Hawaiian Airlines has some deals on airfare to Maui. November 1-15 dates are $188 each way / $376 RT. This is a great price for Maui airfare from LAX. Portland to Maui airfare is even less at $256 RT. http://www.hawaiianair.com/hawaii-travel-deals/

Hawaiian Airlines has some deals for airfare to LAX to Honolulu in April and early May. Sample dates from Friday, April 8, 2011 to Wednesday, April 13, 2011 are $399 from LAX to HNL roundtrip before taxes.

Hawaiian Airlines features:

• Complimentary meals
• Complimentary snacks
• Free soft drinks

Hawaiian Airlines Deals

American Airlines is offering a deal for 20K miles each way from LAX to Paris for many November dates. This is an excellent deal if you participated in the SPG offer this summer or have a lot of American Airlines points. Off peak times are a good opportunity to visit Europe. I tried pricing tickets over the summer and they were close to $1,500 per ticket.

Go to the American Airlines website, enter in PAR as the destination. Check the “AA Advantage” Redeem Miles option box.

http://www.aa.com

If you don’t have frequent flyer miles, you can buy a ticket for $800 R/T from LAX to Paris.

 If you have 35,000 SPG points, you can quality for a free roundtrip

• Login to your SPG account
• Transfer the SPG points to American Airlines http://www.starwoodhotels.com/preferredguest/account/starpoints/transfer/airline_partner_list.html
  It states that for every 20,000 miles transferred, you qualify for an extra 5,000 extra miles. This means that if you have 35,000 SPG points, you will net 40,000 AA miles.
• However, if you are very close to 40,000 points — its best to wait. This way 40,000 points will net 50,000 AA miles.
• Sometimes SPG has a promo that gives an extra bonus for transferring airline points. Over the summer, they had 25-35% bonus.  http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/starwood-preferred-guest/1095477-promo-move-spg-points-aa-25-35-bonus-thru-june-30-a.html

Hello everyone. I’m starting a new topic to the blog called Weekly Airfare Trend from LAX. Basically, it will highlight the new discounts to airfare for the following destinations: Hawaii, Europe, and Japan. The timeframe for the best prices will be within the next 60 days. I hope to eventually expand to more areas in the future.

Hawaii:
LAX to HNL
$366 after taxes R/T from December 7th to December 14th, 2010 on Hawaiian Airlines. This is one of the lower prices for Hawaii airfare. Right now, December looks to be a good month for low prices on airfare Hawaii.

Europe:
LAX to CDG (Paris)
$776 after taxes R/T from December 5 to December 12, 2010 on Air Tahiti Nui. It looks like prices are going down for Europe destinations.

Japan:
LAX to NRT
$851 after taxes R/T from December 1 to December 8, 2010 on Air China. Lowest price is around $800 online and $1,000 for later dates in December.

These are sample rates that are subject to change at any time.

Planning a trip to Maui? Here are some tips before making the journey to Maui.

Airfare
It is important to book the airfare early for the best pricing. The best time is usually 1-2 months before departure for non-peak season. If you are travelling in a large group, the earlier the better if you plan to sit together. I suggest signing up for their e-mail list to get notification of their sales. You can get some good deals with the specials — sometimes they offer flights starting at $149 each way depending on the season. San Diego airport usually offers the lowest airfares, while LAX/Orange County (SNA) runs at least $50 more each way.
http://www.hawaiianair.com/Specialoffers/Pages/SpecialOffersWebfares.aspx

The pricing from the airline websites are usually better than online airfare search engines. You can try  
http://www.farecast.com/ or http://www.cheapflights.com/

Update: Aloha Airlines has filed for bankruptcy and stopped all flights. You will need to contact your credit card company or travel agency for a refund. ATA Airlines also has filed for bankruptcy. Always purchase your plane tickets with a credit card in the event that the airline goes bankrupt. This way you will have 60 days from date of purchase to utilize a chargeback to your credit card under the Fair Credit Billing Act.

Car Rental
As with the airfare, you should get the car rental early too. Prices nearly double if you wait until the last minute. I’ve had an ok experience with most rental companies out of OGG airport. I prefer the companies that allow you to choose any car in the lot like Alamo. Midsize cars range from the Pontiac Vibe, Chevy HHR, or Pontiac G6. If you are a Costco member, I recommend using their travel section to book the car. I’ve gotten 1 week rentals as low as $140 for a midsize car. Remember to book the car early for best pricing. If you wait until the last minute to book the car, figure to spend at least $30-$60 per day.

Travel Books
This is a good way to plan what locations you want to visit. I recommend Maui Revealed for a good overview of activities. I wouldn’t rely solely on the book for dining recomendations though, you are better off using Yelp for reviews. Most imporantly, buy a map (or better yet a GPS) for your trip. You’ll find the highway numbers change often since the state highways change into county ones. http://www.hawaiihighways.com/FAQs-page3.htm

Old Lahaina Luau
This is the best luau in Maui — best food, drinks, and show. You will need to make reservations well in advance though since it is very popular. The only downside is that there isn’t fire knife dancing (since its not a Hawaiian) but the good food makes up for it. Open bar — good Lava Flow and Pina Coladas. If you like sashimi, try the Ahi Poke. Its marinated raw Ahi tuna — all you can eat! Service is excellent — a server brings you drinks so you don’t have to wait in line at the bar.  Website: www.oldlahainaluau.com