We all know most people working with an airline are in it because either they love aviation, they love to travel, or both. It's definitely not for the low pay or the crazy hours. An added bonus is: making your mother happy!
Using my Hawaiian Airlines (HA) flight benefits for the first time, I flew my mom and me to Kahului, Maui (OGG). My SFO station ohana, or family, made sure to take care of us. We got the last two seats available in First Class.
I was seated by a five-year HA flight attendant (FA). We bonded with within our first five minutes of chatting. Mom was seated just behind me, close enough to tap my shoulder repeatedly, but far enough that I could pace myself for our two-night getaway (wink wink).
I learned a flight crew game. If you send a picture of a hand doing the 'okay' sign, and preferably more than one, then the picture's recipient would have to punch the crew member next to them that many times. Happily, after our double 'okay' was sent, I heard a guffaw from the galley.
Our last food service on our flight was pineapple-shaped shortbread cookies on a tray. The FA serving our cabin brought his presentation to a new level. He created a flowering volcano, irrupting with billowing dry-ice "smoke."
My mom, a retired teacher, said, "He must have been an A+ science student."
Arriving in Maui, we discovered that the aptly named Maui Bus, picked up just across the street from baggage claim. Two buses and $4 each later we arrived in Kihei, a mellow, low-rise town on the west coast. (Hiring a car would have cost a minimum of $40.)
Wheeling our bags to the beach, we wiled away our afternoon, waiting for our AirBnB, under a palm tree. After a couple swims in the warm ocean and a good read, it was time to walk to our apartment just blocks away.
Kihei, pronouced 'key-hay', provided so many "discoveries": a food truck garden, a covered souvenir market, and lovely beaches without the towering skyline of high rises and resorts. And it is a good mix of locals and tourists.
But the best sight was my mother's smile.
My next goal is to get my husband and kids on their first trip to Hawaii. Now it is within reach.
Mahalo, Maui and Hawaiian Airlines!
Until next time...