We recently flew down to Adelaide in South Australia from Sydney on a Qantas 737 flight number 783. We were flying economy with 2 others and using our Oneworld status we were all able to visit the Qantas Frequent flyer Lounge in Sydney T3 terminal. Qantas Boeing 737 economy seating is 3 abreast so three of us seated together and one other seated across the aisle.

We usually stay at the Rydges right outside the Sydney international T1 terminal but on this occasion decided to try the Quality Hotel CKS Sydney Airport which is a 15 minute walk from T1.

We arrived at the hotel and there was no lift to our room on the first floor so we had to carry luggage up stairs. The room was spacious and clean and as we had a long day we pretty much went straight to sleep for the night.

Our return flight from Honolulu to Sydney was on a Qantas 747 and we had seats on the upper deck again. This is a daytime flight leaving Honolulu in the morning and arriving in Sydney the following afternoon. The aircraft next to ours at the gate in Honolulu was a Korean 747-800 a model which is not a common sight!

Inflight service was great all we had to do on arrival back in Sydney was make it to our hotel and sleep!

We booked a Spacious Hotel/Apartment in Downtown Honolulu with Parking for 5 nights. We liked the location and found it suited us better than Waikiki. There is a good range of restaurants and stores close by. The apartment we booked via airBNB is on a high level and well appointed. The kitchen was a little greasy on some surfaces and plugin deodorisers were overpowering but once we unplugged these and stored them in a cupboard the odor dissipated.

This apartment was a good choice for our needs in Honolulu.

Maui - Kahului, HI (OGG) to Oahu - Honolulu, HI (HNL) • Flight HA 265 • First • 717
Depart 1:07p Arrival 1:50p (TERMINAL 1) Duration 43m
As with our flight down to Maui from Honolulu the aircraft was a Boeing 717. this is a short flight. Kahului airport although small has shops and a food court, we gave the Hawaiian lounge a miss.

It appeared our departure may have interrupted someones game of golf.

We had 5 nights stay at the Maui Schooner Resort in a 1 bedroom condo. The condo was well appointed as is the resort. the room had air conditioning, a full kitchen with a balcony, living room, laundry, bathroom and good sized bedroom. Parking was plentiful during our stay and the beach a short walk. Only one negative our room located on the ground floor with the bedroom backing onto the walkway at the back of reception so a lot of loud talking people seemed to pass by and occasionally linger from time to time.

We had booked Hawaiian Airlines HA 276 to connect down to Maui following our arrival into Honolulu on Qantas. flight details Oahu - Honolulu, HI (HNL) to Maui - Kahului, HI (OGG) • Flight HA 276 • First • 717
Depart 11:54a (TERMINAL 1) Arrival 12:39p Duration 45m
Hawaiian like Qantas are one of the very few carriers using the Boeing 717 which is an old aircraft design but is a well proven aircraft with a great safety record.

When Qantas scheduled Boeing 747 on this route replacing the Airbus 330 service they offered some great fares and we brought return tickets in business for a good price. We were able to secure seating upstairs again for both flights.

Qantas QF 140 Auckland to Sydney was an early flight departing around 7:00AM local time. This aircraft was also an Airbus A330 with the great qantas business class cabin. The Qantas lounge in Auckland is nowhere as good as the Auckland Emirates lounge but the Emirates lounge is not open at this time of day. Inflight service was great.

A recent trip saw us arriving into Auckland late and leaving very early in the morning on our departure day so we did not see any sense in paying the extra for the Novatel where we have stayed on many occasions previously.

Arrival day. Arriving late around midnight there was no problem checking in. The walk is further than the Novatel but it is mostly flat and no problem at all. Rooms are small but clean. There are cafes in close proximity open during the day. It is only a short walk back to Auckland airport terminal and rental car pickup areas.