United has the most flights to & from HNL as well. We have mostly used them until recently. Sometimes S finds great deals on other airlines, so we go with whatever he recommends & helps book.
I often joke that having the priority tag on the bags assure that they will come out last!
We are in a Delta hub so fly it virtually exclusively, even when there are better prices on other airlines. We also want direct flights.
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More so than Hawaiian (now Alaska)?
Sidebar- I’ve been tracking flights and prices since we aren’t sure of our exact travel dates in June, and the prices just went up (for 2) by $500!!! GRRRRRR. Any further discussion of why would have to be in
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We fly almost exclusively Alaska. Since the acquisition, Hawaiian remains a separate entity (let me guess for tax purposes as it usually is the case), but the number of flights on both Alaska and Hawaiian from the islands to the mainland has been substantially reduced. Planes have been redirected to other routes as Alaska is trying to establish itself as a major international airline. And of course the prices went up!
I am adding trip insurance to this conversation because I’d really like to hear opinions. We have purchased travel insurance before big, expensive trips (eg cruises, etc) and have done so within the window to cover pre-existing medical. I completely forgot about it for our upcoming Portugal trip as its just an 8 day trip and the airfare was very reasonable b/c of my points. So I missed the pre-existing window but realized we are now on Medicare and it (Medicare traditional plan) doesn’t cover overseas except in some emergencies (not sure what). I am considering buying an inexpensive annual plan with Allianz or some other provider (please share good and bad stories and recommendations) but am deciding, if I get an annual plan, should I get one with enough coverage to cover any future long trip within the next year (none currently planned). All suggestions appreciated!
eta: I looked at a BCBS global solutions medical travel plan but am unsure if it would cover as it sounds like it says it would cover as a secondary if we have a primary plan, which includes Medicare supplements, but not sure if it would cover anything if Medicare and the supplement don’t.
https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/travel-outside-the-u.s. (under Who’s Eligible) suggests that base Medicare coverage for foreign hospitals only applies when you are in the US or traveling through Canada between Alaska and another US state. Medicare supplement or advantage policies may be different.
You may want to look up what medical care in Portugal could cost for visitors. The self-pay-without-insurance prices are likely to be a lot less scary than such prices in the US are.
I had/ have several trips planned this year so I bought a yearly Allianz plan. It was cheaper then doing it per trip if you are taking multiple trips.
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When I started reading your question, I thought ‘she should look at an annual policy’ I know a lot of the cruise bloggers buy an annual plan and are happy with them.
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I’m not thrilled with Alaska/Hawaiian. They’re the only airline that asks me to turn off my medical equipment for takeoff and landing if we are in business/1st class. They don’t have nearly as many flights as United either. S has booked me on a few of their flights.
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Which plan did you buy and how much coverage for trip cancellation/interruption did you choose?
That link doesn’t seem to work. This one should:
Does Medicare Supplement Plan G Cover Foreign Travel? - Medicare.org
I had an Allianz plan for my most recent trip. My luggage didn’t make it to our destination, fortunately for me it came a day later. I did go out and buy a few items.
I submitted a claim for delayed baggage, it was easy to submit, I opted not to submit my receipts.
Got my money deposited, it was very easy. It’s the first claim I’ve made but Allianz was very easy to work with for this small amount of money
I did not have an annual plan since I wanted to insure the entire trip. Which was more than the annual plan covered.
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I edited it so that it should work now. The URL ends with a period (.) so the forum software decided that it was not part of the URL when just pasted in (rather than using the link editor).
I just went ahead and bought the most inexpensive annual Allianz policy (doesn’t cover trip cancellation/interruption) b/c what I really just want for now is potential medical coverage and car rental insurance if needed. Its a short trip, and if Delta screws up my flight/connection in Boston, they will have to rebook me. We don’t at present have any other overseas travel planned. Turns out that Costco sells travel insurance through Zurich Insurance. Its called Cover-more. Has anyone had any experience with it?
@deb922 I am glad to hear you had a relatively easy claim with Allianz. I was reading some not-so-good reviews.
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It’s usually the unhappy people who post reviews.
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Right, but they may be unhappy with good reason.
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We are going to Europe for 3 week’s. I just called them (the old Geoblue) and they cover everything without pre existing conditions. Not a bad price for two people. It only costs $70 more to make it usable the whole year with 70 day limits. I was surprised at that. We have used them before. I just started Medicare (did I just say that 
)…. No issues
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Yes, the price for 1 year with no pre-existing exclusions for medical care & evacuation seemed pretty reasonable to us as well. Importantly, no exclusion due to old age, which some policies add.
What does a 70 day limit mean?