The United Airlines “Island Hopper” from Honolulu to Guam is one of those unique flights with a cult following – a bit like British Airways flight BA1 from London City to New York.
Leaving Hawaii in the morning, the Boeing 737-800 service stops at 5 islands in Micronesia and the Marshall Islands along the way. The 3x weekly flight exists to connect the people of Micronesia and deliver vital cargo to the islands. But the flight is also popular for aviation enthusiasts with a sense of adventure.
The first stop for the United Island Hopper is Majuro, followed by Kwajalein, Kosrae (twice per week only), Pohnpei and Chuuk, before the flight arrives at its final destination of Guam in the United States.
This YouTube video review by Jeb Brooks could give you an idea of what to expect:
Unfortunately, tickets on the United Island Hopper service don’t come cheap. The standard cost of a return Economy class fare is around $3,900. A Business class ticket costs about $4,500 return. Flying one-way costs around half of that price – which is still a lot of money. The good news is that it’s possible to book this flight using frequent flyer points.
It’s very rare to find Business Class award availability on United’s Honolulu-Guam service, but Economy award availability is plentiful. You can book an Economy ticket using points on almost any flight you want. As United is a member of Star Alliance, you can use any Star Alliance frequent flyer program to book this flight.
The frequent flyer program to offer this flight for the lowest number of miles is actually Lufthansa Miles&More. An Economy class ticket from Honolulu to Guam costs 20,000 Miles&More miles one-way.
United MileagePlus and Avianca LifeMiles also offer relatively good value on this route. Both programs charge 27,500 miles one-way, plus minimal taxes. (That said, United could change its pricing at any time as it no longer publishes award charts.)
During a 145% bonus miles promotion, you could purchase the equivalent of 27,500 LifeMiles for around USD627.
Sadly, the United Island Hopper is a poor use of Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer miles. Singapore Airlines charges 54,000 KrisFlyer miles for Economy class.
In all cases, you can book on this award online.
If you just want to get from Honolulu to Guam as quickly as possible, United does also offer a direct flight and there are Economy award seats available for the same price.
Would you like help using your frequent flyer points?
We offer a personalised service to take the hard work out of redeeming your frequent flyer points!
Our Frequent Flyer Concierge experts can help you to find the perfect flights using your points. Just let the team know how many points you have and where you would like to go, and they’ll prepare an itinerary for you.
Having trouble finding and booking reward seats?
Our Frequent Flyer Concierge is here to help!
