Bucket List: United Island Hopper From Honolulu To Guam
So I just found out about this island hopping service that United has between Honolulu, Hawaii and Guam and after reading up it seems like the perfect flight for any aviation geek. This is a very unique flight in that United Airlines flies a Boeing 737-800 from Hawaii to Guam making five stops along the way in some small Pacific Island locations the depend on the flight for tourism.
This unique United flight goes from Honolulu to Marshall Islands to Kwajalein Atoll to Pohnpei Island to Micronesia to Guam. Overall this is a 15 hour flight in total just to get to Guam. Another uniqueness about this flight is that it carries an extra pilot and a mechanic on-board. United doesn’t have any maintenance or crew stationed on any of the islands so they must carry them with them just in case.
Fun fact, Kwajalein Atoll is an active military installation and you’re not allowed to deplane unless you live there or are on military orders.
Looking at many of the reviews on this flight it seems as if you don’t have too long at each stop to do anything unless you’re staying over in the location. But because each of these islands are their own nations you can get your passport stamped with the local immigration officer which would make for some of the most unique stamps in your book. I’ve also read that the meal selection isn’t very good and highly recommends that you bring your own food for your journey.
From what I can see some people will use this flight as a sightseeing flight and choose a stopover at an island before continuing on to Guam and catching a flight back from Guam. I’ve also seen some people opt to fly through Narita (Japan) since you’re so close and then fly back to Honolulu or back home.
For me as an aviation geek this sounds like the perfect flight to get some good views and if you pick the right seat get to know your captains or mechanic. Most of these islands are very small which gives amazing sights and untouched beauty.
After seeing some of the negatives, few food options and no wifi, this is one of those once-in-a-lifetime flights that you get to see it once and you’ll enjoy the beauty of untouched small islands.
