and I’d look to them again.

My flight was hosted, we purchased four RT tickets for our family.  All opinions are our own.