Continental DC-10 routes to Hawaii in the 80's

Jawaiiansky66 · Thu Jun 21, 2018 8:13 pm

In 1987, I remember my dad booking me a trip home from Vancouver to Honolulu on Continental's famed PUB IN THE SKY DC-10 flight. I remember that it was fantastic and the service top notch.

How long did Continental operate these flights and what were Continental's other daily flights to Hawaii? I assume LAX and SFO?

I found this blog post online regarding the seating on the DC-10s...dad got me seat 3L...great seat but i didn't get a chance to enjoy the pub due to crowds - 90% of the plane was all packed in there.

https://frequentlyflying.boardingarea.c ... /#comments

Wingtips56 · Thu Jun 21, 2018 8:24 pm

Going the other direction, I flew CO HNL-AKL in 1986. It was a DC-10, but as a standby in the center in coach, I didn't see anything of the Pub in the Sky. Or anything fancy.

PanHAM · Thu Jun 21, 2018 8:28 pm

I flew on a CO DC110 from SYD to HNL in the 80s , Business class which was far from what C is today.

But what I never forget was a very frendly Lady from Immigration who welcomed me as the first "customer" on that day, early in the morning.

timz · Fri Jun 22, 2018 2:07 am

CO started EWR-HNL around 1987-88. Don't think it ever did SFO-HNL.

You could see an eastward contrail over Oakland in the afternoon-- had to be CO's nonstop to EWR. All the others were overnight.

airzim · Fri Jun 22, 2018 2:23 am

timz wrote:
CO started EWR-HNL around 1987-88. Don't think it ever did SFO-HNL.

You could see an eastward contrail over Oakland in the afternoon-- had to be CO's nonstop to EWR. All the others were overnight.

CO definitely flew SFO-HNL. I flew on a DC-10-30 in 1996. Nonstop EWR-HNL came later when the runway at EWR was lengthened. Not sure when, but later than 1996 and once that happened SFO-HNL was dropped.

CO did fly JFK-HNL for a while too which continued onto SYD. Want to say late 80s.

Max Q · Fri Jun 22, 2018 2:56 am

YVR-HNL
SEA-HNL
SFO-HNL
LAX-HNL
DEN-HNL
IAH-HNL
JFK-HNL
EWR-HNL were all flown by DC10’s

ha763 · Fri Jun 22, 2018 2:57 am

airzim wrote:
timz wrote:
CO started EWR-HNL around 1987-88. Don't think it ever did SFO-HNL.

You could see an eastward contrail over Oakland in the afternoon-- had to be CO's nonstop to EWR. All the others were overnight.

CO definitely flew SFO-HNL. I flew on a DC-10-30 in 1996.

My first flight was on a CO DC-10 HNL-SFO in June 1988.

CairnterriAIR · Fri Jun 22, 2018 2:57 am

Flew EWR-LAX-HNL in August of ‘88 aboard CO’s DC-10. Yes it had the pub...very fun ride and excellent service. I’m almost positive there was service into HNL from both IAH and DEN as well.

Theproudbird · Fri Jun 22, 2018 3:17 am

Technically I believe the HNL-SFO was an Air Micronesia flight we had air mike hotels there and HNL

WTXJET · Fri Jun 22, 2018 3:40 am

In early 1987 CO operated HNL to: LAX, SFO, YVR, & JFK. The YVR flight operated 4 times per week & JFK operated 3 times per week. The South PAC flights: AKL, GUM, MEL, NAN, SYD, and the famed Island Hopper.

millionsofmiles · Fri Jun 22, 2018 7:38 am

airzim wrote:
timz wrote:
CO started EWR-HNL around 1987-88. Don't think it ever did SFO-HNL.

You could see an eastward contrail over Oakland in the afternoon-- had to be CO's nonstop to EWR. All the others were overnight.

CO definitely flew SFO-HNL. I flew on a DC-10-30 in 1996. Nonstop EWR-HNL came later when the runway at EWR was lengthened. Not sure when, but later than 1996 and once that happened SFO-HNL was dropped.

CO did fly JFK-HNL for a while too which continued onto SYD. Want to say late 80s.

Yup...Continental operated SFO-HNL between 1985 and 1998/9.

Prior to 1978, CO operated LAX-HNL and SEA-HNL. SEA-HNL was discontinued in 1978 and the SEA flight attendant base was closed.

Then, of course, there was CO's operation Down Under out of HNL, as well as the Air Mike operation. YVR was an interesting addition, and then along came JFK and then IAH.

millionsofmiles · Fri Jun 22, 2018 7:52 am

Wingtips56 wrote:
Going the other direction, I flew CO HNL-AKL in 1986. It was a DC-10, but as a standby in the center in coach, I didn't see anything of the Pub in the Sky. Or anything fancy.

I don't think the -30s had the Pub, even the two 1980 deliveries.

There were a couple of iterations of the Pub on the -10...one in the 1970s that occupied part Zone B from aircraft left to right, and the second one, post 1982, that was kind of L shape where the lounge occupied the left hand side, and galley space occupied right hand side. Somewhere I have a bunch of pics of both lounges.

What I find interesting is that Continental began Down Under service with DC-10-10s which might explain the stop in Pago Pago. Pago Pago was then dropped in 1980, which also coincided with the delivery of two DC-10-30s.

EK773 · Fri Jun 22, 2018 8:20 am

My first flight was on a CO DC-10 SYD-NAN-HNL-SFO in 1985.

77H · Fri Jun 22, 2018 8:25 am

Max Q wrote:
YVR-HNL
SEA-HNL
SFO-HNL
LAX-HNL
DEN-HNL
IAH-HNL
JFK-HNL
EWR-HNL were all flown by DC10’s

Do you know all the destinations CO flew exitHNL at the height of their operation?

How about UA or NW?
I’m afraid I was born a few years shy of HNLs glory years.

It would be interesting to know if the legacy carries (all of which seemed to have sizable Ops) at HNL pulled back as HA grew or if HA grew as a result of the legacies pulling back service.

77H

DavidByrne · Fri Jun 22, 2018 10:19 am

IIRC the DEN service at one stage effectively flew LGW-DEN-HNL-AKL with the same aircraft. Wonderful for getting those FF miles on my regular London-Auckland jaunts.

I remember I once cashed in some FF miles for a pure indulgence trip London-Auckland-London for a friend's birthday. Somehow, when I presented my FF card, CO credited me with the miles as if it was a fully-paid flight. To make it even better, they were running a special "triple miles" promotion at the time. I remember that I ended up recouping 75% of the miles that I'd had to cash in for the flight, surely one of the best returns on zero investment anywhere, anytime!

Max Q · Fri Jun 22, 2018 10:47 am

77H wrote:
Max Q wrote:
YVR-HNL
SEA-HNL
SFO-HNL
LAX-HNL
DEN-HNL
IAH-HNL
JFK-HNL
EWR-HNL were all flown by DC10’s

Do you know all the destinations CO flew exitHNL at the height of their operation?

How about UA or NW?
I’m afraid I was born a few years shy of HNLs glory years.

It would be interesting to know if the legacy carries (all of which seemed to have sizable Ops) at HNL pulled back as HA grew or if HA grew as a result of the legacies pulling back service.

77H

Can’t speak for UA or NW and this may not be complete but CO had a respectable operation out of HNL for a while and it was a pilot base

In addition to the above they served:

SYD
MEL
AKL
NAN
PPT
GUM nonstop and via the island hopper with the 727
NRT
MNL

Most of these destinations alternated service between the DC10 and the B747

airzim · Fri Jun 22, 2018 11:39 am

Max Q wrote:
77H wrote:
Max Q wrote:
YVR-HNL
SEA-HNL
SFO-HNL
LAX-HNL
DEN-HNL
IAH-HNL
JFK-HNL
EWR-HNL were all flown by DC10’s

Do you know all the destinations CO flew exitHNL at the height of their operation?

How about UA or NW?
I’m afraid I was born a few years shy of HNLs glory years.

It would be interesting to know if the legacy carries (all of which seemed to have sizable Ops) at HNL pulled back as HA grew or if HA grew as a result of the legacies pulling back service.

77H

Can’t speak for UA or NW and this may not be complete but CO had a respectable operation out of HNL for a while and it was a pilot base

In addition to the above they served:

SYD
MEL
AKL
NAN
PPT
GUM nonstop and via the island hopper with the 727
NRT
MNL

Most of these destinations alternated service between the DC10 and the B747

Also NGO with a 767-400.

I want to say SNA was also served just before the merger, but I might be mistaken.

msiebert09 · Fri Jun 22, 2018 12:09 pm

Off the top of my head, the following routes have been operated by Continental out of HNL:

LAX – HNL
SFO – HNL
YVR – HNL
SEA – HNL
SEA – PDX – HNL
SNA – HNL
SAN – HNL
DEN – HNL
EWR – HNL
JFK – HNL
IAD – HNL
IAH – HNL
ORD – HNL
HNL – AKL – SYD
HNL – NAN – SYD
HNL – SYD
HNL – AKL – MEL
HNL – PPT
HNL – PPG
HNL – MEL
HNL – BNE – CNS – HNL
HNL – GUM
HNL – JON – KWA – MAJ – PNI – TKK – GUM
HNL – TPE – HKG
HNL – MAJ – PNI – TKK – GUM
HNL – NRT
HNL – NGO

Included the Air Mike flights just to show how big CO was in HNL back in the day!

There could be a couple of more, with charter thrown in there. Pub flights didn't make it down to South Pac as far as I can remember, as the DC-10-30's didn't have them installed. Thanks for the memories! Had a blast flying throughout their system when I was a kid. Made it all the way out to ROR on Air Mike, sitting in the cargo hold right behind the cockpit!

FlyHossD · Fri Jun 22, 2018 1:12 pm

One of my first DC-10 flights was SFO-HNL on CO. Have also ridden CO DC-10s DEN-HNL, LAX-HNL-LAX and HNL-GUM-HNL.

NZ321 · Fri Jun 22, 2018 1:21 pm

When was Pub removed from the -10s? I flew YVR-HNL on a -10 in 92 and there was no sign of it. Then on to AKL on an aging 741. Crew were fabulous in both flights.

cathay747 · Fri Jun 22, 2018 1:24 pm

CO never operated either SNA-HNL or IAD-HNL...those routes were started by Aloha & UA respectively and never operated by anyone else.

HNL-SFO was not AirMike, at any time. AirMike ops never extended to the mainland. The aircraft may have cycled thru to the mainland, but not op'd as AirMike.

I am stunned to learn of JFK-HNL as I never knew they flew that nonstop but just verified it on the departedflights website in the 1987 timetable...sure enough, 3x per week...with a EWR flight as a 1-stop (daily). Most interesting.

It's also worth noting that CO op'd HNL/ITO/HNL in both directions as well, a few days per week, albeit I don't believe ever with DC-10's which is the main topic of this thread. They op'd two triangular routes of ORD-HNL-ITO-ORD and if I'm not mistaken the other was LAX-ITO-HNL-LAX. But these were with 707-320C's, the ORD flight possibly also with a 747 for a while.

jetero · Fri Jun 22, 2018 1:25 pm

cathay747 wrote:
CO never operated either SNA-HNL or IAD-HNL...those routes were started by Aloha & UA respectively and never operated by anyone else.

I guess technically CO aircraft flew IAD-HNL first after the merger, but of course as United.

But CO definitely served HNL (and I think later other cities) from SNA on 73Gs after AQ.

http://www.airlinesanddestinations.com/ ... arch-2010/

SpaceshipDC10 · Fri Jun 22, 2018 1:49 pm

77H wrote:
jetero wrote:
cathay747 wrote:
CO never operated either SNA-HNL or IAD-HNL...those routes were started by Aloha & UA respectively and never operated by anyone else.
CO definitely operated SNA-HNL and SNA-OGG.

There's a very simple way to check that in our day and age, data. But of course, it is off topic.

77H · Fri Jun 22, 2018 1:51 pm

jetero wrote:
cathay747 wrote:
CO never operated either SNA-HNL or IAD-HNL...those routes were started by Aloha & UA respectively and never operated by anyone else.

I guess technically CO aircraft flew IAD-HNL first after the merger, but of course as United.

But CO definitely served HNL (and I think later other cities) from SNA on 73Gs after AQ.

http://www.airlinesanddestinations.com/ ... arch-2010/

CO definitely operated SNA-HNL and SNA-OGG. The flights were started prior to the UA merger and if memory serves, UA operated both for a short time after the merger. I’ve been told several times it was almost guaranteed boarding for nonrevs which most likely means loads were poor. Then again, that was during the recession. Surprised UA hasn’t given it another go with the economy on the up and up. There was a thread months ago about SNA offering incentives for HNL service.

77H

jetero · Fri Jun 22, 2018 1:51 pm

77H wrote:
jetero wrote:
cathay747 wrote:
CO never operated either SNA-HNL or IAD-HNL...those routes were started by Aloha & UA respectively and never operated by anyone else.

I guess technically CO aircraft flew IAD-HNL first after the merger, but of course as United.

But CO definitely served HNL (and I think later other cities) from SNA on 73Gs after AQ.

http://www.airlinesanddestinations.com/ ... arch-2010/

CO definitely operated SNA-HNL and SNA-OGG.

I didn't realize they were so close to the merger being announced (started March, merger was in May).

Did one of the flights originate in CLE, or am I crazy? Maybe it was one of the LAX flights.

Of course re HNL at one point CO flew 2x from IAH (not sure if 2x also from EWR) as well as IAH-OGG for a good while. Anyone know what the general arrival and departure times were for the second IAH-HNL flight?

Jawaiiansky66 · Fri Jun 22, 2018 1:55 pm

Thanks everyone for the responses. As an aviation freak, I was shocked at not realizing that CO actually did the YVR -HNL route as so many Canadian carriers were operating that route for years. I always flew CP Air orange jets or Wardair.

A thread on CO is not complete without a photo of the BRASS ASS bird in all her glory (why did they have to change the black meatball to red?!)

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ ... N68041.jpg

Jawaiiansky66 · Fri Jun 22, 2018 1:55 pm

Thanks everyone for the responses. As an aviation freak, I was shocked at not realizing that CO actually did the YVR -HNL route as so many Canadian carriers were operating that route for years. I always flew CP Air orange jets or Wardair.

A thread on CO is not complete without a photo of the BRASS ASS bird in all her glory (why did they have to change the black meatball to red?!)

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ ... N68041.jpg

cathay747 · Fri Jun 22, 2018 9:31 pm

77H wrote:
jetero wrote:
cathay747 wrote:
CO never operated either SNA-HNL or IAD-HNL...those routes were started by Aloha & UA respectively and never operated by anyone else.

I guess technically CO aircraft flew IAD-HNL first after the merger, but of course as United.

But CO definitely served HNL (and I think later other cities) from SNA on 73Gs after AQ.

http://www.airlinesanddestinations.com/ ... arch-2010/

CO definitely operated SNA-HNL and SNA-OGG. The flights were started prior to the UA merger and if memory serves, UA operated both for a short time after the merger. I’ve been told several times it was almost guaranteed boarding for nonrevs which most likely means loads were poor. Then again, that was during the recession. Surprised UA hasn’t given it another go with the economy on the up and up. There was a thread months ago about SNA offering incentives for HNL service.

77H

I humbly stand corrected. I had no idea, and am surprised as all hell to learn this.

cathay747 · Fri Jun 22, 2018 9:41 pm

jetero wrote:
cathay747 wrote:
CO never operated either SNA-HNL or IAD-HNL...those routes were started by Aloha & UA respectively and never operated by anyone else.

I guess technically CO aircraft flew IAD-HNL first after the merger, but of course as United.

But CO definitely served HNL (and I think later other cities) from SNA on 73Gs after AQ.

http://www.airlinesanddestinations.com/ ... arch-2010/

Again, I humbly stand corrected about SNA-Hawaii, so I will therefore qualify these next remarks about IAD-HNL as being that I am fairly certain (because I still lived in the DC area when it started) that UA launched this with their own metal...763ER's. Wasn't until post-merger that they began swapping in LCO 764ER's on the route. I think they even have used the 777 (domestic/Hawaii config.) on occasion, during peak periods here and there, but don't hold me to that one!!

jetero · Fri Jun 22, 2018 10:16 pm

cathay747 wrote:
jetero wrote:
cathay747 wrote:
CO never operated either SNA-HNL or IAD-HNL...those routes were started by Aloha & UA respectively and never operated by anyone else.

I guess technically CO aircraft flew IAD-HNL first after the merger, but of course as United.

But CO definitely served HNL (and I think later other cities) from SNA on 73Gs after AQ.

http://www.airlinesanddestinations.com/ ... arch-2010/

Again, I humbly stand corrected about SNA-Hawaii, so I will therefore qualify these next remarks about IAD-HNL as being that I am fairly certain (because I still lived in the DC area when it started) that UA launched this with their own metal...763ER's. Wasn't until post-merger that they began swapping in LCO 764ER's on the route. I think they even have used the 777 (domestic/Hawaii config.) on occasion, during peak periods here and there, but don't hold me to that one!!

Pretty sure it launched on 764s after HA announced JFK-HNL.

DDR · Fri Jun 22, 2018 11:02 pm

Jawaiiansky66 wrote:
Thanks everyone for the responses. As an aviation freak, I was shocked at not realizing that CO actually did the YVR -HNL route as so many Canadian carriers were operating that route for years. I always flew CP Air orange jets or Wardair.

A thread on CO is not complete without a photo of the BRASS ASS bird in all her glory (why did they have to change the black meatball to red?!)

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ ... N68041.jpg

Completely agree with you. The black meatball livery was the absolute best. Very classy.

77H · Fri Jun 22, 2018 11:30 pm

jetero wrote:
cathay747 wrote:
jetero wrote:

I guess technically CO aircraft flew IAD-HNL first after the merger, but of course as United.

But CO definitely served HNL (and I think later other cities) from SNA on 73Gs after AQ.

http://www.airlinesanddestinations.com/ ... arch-2010/

Again, I humbly stand corrected about SNA-Hawaii, so I will therefore qualify these next remarks about IAD-HNL as being that I am fairly certain (because I still lived in the DC area when it started) that UA launched this with their own metal...763ER's. Wasn't until post-merger that they began swapping in LCO 764ER's on the route. I think they even have used the 777 (domestic/Hawaii config.) on occasion, during peak periods here and there, but don't hold me to that one!!

Pretty sure it launched on 764s after HA announced JFK-HNL.

I think you are correct. It changed to the 763 in the last 2-3 years. It then went back to the 764 briefly last year before going back to a 763 as it is today.

77H

ha763 · Sat Jun 23, 2018 1:32 am

jetero wrote:
Of course re HNL at one point CO flew 2x from IAH (not sure if 2x also from EWR) as well as IAH-OGG for a good while. Anyone know what the general arrival and departure times were for the second IAH-HNL flight?

I don't recall the arrival time of the 2nd IAH flight, but would guess it was a late afternoon arrival into HNL. Back in 2001 I believe the flight left HNL around 8pm.

SpaceshipDC10 · Sat Jun 23, 2018 9:29 am

millionsofmiles wrote:
What I find interesting is that Continental began Down Under service with DC-10-10s which might explain the stop in Pago Pago. Pago Pago was then dropped in 1980, which also coincided with the delivery of two DC-10-30s.

The -30s were in fact acquired for that purpose as well as increase the payload.

[quote="Jawaiiansky66"]As an aviation freak, I was shocked at not realizing that CO actually did the YVR -HNL route as so many Canadian carriers were operating that route for years. I always flew CP Air orange jets or Wardair./quote]

Before 1987 you would have been able to travel with Western Airlines too.

cathay747 · Sat Jun 23, 2018 1:35 pm

DDR wrote:
Jawaiiansky66 wrote:
Thanks everyone for the responses. As an aviation freak, I was shocked at not realizing that CO actually did the YVR -HNL route as so many Canadian carriers were operating that route for years. I always flew CP Air orange jets or Wardair.

A thread on CO is not complete without a photo of the BRASS ASS bird in all her glory (why did they have to change the black meatball to red?!)

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ ... N68041.jpg

Completely agree with you. The black meatball livery was the absolute best. Very classy.

Agree with you both. After the final Golden Jet livery (one of the classiest and most handsome liveries ever designed IMHO and the immediate predecessor to the Landor livery pictured) this was he best; and yeah, I HATED the red Contrails logo too. We have Lorenzo to thank for that.

jetero · Sun Jun 24, 2018 8:25 pm

timz wrote:
airzim wrote:
Nonstop EWR-HNL came later when the runway at EWR was lengthened.

OAG says CO was to start JFK-HNL in October 1986; 11/87 OAG shows EWR-HNL instead..

Yeah EWR-HNL was initially flown with the 747s, not the DC-10s. I think IAH, too, when route was IAH-HNL-NRT.

timz · Sun Jun 24, 2018 8:27 pm

airzim wrote:
Nonstop EWR-HNL came later when the runway at EWR was lengthened.

OAG says CO was to start JFK-HNL in October 1986; 11/87 OAG shows EWR-HNL instead..

Unclekoru · Sun Jun 24, 2018 9:22 pm

millionsofmiles wrote:
airzim wrote:
timz wrote:
CO started EWR-HNL around 1987-88. Don't think it ever did SFO-HNL.

You could see an eastward contrail over Oakland in the afternoon-- had to be CO's nonstop to EWR. All the others were overnight.

CO definitely flew SFO-HNL. I flew on a DC-10-30 in 1996. Nonstop EWR-HNL came later when the runway at EWR was lengthened. Not sure when, but later than 1996 and once that happened SFO-HNL was dropped.

CO did fly JFK-HNL for a while too which continued onto SYD. Want to say late 80s.

Yup...Continental operated SFO-HNL between 1985 and 1998/9.

Prior to 1978, CO operated LAX-HNL and SEA-HNL. SEA-HNL was discontinued in 1978 and the SEA flight attendant base was closed.

Then, of course, there was CO's operation Down Under out of HNL, as well as the Air Mike operation. YVR was an interesting addition, and then along came JFK and then IAH.

SFO-HNL was introduced sometime in 1984. I travelled on it twice that year. Believe it continued to AKL.

SammyXV · Sun Jun 24, 2018 9:44 pm

Continental did HNL-SFO, I rode the route in January of 1988. Outbound we flew LAX-HNL on a Pub 10, as an 8 year old that was the most amazing thing I had seen in an airplane.

jetero · Sun Jun 24, 2018 9:48 pm

SammyXV wrote:
Continental did HNL-SFO, I rode the route in January of 1988. Outbound we flew LAX-HNL on a Pub 10, as an 8 year old that was the most amazing thing I had seen in an airplane.

How did the Pub work? Open seating?

SammyXV · Sun Jun 24, 2018 9:56 pm

jetero wrote:
SammyXV wrote:
Continental did HNL-SFO, I rode the route in January of 1988. Outbound we flew LAX-HNL on a Pub 10, as an 8 year old that was the most amazing thing I had seen in an airplane.

How did the Pub work? Open seating?

That I don't recall, I walked around during the flight but didn't spend any time there.

deltatim · Sun Jun 24, 2018 10:00 pm

We took the Continental "air cruise" to HNL in 1973 - it was awesome. 747 LAX-HNL, and DC-10 HNL-LAX. Both aircraft were colorful and divided into "rooms". F/C was the King Kamehamea room, then the big lounge, then the Micronesia, Bougainville, and Kabuki rooms... I learned to play poker in the lounge, and meals were all island-themed. You certainly can't fly to Hawaii like that anymore!

cs03 · Sun Jun 24, 2018 10:02 pm

PUB seating was "open". and in the 1980s I flew EWR/SFO in C class, then SFO/HNL in F. Such great service in both classes! The best part on the return HNL/EWR that it was non-stop and an AM departure from HNL had a 9PM arrival in EWR. No jet lag!

Chasensfo · Sun Jun 24, 2018 10:14 pm

For a breif period in 95/96, Continental's SFO-HNL was flown with 747-200s(perhaps it was an Air Mike route, but some 747s had "Micronesia" titles and some didn't), then it went back to the DC-10 and finally to the 767-200 when those were brand new to the fleet. The 767 service did not last long and when it went away, I do not think SFO saw the CO 767s again until they came back with a "UNITED" sticker on them.

While the DC-10 and 747 routes may have been "Air Mike" routes, the 767, I'm fairly certain, was not a Micronesia bird making SFO-HNL a Continental route.

Max Q · Sun Jun 24, 2018 11:07 pm

jetero wrote:
timz wrote:
airzim wrote:
Nonstop EWR-HNL came later when the runway at EWR was lengthened.

OAG says CO was to start JFK-HNL in October 1986; 11/87 OAG shows EWR-HNL instead..

Yeah EWR-HNL was initially flown with the 747s, not the DC-10s. I think IAH, too, when route was IAH-HNL-NRT.

That’s correct

I was based in IAH then and remember the inaugural HNL non stop was flown with the 747

The Classic looked really good in those Cal
colors

SpaceshipDC10 · Sun Jun 24, 2018 11:14 pm

Chasensfo wrote:
For a breif period in 95/96, Continental's SFO-HNL was flown with 747-200s(perhaps it was an Air Mike route, but some 747s had "Micronesia" titles and some didn't)

The way I remember it, after Bethune decided to retire the 747s from mainline service, some were either transferred or reactivated for Air Mike, particularly from HNL to Asia.

Max Q · Sun Jun 24, 2018 11:16 pm

Chasensfo wrote:
For a breif period in 95/96, Continental's SFO-HNL was flown with 747-200s(perhaps it was an Air Mike route, but some 747s had "Micronesia" titles and some didn't), then it went back to the DC-10 and finally to the 767-200 when those were brand new to the fleet. The 767 service did not last long and when it went away, I do not think SFO saw the CO 767s again until they came back with a "UNITED" sticker on them.

While the DC-10 and 747 routes may have been "Air Mike" routes, the 767, I'm fairly certain, was not a Micronesia bird making SFO-HNL a Continental route.

The 747’s with Air Mike titles were generally flown west of HNL, if they
we’re going to the mainland it was generally for maintenance and it was far more efficient for them to operate a regular service

In fact there was a 747 pilot base in GUM for a while and regular NRT service

That was in the waning days of the Classic at Continental

By the time the 767-200 arrived at Cal the Hnl base had been closed for years

I don’t believe it was ever operated from SFO to HNL

That would have been non hub to non hub
against UA (pre merger) in one of their strongest markets and using an aircraft least suited for that type of route

The 762’s (delivered after the 764) were mostly used to smaller cities in Europe out of EWR

codc10 · Mon Jun 25, 2018 1:49 am

ha763 wrote:
jetero wrote:
Of course re HNL at one point CO flew 2x from IAH (not sure if 2x also from EWR) as well as IAH-OGG for a good while. Anyone know what the general arrival and departure times were for the second IAH-HNL flight?

I don't recall the arrival time of the 2nd IAH flight, but would guess it was a late afternoon arrival into HNL. Back in 2001 I believe the flight left HNL around 8pm.

The 2nd IAH-HNL (CO72/73, IIRC) was timed similarly to CO1/2, just a bit later in both cases, daylight westbound and redeye return.

Chasensfo wrote:
For a breif period in 95/96, Continental's SFO-HNL was flown with 747-200s(perhaps it was an Air Mike route, but some 747s had "Micronesia" titles and some didn't), then it went back to the DC-10 and finally to the 767-200 when those were brand new to the fleet. The 767 service did not last long and when it went away, I do not think SFO saw the CO 767s again until they came back with a "UNITED" sticker on them.

While the DC-10 and 747 routes may have been "Air Mike" routes, the 767, I'm fairly certain, was not a Micronesia bird making SFO-HNL a Continental route.

767-200 was never in the regular schedule to HNL, it was always 764. I'm sure the 762 might have made an appearance, but they were never 'dedicated' to Hawaii and Guam like the 764 and 76H fleet (which were in the timetable as '767', common misconception is that meant 762, but at CO that was 20J/236Y 764 ships 063-66).

Moreover, I'm pretty sure SFO-HNL went away when EWR-HNL started up again in 1997 or so with the DC-10. EWR-HNL only went to 764 after the DC-10s were parked post-9/11 (same with IAH/LAX-HNL) and SFO-HNL was long gone by then.

RWA380 · Mon Jun 25, 2018 2:00 am

Theproudbird wrote:
Technically I believe the HNL-SFO was an Air Micronesia flight we had air mike hotels there and HNL

Both ways I flew SFO-HNL & both aircraft were marked as Continental Micronesia, honestly one of the best flights in Y I have had to Hawaii.

Motorhussy · Mon Jun 25, 2018 6:15 am

In 1980, I flew CO SYD-PPG in coach. PPG-HNL in business. And HNL-LAX in coach. All on DC-10-10's, without the central double bogey wheel. The LAX-JFK leg was with UA from memory, on a 747-200.

I remember the food and the service being very good on CO and it was my first time flying long distance by myself, I was 13.

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