The United shuffles are part of a long list of changes coming to Orange County this spring and summe

It's not quite the swallows returning to San Juan Capistrano, but the 737s from Honolulu will return to John Wayne Airport next month. Unfortunately, like the swallows, their appearances dollar rent a car discounts are getting more spotty and harder to time.
The changes in Hawaii flights are part of a reshuffling going on at United Airlines as it finishes merging with Continental. The airline is adding a fourth flight to Chicago giving it one more than longtime rival American Airlines, which is battling bankruptcy. It's dropping a flight to Denver, where its onetime monopoly to the Mile High City has been undercut by low-cost service by Frontier and Southwest.
Change is coming against to JWA. United is shifting dollar rent a car discounts Hawaii flights to nights, while Delta is among rumored suitors dollar rent a car discounts for another round of consolidations that could involve American Airlines or US Airways. LEONARD ORTIZ, REGISTER FILE PHOTO
The flight to Honolulu dollar rent a car discounts will now leave at 6:30 p.m. and arrive in Honolulu at 10:15 p.m. That's a huge change the flight used to leave at 9 a.m. and arrive in Honolulu just after noon. The old flight left time for first-day swimming or sunning, afternoon pupus, dinner and a night on the town. Now it's straight from airport to bed unless you are up for a midnight tiki bar crawl. I don't care if you are staying at a $150-a-night condo or a $1,500-a-night oceanfront suite, arriving at Honolulu in time to go to sleep in (and pay for) your room isn't going to be a popular option.
The return flight is also troublesome. It's a red-eye. Out around midnight, dollar rent a car discounts back in Orange County as the sun rises. The flight used to leave at 2 p.m. and arrive at John Wayne Airport at 9 p.m. or so. Enough time in Honolulu for breakfast, a nice dip in the ocean and a leisurely trip out to the airport. I know there are people who will like the chance to max out their time in the islands before enduring the overnight flight, but I can never sleep and end up feeling wiped out.
Most ominously, the new flight dollar rent a car discounts times almost exactly mirror dollar rent a car discounts the times for United's nonstop service from Orange dollar rent a car discounts County to Maui that the airline pulled the plug on last year. Let's hope the outcome isn't the same.
I am sure in the mind of some airline executives, the times maximize the use of the aircraft. But for customers, it's an ugly option that will have a lot of people weighing inconvenient flight times against dealing with the trip to LAX.
Mary Clark, dollar rent a car discounts a spokeswoman for United, reminded me that the new flight schedule is what United originally planned when it launched its Hawaii service dollar rent a car discounts in March 2010. But the airline dollar rent a car discounts opted to add a flight to Maui and switched the odd hours to that service, and moved the Orange County-Honolulu flight times to a more reasonable hour. The one time I flew the Maui service it was barely a third full. I've taken the Honolulu flight three times and it has ranged from three-quarters full to packed.
When flights start again March 4, United will fly every day except Tuesday and Wednesday. dollar rent a car discounts In April, the flight will be daily. In May, it's Friday, Saturday and Sunday only. June through August, back to daily. In the fall, Saturday only. The plan is to go back to daily again around Christmas. It's enough to make a travel planner's head spin.
On some airline flow chart, it all makes sense. Lots of flights for spring break, summer vacations and Christmas. Not so much the rest of the year. But I have many readers who express surprise that there is Honolulu service dollar rent a car discounts at all, or want to know what happened to the service they had previously used. I have to explain the schedule is a bit like an airline version of an egg hunt you have to keep looking around to find it.
I continue to root for United's Hawaii service I want nonstop service to Hawaii without having to endure LAX. But it is getting harder to justify the higher prices and now oddball hours. I know that the old days when Aloha Airlines flew to every major Hawaiian island nonstop from Orange County are gone. Other airlines notably Alaska and US Airways have looked at Orange County service to Hawaii and passed. As I've noted before, Alaska Airlines is especially frustrating. It picked up many of Aloha's old routes, plus it flies nonstop to Honolulu from Bellingham, Wash. (population: 80,000). United is what we have. I plan to give it a shot at my business. If we lose Honolulu service, I don't think it will come back any time soon.
That's a frustrating reality for Orange County's legions of Hawaii fans who read that the islands are enjoying the highest visitor spending in four years. dollar rent a car discounts Hawaii is on the rebound, but Orange dollar rent a car discounts County doesn't seem to be getting in on the upswing.
dollar rent a car discounts The United shuffles are part of a long list of changes coming to Orange County this spring and summer and there could be more. American Airlines is in bankruptcy and reorganizing its business. dollar rent a car discounts The airline has a lock on Orange County-Dallas service, but its Chicago service now has less frequency. For the money-conscious, there are low-cost connecting fares available through Southwest or Frontier.
The big good news is still nearly four months away. AirTran, a wholly owned subsidiary of Southwest, will start the first flights to Mexico in June one daily nonstop each to Cabo San Lucas and Mexico City. I'm keeping an eye on WestJet, which seems to be doing well on its service to Vancouver, B.C., but has fallen into a stop-and-start schedule dollar rent a car discounts for Calgary, Alberta. Meanwhile, just as the United-Continental merger is wrapping up, there is speculation that US Airways could link up with Delta or American.
Comments are encouraged, dollar rent a car discounts but you must follow dollar rent a car discounts our User Agreement . 1. Keep it civil and stay on topic. 2. No profanity, vulgarity, racial slurs or personal attacks. 3. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. 4. By posting your comment, dollar rent a car discounts you agree to allow Orange County Register Communications, Inc. the right to republish your name and comment in additional Register publications without any notification or payment.