Going Back To Vegas on Hawaiian Airlines For Work

Hawaiian Airlines planes at the overseas terminal at Honolulu
International Airport. A Hawaiian Boeing 767 sits front and center.
(photo: TheHopefulTraveler)

It's been four years since I traveled to Las Vegas, Nevada. But this trip would be something different. For a change I'll be flying Hawaiian Airlines rather than American Airlines and I'll be flying to the mainland for business rather than pleasure.

I've flown Hawaiian to the U.S. mainland but that was nearly twenty years ago when American allowed passengers to earn miles in their Aadvantage program on all Hawaiian flights. Once I even flew the two airlines in one trip, using Hawaiian to fly to the Los Angeles and then continue on American to New York City and using the same airlines for the return trip.

But then someone at American had the bright idea that they prefer you fly their airline to the U.S. mainland if you want to earn miles. Thus Aadvantage members could longer earn miles on Hawaiian to the West Coast. But the airline allowed miles to be earned on Hawaiian's inter-island flights provided the airfare was not cheap (determined by the booking code).

The whole situation became convoluted that it was just simpler to also become a member of Hawaiian Miles. Combining the numerous business trips to Kauai, Maui and the Big Island and at least three vacations to the mainland or abroad annually, I found myself becoming an elite member in two airline programs each year: My vacation flying on American allowed me to reach at least Aadvantage Gold and business flying had me reaching Puulani Gold on Hawaiian Airlines.

Today I fly on Hawaiian Airlines round-trip to Las Vegas not by choice. It's a business trip paid for by the professional organization to which I belong because Hawaiian has the cheapest airfares to Sin City.

The posts over the next four days will cover what was seen and done around attending a conference at the Paris Las Vegas resort.