This year has been flying by. This years winter season in Utah has been a record breaking one. According to ksltv.com the statewide snowpack average hit 29 inches vs the 30 year norm of 15 inches. The previous record was 28.8 inches back in 1952.
With this said I certainly have been getting tired of the snow and was missing the warmth of the Hawaiian islands. A simple bowl of poke and visiting a good friend was also well needed.
This trip has been in the works for a few months and the cost of flying is definitely clear. Back when I was living on Oahu, Delta direct flights from Salt Lake City to Honolulu were typically around $715 (round trip, couch). This trip through United Airlines was $832 (plus $109 in fees for preferred seating) with an hour layover in LAX. This same direct flight through Delta was $1200. The preferred seating is a ridiculous way of increasing profits.
The morning started with a pre-scheduled Uber ride pick up at 4am. The only good thing that came of this Uber ride was an early arrival from the driver. A slight smoke smell in the car, loud music, non-smooth accelerator inputs, and almost no communication. It was probably the strangest, uncomfortable Uber ride I’ve yet to be in. The Uber ride was $57.03 (ride $36.38, reservation $10, booking fee $7.65, SLC airport surcharge $3).
SLC International airport was getting pretty busy upon arriving around 430am. I quickly discovered that your KTN (known travel number) for pre-check screening isn’t linked to your ID (in this case drivers license). The issue was that I forgot to add it to my United Airlines account. Travel Tip: add your KTN if you have it, it makes life a bit earlier 😉.
Arriving at LAX was interesting: I didn’t see any construction of the airport. A first for me. The layover was actually very short – just enough time to grab a snack and get to the terminal. It worked out well.
Stepping foot off the plane at Honolulu was a breath of fresh air. The temperature was a nice 75 and sunny. Let the relaxing and adventures begin.