Hawaii is an ever popular destination in the US and is a state that attracts many tourists both nationally and globally.
Yet, being far away, and being split into islands, flying to Hawaii isn’t as straightforward as other flights.
Long flights can be hard for some people, so we’ve provided some tips for long flights and how long the flight to Hawaii takes, as well as where you should fly.to depending on where you are going.
Planning for your flight, and its duration, is a great way to avoid any struggles that may occur on the day such as delays and just the general journey which can be hard to plan for if you have never taken a long haul flight, or any flight, before.
Here’s our tips and tricks for flying to Hawaii from Dallas.
Where In Hawaii Are You Traveling To?
Hawaii is clearly a big area, it’s not just one airstrip, but the islands have multiple different airports you can fly to – some are more common than others.
Hawaii is actually split into two main islands that are surrounded by many others, depending on which island you are spending your vacation on, it will change where you fly to.
HNL
Honolulu International Airport is one of the main and most popular airports in the state of Hawaii, so if you are flying to the island of Oahu, then this will be your airport destination, the flight key is HNL.
Most transpacific flights will go here unless you have a more specific flight in mind.
Honolulu to Dallas is quite a far journey, Texas is on the tip of the country of the US so is already pretty far from the East Coast, which would make this flight quicker.
The flight covers a distance of around 6000 km which is about 3700 miles in total.
Being such a far journey, the flight will take around 8 hours, give or take.
Ultimately, this will depend on who you chose to fly with, the quicker flight will be more expensive in the long run but may be more comfortable if you have children or a passenger who requires assistance.
OGG
One of the other main flight destinations in Hawaii is in Maui, the other major island of Hawaii.
If you are spending most of your vacation time in Maui then you may want to fly to OGG which is the main airport on the island.
The airport is in Kahului and has an airport key of OGG.
More often than not the flight to Maui from Dallas is under 8 hours averaging just under eight hours most of the time.
Overall, the flight is around 5900 km or 3666 miles, making it shorter in distance and time than flying to Honolulu.
Tips For A Long Haul Flight
Eight hours can be a long journey for many, especially if you have never been on an airplane before, you could be really struggling with all the new things to get used to in the airport, let alone spending the eight hours on the flight entertained.
Here’s our tips for long haul flight survival.
Compile Your Information
While this may sound over the top it can be really helpful when traveling for the first time.
We suggest grabbing a plastic folder or wallet that you can store your documents in before you travel.
Having all your tickets, passports, flight info, hotel stuff, all in one place is so helpful and not only helps you avoid losing them but also helps you feel organized and relaxed in the airport
The last thing you want to be doing is flicking through all kinds of different bits of paper at the bottom of your bag in order to get your info and tickets.
Yes, we understand a lot of this is digital now, but having it physically in front of you is so much easier to find and organize than on your phone.
Make Sure You Are Comfy
If you have never flown before, take our advice, travel in a tracksuit or gym pants, there’s almost no point dressing up.
When you are sitting on the flight and four hours into the journey you are regretting you wore jeans and boots, you will realize we are correct.
You are potentially going to be sat on your butt for 8 hours so you want to be comfy.
Moreover, you want to be comfortable enough to sleep, while you may not sleep, it is good to be prepared if you choose to.
This also means bringing other clever things such as a flight pillow or even toys and teddy bears for the little ones.
Get Some Sleep In
Hawaii can often be quite far ahead in terms of a time difference, no matter where in the US you are flying from, so getting some sleep while you are in transit may also help when the dreaded jet lag might kick in.
To avoid jet lag, remain well rested when you are preparing to fly and make sure you get some sleep when you are there.
The sights are always better when you are well rested and around at the same time as the locals.
Get Things Done You May Not Have Time To Do Otherwise
Considering how long the flight is you may want to get some stuff done, rather than wasting the time.
Watching movies and reading books is great to pass the time, but you may want to make the most of the time.
With a long stretch of a potential eight-hour flight in front of you, the annoying nitty things like organizing a photo album on your phone, making a playlist, answering emails, or anything else that seems really boring most of the time will actually seem pretty doable and interesting when you are on a long flight.
Final Thoughts
We hope these tips and information will help you plan your flight better, and make those hours in the air pass by with delight and make any first time journey enjoyable!
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