Trip Report GUM-HNL-MAJ-GUM (long)
Gregory Glass
Quarterly conference in Majuro, Marshall Islands, I started to consider
options for a brief add-on vacation. I first considered a stop in
Kosrae, Federated States of Micronesia, but flight schedules didn't
match up too well with conference schedules, and anyone who has done
much traveling in the Pacific knows that there just aren't that many
flights between islands. With only two flights a week to Majuro from GUM
and two from HNL, my choices were limited, and Kosrae was just not going
to happen.
Which led me to realize that this would be a perfect -- and perhaps my
only -- opportunity to fly on Continental's Island Hopper. It would
also give me the chance to visit a friend in Honolulu who I had not seen
for a couple of years, but that is hardly on-topic for r.t.a. ...
although I *did* fly to get there and I *did* notice that gasoline was a
few cents cheaper than it is on Guam.
Without further ado, here's my first stab at a trip report.
CO 2 GUM (Guam)-HNL (Honolulu) DC10
18 MAR 99
SCHEDULED DEPARTURE: 0740
SCHEDULED ARRIVAL: 1855 (-1)
Continental allows passengers on its HNL flights to check in the night
before, so on St. Patrick's Day evening, I checked my duffel bag in and
got my boarding pass for the next morning, so when I arrived at the A.B.
Won Pat Guam International Airport at 0630 on Thursday, I went straight
through security and to the gate.
At 0648, I synchronized my watch with the "official" airport time.
Checking the departures monitor, everything was on time.
The flight from Guam, a U.S. territory, to Honolulu, in the U.S. state
of Hawaii, is considered international. We had to pre-clear immigration
before we left Guam (similar to flights I've taken between Canada at the
US), and the flight was to arrive at the International Arrivals Building
at HNL.
At 0655, we began boarding the DC10 (N17085). As I settled in to my
seat, I wondered how many times Steve Kropla had been on this particular
plane. I doubted, though, that he had ever been in this particular seat
since I was in seat 45L, the last seat on the airplane.
Somewhere during the uneventful flight, we crossed the International
Dateline, and it was once again Wednesday. After landing, we had to show
our boarding passes (which Immigration had stamped at GUM) to the
Immigration authorities, and then had to wait for our bags to arrive on
one of three unconnected carousels. I had never seen such an
inconvenient system before, as there seemed to be neither rhyme nor
reason to which carousel the bags arrived on (all three were for CO 2).
Being at HNL was exciting for this "airline hobbyist," because it was my
first chance to see the "new" TWA livery, as well as seeing UA and AA
planes. The only US-based airlines to regularly visit GUM are
Continental and Northwest, and I appreciated the variety.
My friend picked me up and promptly pinched me. "It's St. Patrick's
Day!" she said, and I wasn't wearing any green. I told her I had
actually worn on green on St. Patrick's Day on Guam and that I could
hardly help that it was *still* St. Patrick's Day in Hawaii, but that
didn't seem to make any difference.
CO 957 HNL-Johnston Island (JON) B727-200
19 MAR 99
SCHEDULED DEPARTURE: 0830
SCHEDULED ARRIVAL: 1045
I left Waikiki at 0630 for the early morning drive to the airport. After
stopping for a quick photo of Diamondhead, we arrived at HNL after
experiencing just a bit of light traffic.
Checking in at the "Island Hopper" counter, there was precisely one
person ahead of me. The agent asked for his "clearance" for Johnston,
since mere civilians like myself cannot deplane there.
The 727-200 (N86426) was waiting for us, but boarding didn't start for
another 45 minutes, so we wandered around and watched a couple of JL
jumbos loading. Back at the gate, I noticed the 727 only had Continental
titles instead of Continental Micronesia. Continental is slowly phasing
the "Micronesia" out of its Pacific operation, including the English
version of "Pacifica," the CMI inflight magazine.
Watching what the baggage handlers are loading is always interesting on
these Pacific routes. Coming out of GUM and HNL are coolers full of meat
and other expensive refrigerated goods and boxes full of other expensive
items. Leaving the outer island for HNL or GUM, the coolers are often
full of fresh fish for family and friends who have left home for the
allure of the cities.
At 0753, we boarded, and I took my seat (12F). At 0827, we pushed back
from the gate, and I realized it would be the last "gate" I would see
until Guam. Only 1/3 of the middle seats were occupied, but the one
next to me was one of them. Flight time to JON announced as 1:55 as we
taxied past a NW 747, DL L-1011, JL and Hawaiian DC10s, and an NH 747.
Although my GUM-HNL flight had been 'international,' the island hopper
legs were 'domestic,' at least in terms of drinks. Beer and wine were
$2, cocktails $3 despite the fact that the island hopper flies through
three countries and two U.S. military bases.
At 1018, we started our descent into JON. We were still east of the
international dateline, so it was still Friday when we landed. Johnston
was used for nuclear testing after WWII, and is now used to incinerate
chemical munitions. We overflew the island, turned, touched down and
taxied to a sign which proclaims "Welcome to Johnston Atoll, Elevation 7
Feet."
The island is full of industrial buildings and barracks, and most cars
and trucks were in standard issue white and military green. Refueling
was provided by a green USAF truck, and the luggage "cart" was a blue
metal basket mounted to the front of a forklift. Since we were on a
military installation, only those with travel orders to JON were allowed
to deplane. I wondered if anyone was considering a lawsuit. After all,
we were in the tropical sun and it started to get pretty warm inside the
plane, where we were quite literally imprisoned -- we were not allowed
to get off the plane -- for more than 30 minutes. ;-) This gave us a
good chance to get to know each other, as islanders reacquainted
themselves with each other and shared news from home while tourists
exchanged travel information.
CO 957 JON-Majuro, Marshall Islands (MAJ) B727-200
19 MAR 99
SCHEDULED DEPARTURE: 1115
SCHEDULED ARRIVAL: 1230 (+1)
The doors closed on schedule, and the longest leg of the island hopper
was underway at a distance of 1,457 miles an announced flight time of
2:07. The safety demonstration seemed familiar, but hearing it twice in
three hours is nothing different than flying through a hub airport, I
guess.
Shortly after takeoff, my seatmate decides it's time to pull out the
betelnut, and I'm subjected to the continual "ssspuuuut" of his
expectorations into his used coffee cup. After getting his betelnut
high, he falls asleep, so it is at least quiet. I hope, however, that
we don't hit too much turbulence, or that cup full of spit could be all
over my shoes.
Somewhere over this lonely stretch of the Pacific, we cross the dateline
again, and we magically jump forward through 23 time zones, changing our
watches from 1200 Friday to 1100 Saturday. Talk about a rotten deal - I
had two Thursday mornings this week, and no Saturday morning to sleep
in.
Starting our initial descent, we could see a few small atolls pass by.
Majuro Atoll is the most populous in the Republic of the Marshall
Islands, an independent country of some 50,000 people since 1979. Majuro
is actually 57 small islands, many of them connected by a 35 mile-long
road. The result is a long, narrow land mass where, in many places, you
can quite literally stand in the lagoon on one side and throw a rock
across the island into the ocean on the other side. I'm certain I'm not
the first person who has looked down, spotted the runway, and thought to
himself, "We're going to land there???"
The east end of the atoll is called "Rita," while the west end is
"Laura," both named by US forces stationed there during WW II. Rita was
named after Rita Hayworth, while Laura was named for Lauren Bacall.
Like most islands in this part of the world, there are no parallel
taxiways, so we touch down and turn around to taxi back to the airport.
The runway at MAJ is crowned, and small pools of water lined both sides
of the concrete when were there. I later learned that this was part of
the atoll's water supply. Reservoirs under the runway are connected to
the water treatment plant.
CO 957 MAJ-Kwajalein Atoll (KWA) B727-200
23 MAR 99
SCHEDULED DEPARTURE: 1300
SCHEDULED ARRIVAL: 1355
Back to the airport after the conference, we have to cross the highest
point on the island. The highest point happens to be a bridge which, I'm
told, is 12 feet above sea level at high tide. Despite the airport's
proximity to the atoll's water supply, there's no water at the airport
today, which means the restrooms are all locked. This would be no
problem, except that the plane is about 45 minutes late arriving from
JON.
The crew manages to do a quick turn, and we're off the ground within 30
minutes after arrival. Upon boarding N89427 (complete with Continental
Micronesia titles this time), we learn that the flight was late because
the auxillary power unit is not working. Air Mike has a mechanic -- and
an extensive collection of spare parts in the belly -- on each flight,
but neither he nor ground crew at HNL were able to fix the problem.
This also explains why we had to walk across the tarmac behind a
screaming #2 engine to board the plane. These small Micronesian
airports have no ground start capabilities.
MAJ-KWA is the shortest leg of the island hopper, scheduled at just 55
minutes and 267 miles. KWA is another U.S. military base, which means
we won't be able to deplane there, either. Instead of taxiing past
airliners, we see planes from the Royal Thai Air Force and Australian
Air Force.
There were dozens of bicycles and golf carts around the island's office
buildings and modular housing units. I suppose on a small island like
KWA, that is the best way to get around. There were, of course, cars
and trucks too, but they were vastly outnumbered.
The pilot shut down the #2 engine because there *is* ground start
capability here, so at least the 30 minutes we have to spend on the
plane is quiet.
Continental's station manager at MAJ must have one of the most difficult
jobs in the entire CO system. There are only two flights a week in each
direction, and islanders tend to travel with large amounts of baggage.
On Fridays, CO 956 eastbound doesn't stop at JON, which means the flight
has to take on extra fuel and has, as a consequence, a limited payload.
John (the station manager) is the one who has to make the decisions
about which luggage and, even worse, which passengers aren't allowed to
board. From time to time, John told me, he has to get on the plane and
ask for volunteers among the *through* passengers. With only four
flights a week, there are few who volunteer, though I suspect the denied
boarding compensation is pretty good!
CO 957 KWA-Kosrae, Federated States of Micronesia (KSA) B727-200
23 MAR 99
SCHEDULED DEPARTURE: 1425
SCHEDULED ARRIVAL: 1435
Taxiing out of KWA, I spied a long, narrow golf course which, curiously,
had no golf carts in sight. The captain announced he would be "making up
some time" by taking on extra fuel at KWA and minimizing our stop at
KSA. He also told us that we would have to stay on board during our
stops the rest of the way in to GUM. Usually, passengers are permitted
to deplane along the way to buy souvenirs or snacks, visit friends, use
the restroom, or just to stretch their legs. Flight time is just over an
hour, and we move yet another time zone west, so we arrive at just about
the same time we left.
Landing at KSA is an experience. The island is green and mountainous, a
definite change from the atolls I've seen since leaving HNL. Because KSA
has the shortest runway in Micronesia, crews have to brake hard after
touching down. The second officer told me, while we were waiting for our
next batch of passengers, that they usually leave the landing gear down
a bit longer than usual when leaving KSA just to cool it off. In the
short time I was able to talk with him, he also told me that island
hopper cockpit crews are typically very senior: of today's crew, any of
the three would be flying in the #1 seat if they were in Continental's
mainline cities. He told me that crews like flying in Micronesia because
of the friendly people, the beautiful islands and the challenge of
flying so far away from the world's busiest air routes. Flights receive
clearance from a center in Oakland, which controls all of the airspace
over Micronesia, often receiving landing clearance while still an hour
outside of the destination.
CO 957 KSA-Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia (PNI) B727-200
23 MAR 99
SCHEDULED DEPARTURE: 1505
SCHEDULED ARRIVAL: 1605
Taking off from KSA, we were treated to a great tour of some of the
island's more isolated villages before our quick flight to PNI. Pohnpei
is the capital of the Federated States of Micronesia, a country of
110,000 people, independent since 1979. Like the Marshall Islands and
the Republic of Palau, the FSM was part of the Trust Territory of the
Pacific Islands after WW II. When the U.S. attempted to organize
everyone from the RMI to Palau into a single national entity, the RMI
and Palau refused, leaving the FSM states of Kosrae, Pohnpei, Chuuk and
Yap as an independent nation.
Flying into PNI, we flew low near Nan Madol, a group of 97 artificial
islets built for Pohnpeian royalty during around 1100-1200 AD. When
Westerners first visited Pohnpei in the 1820s, Nan Madol had only
recently been abandoned.
We were once again asked to stay onboard, though I did sneak off to try
to buy some of Pohnpei's delicious dried pepper tuna. There was none in
the airport, and a quick dash to the fisheries co-op just outside the
airport gate was similarly fruitless. I hadn't been back on the plane
more than five minutes when the door was closed and we prepared for
departure. If I had to get stuck somewhere, Pohnpei would be a great
place for it to happen, but my passport, clothes and everything else
would have been heading back to Guam without me.
CO 957 PNI-Chuuk, Federated States of Micronesia (TKK) B727-200
23 MAR 99
SCHEDULED DEPARTURE: 1640
SCHEDULED ARRIVAL: 1655
By now, the safety demonstration is becoming second nature to me and
many other passengers. The guy next to me was actually reciting it
word-for-word along with the FAs.
After leaving PNI, the captain came on the PA announced that, somewhere
below us, we would be passing over a traditional-style sailing canoe
which had departed Hawaii early this year on its way to Guam and Saipan.
It is scheduled to arrive in Chuuk this week before continuing westward.
Chuuk, formerly Truk, is famous for its diving because of the hundreds
of shipwrecks and planes in the lagoon, including an entire Japanese
fleet.
Chuuk State recently declared a state of emergency to have repairs made
to its runway. PNI was closed for two weeks in early March for necessary
repairs there, too. All of these repairs are being made in anticipation
of Continental's fleet replacement program here in the Pacific. By the
end of the year, the trusty 727s which have served Continental
Micronesia for years will have been retired in favor of brand new
737-800s.
CO 957 TKK-GUM B727-200
23 MAR 99
SCHEDULED DEPARTURE: 1730
SCHEDULED ARRIVAL: 1900
After another quick stop -- with engine #2 still running -- we left
Chuuk for the last leg of the island hopper flight. I was disappointed I
hadn't had the opportunity to deplane in KSA and TKK, and hadn't had
much time in PNI, but I'm sure the connecting passengers appreciated our
quick stops. Those connecting to Palau, Saipan and the Philippines were
assured that we had made up enough time that their flights would still
be waiting for them.
Being the last leg in the flight, customs forms for Guam were
distributed and we began to say our goodbyes. I've done the island
hopper now, and as an airline geek, it was absolutely worth it. I
recommend this route to any r.t.a.ers out there who have a few thousands
miles (or dollars) to burn!
Gregory in Guam
Gregory Glass
Freelance Writer
Tamuning, Guam, USA
mga...@my-dejanews.com
gregory@*kuentos.guam.net (Gregory Glass) wrote:
(snip)
> Which led me to realize that this would be a perfect -- and perhaps my
> only -- opportunity to fly on Continental's Island Hopper.
> Without further ado, here's my first stab at a trip report.
I've done the island
> hopper now, and as an airline geek, it was absolutely worth it. I
> recommend this route to any r.t.a.ers out there who have a few thousands
> miles (or dollars) to burn!
>
> Gregory in Guam
>
Mike
-----------== Posted via Deja News, The Discussion Network ==----------
http://www.dejanews.com/ Search, Read, Discuss, or Start Your Own
No
what I want to know is how full were the flights? I really want to
non-rev on that trip, and I have been pulling up the loads on CO'S
reservations systems, my only problem is that I would be one of the
first people pulled off the plane in case of a weight and balance
problem(the joy of standby)
Also, budget accomodation in GUM? or TKK, as a diver, Chukk is a mecca
I wish to visit.
a...@wxs.nl
--To repeat what others have said, that was a brilliant trip report. I too have
always been fascinated by that flight. Seeing as a few others have expressed
their desire to fly that route one day, anybody out there interested in
organizing an r.t.a. outing on the island hopper, and negotiating a good group
discount?
--==++AJC++==--
Steve Kropla
Yes, count me in!
That guy who decides whose bag or body gets bumped is going to hate us
all... ;-)
_________________________________
Steve Kropla
Kingwood, Texas USA
To e-mail, remove "dot" (You know which one)
Help for World Travelers: http://kropla.com
Ken Hamer
>
> On Wed, 31 Mar 99 14:42:04 GMT, a...@wxs.nl, without fear or better
> judgement, wrote:
>
> >
> >--To repeat what others have said, that was a brilliant trip report. I too have
> >always been fascinated by that flight. Seeing as a few others have expressed
> >their desire to fly that route one day, anybody out there interested in
> >organizing an r.t.a. outing on the island hopper, and negotiating a good group
> >discount?
> >--==++AJC++==--
>
> Yes, count me in!
>
> That guy who decides whose bag or body gets bumped is going to hate us
> all... ;-)
>
I am informed today that I may be flying 3/4 of that route on company
business, sometime between July and November. Very Cool!
Ken H
Gregory Glass
> Greg, wonderful post! I have wanted to do that trip for a long time,
> what I want to know is how full were the flights? I really want to
> non-rev on that trip, and I have been pulling up the loads on CO'S
> reservations systems, my only problem is that I would be one of the
> first people pulled off the plane in case of a weight and balance
> problem(the joy of standby)
Thanks, everyone, for your compliments! The plane was *never*
completely full on the two days I did the trip, but I remember the
MAJ-KWA and TKK-GUM legs were pretty full. Getting bumped, though,
would only be bad between MAJ-KSA/PNI. Once you get to Kosrae or
Pohnpei, there are daily flights. MAJ, though, would be a bad place to
get bumped because of the scarcity of flights. Actually, it would be a
fine place to have to spend a few days, unless you *need* to be
somewhere else!
I'm not sure when the high and low seasons are. I know CO used to run
three island hoppers a week in each direction, but it's down to two now.
In the high season, I believe they add a HNL-MAJ-HNL turn.
Also, if any of you are serious about taking the island hopper, be aware
it only stops at JON once a week eastbound. You wouldn't want to be
stuck on the six-leg island hopper instead of the seven-leg version!
> Also, budget accomodation in GUM? or TKK, as a diver, Chukk is a mecca
> I wish to visit.
Can't comment for sure about Chuuk. Guam has decent places for about
$50, less decent for even less. Since we're all suffering through some
pretty bad economic times right now (Guam and Micronesia in general),
there are probably some pretty good package prices available.
Greg
Neil
(Im using my real name now)
Greg, I did some checking of the CO loads, and I think I may take the
flight on April 26th, the plane is very empty on each leg, now to find
accomodation and diving in TKK and GUM that isn't confiscatory, also I
gotta find an empty flight from GUM back to HNL and HNL back to the
mainland. I really gotta take this flight before they get rid of the
727.
Also, Airliners Magazine had a great article on this flight a few
months back, the 727's have a teflon coating on the underbelly so that
when they kick up sand and such on these islands, the skin doesn't get
pitted, the article said that the pilots love the flight because of
the near empty airspace...(I have a friend who used to pilot an
Electra between all the islands on the sushi flights..picking up and
delivering fish, he really enjoyed it)
Gregory Glass
> Greg, I did some checking of the CO loads, and I think I may take the
> flight on April 26th, the plane is very empty on each leg, now to find
> accomodation and diving in TKK and GUM that isn't confiscatory, also I
> gotta find an empty flight from GUM back to HNL and HNL back to the
> mainland. I really gotta take this flight before they get rid of the
> 727.
If you're looking for some cheap GUM-area hotel suggestions, let me
know. Getting back to the mainland, a lot of non-rev traffic goes via
NRT these days.
> Also, Airliners Magazine had a great article on this flight a few
> months back,
Did I miss an issue somehow? I remember an article from five or six
years ago, but haven't seen one recently.
Greg
Gregory Glass
> I am informed today that I may be flying 3/4 of that route on company
> business, sometime between July and November. Very Cool!
Makes me wonder which 3/4 ... :-)
a...@wxs.nl
>
>
> > Also, Airliners Magazine had a great article on this flight a few
> > months back,
>
> Did I miss an issue somehow? I remember an article from five or six
> years ago, but haven't seen one recently.
>
>
> Greg
--Airways magazine May 1998.
--==++AJC++==--
Mike Nash
Gregory Glass <gregory@*kuentos.guam.net> wrote in article
<1999040321...@guili-19.kuentos.guam.net>...
> Neil <Ne...@nospam.com> wrote:
>
snip...
> > Also, Airliners Magazine had a great article on this flight a few
> > months back,
>
> Did I miss an issue somehow? I remember an article from five or six
> years ago, but haven't seen one recently.
>
>
> Greg
>
Greg,
Tried to mail you but the message was returned. The article was in
Airways, not Airliners. The issue was May 1998. You can order back issues
from:
Airways Back Issue Dept
PO Box 1109
Sandpoint ID 83864, USA
or call 1 800 440 5116, Monday through Friday 0800-1600 PST (that can't be
a healthy hour in Guam...)
Thanks
Mike Nash
msn...@lconn.com
Neil
Truk regarding accomodation and diving, prices not too bad about
$72.00 a night standard plus a 20% discount for airline employees...I
am going to look into going to Palau instead of staying in GUM, gotta
check some prices...in any case I have to go thru GUM to come home.
And of course I will "have" to spend a few nites in Hawaii, darn, I
just hate Hawaii...:>
Thanks for all the good info...I will keep you updated.