The view from my seat on Allegiant Airlines
I have wanted to go to Hawaii for a very long time and not just because visiting all 50 states is on my bucket list. My main reason for wanting to visit Hawaii was that it looks like an incredible place. Anytime I saw a movie that was filmed in Hawaii or pictures from it I just thought wow it’s beautiful and I must go there. Over the summer I was on twitter and saw that a company that I follow called airfarewatchdog had posted a great flight deal on Allegiant Airlines from LAX to Honolulu for $318 roundtrip. At the time I was working for the The Walt Disney Company and had been interested in visiting Aulani while I could still get the cast member discount. I asked one of my friends if she wanted to go and we booked the flight. Allegiant does not fly out of or into every state so I am very lucky that I am close to LAX and am able to take advantage of their great deals. However, if you are not careful what starts out as an affordable flight on Allegiant can quickly turn into a bigger expense than you expected.
When it comes to flying I prefer to pay as little as possible so that I have more spending money at my destination. Once you pick your flight on allegiant you have the option of paying to pick your seat starting at $16 or more depending on the location of the seat. I like to take my chances on this one and have the airline pick my seat for me for free. That saves me at least $32 dollars since you have to pay for the seats on both flights. My friend and I lucked out since our flight did not sell out and there were plenty of empty seats so we were still able to sit together. You can save money on your bags if you prepay for them but the annoying part about that is the website says that you can pay $10-$30 if you pre pay for your carry on bag but the drop down box only list $50 as an option. Checking a bag starts at $35 so if you need a bag that would be the route to go but I think next time I will give them a call to see how to get a $10 carry on. A personal item is free so I crammed all of my stuff into a tote bag and did not pay a dime for my bag. This trip helped make me become an efficient packer.
Once you have decided what to do about your seat and your bags you have the option of paying to print your ticket at the airport or you can download their free app and have your ticket go directly onto your phone. I believe it is a $5 fee each way for printing the ticket so this is an easy way to save $10. You can also pay extra money to board the plane early but I am happy to board at any time for free, the seats are already assigned and since I do not have a bag to put in the overhead bin I am in no rush. This past week I have been in Oahu again and got my flight for this trip from LAX to Honolulu for $278 roundtrip with tax which was an even better deal than my previous flight. I was thrilled to find such a great deal which was thanks to signing up for email alerts from Allegiant Airlines. I know that not everyone is able to fly out of LAX but I have seen great deals on flights to Hawaii out of other cities too. I want you all to be able to enjoy beautiful Hawaii as well so let me encourage you to do the following:
Follow airfarewatchdog on twitter: https://twitter.com/airfarewatchdog
Check out their website (hint you can sign up for email alerts on certain paths like BNA to LAX): http://www.airfarewatchdog.com
Find out which airlines fly to Hawaii from your closest big city and sign up for email alerts and follow them on twitter.
I would love to visit Hawaii, it is definitely on my bucket list :) I just need to save the money! It’s a little far from the UK :) But I hope to get there x
Wow it does sound you get nickel and dimec nearly everything while flying these days.
What’s next paying for oxygen by the minute inside thr plane?
These are great tips. I have always wanted to go there. I have to put Hawaii up on my buckets list.
As a travel blogger, this is one destination I have not gone to for work. I have been there several times before and LOVE Hawaii – Saving money is a great way to go!
That’s an awesome tip! If travelling is always this affordable, I would travel all the time. Thanks for sharing your experience!
We have been wanting to plan a trip to Hawaii. Thanks for all the great tips!
I would love to visit Hawaii it’s on my Bucket list too. These are great tips Hawaii seems like a place where you can relax and leave your troubles behind.
I’ve always wanted to go to Hawaii . I’ve not heard of either of those sites, so thank you . I will check them out .
Never visited but it is most definitely on my bucket list! Thanks for the reminder! :)
These are really great tips. I always wanted to go there but i don’t have a chance
It’s hints like this that make it possible to do things I never thought I could afford to do otherwise!
These are really great tips! Thanks for sharing.