United Airlines recently created a vignette about their island hopper which tells a little bit about our flight to/from the USA mainland to Micronesia and all the islands we see along the way…
Three to four times per week, a United 737-800 takes off from Honolulu just as the sun begins to rise, making five stops enroute to Guam:
- Majuro
- Kwajalein
- Kosrae
- Pohnpei
- Chuuk
The journey is retraced in the opposite direction under the darkness of night.
This flight is a lifeline to the Marshall Islands and Federated Sates of Micronesia, delivering food, supplies, and mail. It’s a also a lot of fun to fly.
Ground stops are one hour or less and United carries a second pair of pilots and a mechanic with spare parts to fix any minor maintenance issues that may arise. If a flight does have a more serious mechanical issue, a back-up must be flown in from Guam…leaving passengers often to go home with United staff. Tourist infrastructure is very limited on these islands.
This year United celebrates the route’s 50th anniversary. That is quite a legacy!
Here’s United’s new video about the service:
lostclipper.com 