The importance of direct flights.

[ronscuba]

Living in the US, with limited vacation time, most of my dive vacations have been to the Caribbean. While cost is always a major factor, travel time is almost as important.

Direct flights are best when possible as multiple flights and connections can eat into vacation time making far destinations not feasible to squeeze into a week.

I found a website that easily shows direct flights to/from cities across the world. You type in your local airport code and a map pops up showing all cities with direct flights.

https://www.flightsfrom.com

Little did I know, I can fly NYC to Manila Phillipines direct. From Manila, a 2-3 hr van transfer brings me to Anilao, one of the top macro dive destinations.

Thanksgiving day and black Friday are work holidays for me, so 3 vacation days and I can do a week in Anilao. Yes, I will have to deal with jet lag going and coming back, but I just might have to try squeezing in a trip to Anilao during Thanksgiving week.

 

[Compressor]

Thank you for the link.

 

[outofofficebrb]

ITA Matrix is also a really powerful search tool and great resource. You can search fares and routes and really narrow down what you're looking for then book directly with the carrier. They have an option to narrow it down to no stops, in addition to the other search parameters. Once you get search results, the filters are very good and help you narrow it down even further by layover times, departure and arrival periods, etc. The only caveat is that it doesn't include all airlines available but almost all the major ones.

Matrix - ITA Software by Google

 

[Doc]

NY to Manila is 17 hrs. How many miles to buy an induced medical coma?

Direct, alas, is simply NOT non-stop. I’m pretty sure you get to gaze at the fuel trucks in Honolulu.

The way back is likely Polar so that’ll be a quickie.

 

[Landau]

NY to Manila is 17 hrs.

Modern long range airliners can do 20 hours nonstop. no refueling in Hawaii needed

Ultra Long Range A350 XWB goes the distance

 

[Doc]

Modern long range airliners can do 20 hours nonstop. no refueling in Hawaii needed

Ultra Long Range A350 XWB goes the distance

What’s the so-called “technical stop” that they take?

 

[Landau]

What’s the so-called “technical stop” that they take?

I don't believe the technical stop in required anymore, they got new planes.

PAL inaugurates nonstop New York-Manila flights

 

[outofofficebrb]

NY to Manila is 17 hrs. How many miles to buy an induced medical coma?

Direct, alas, is simply NOT non-stop. I’m pretty sure you get to gaze at the fuel trucks in Honolulu.

The way back is likely Polar so that’ll be a quickie.

It can be done as a non-stop. That distance should be about same or less than New York to Singapore which is non stop with no stop for fuel. I believe that route is the longest one so far.

 

[Steve_C]

Day of traveling out. Day of traveling back. Not much difference in one leg or two as far as I am concerned for a several day trip. The big difference are time zones. Being seriously zoned is less fun. Went to New Zealand once from east coast US for one week. Vowed if I ever went there again it would be for at least two weeks.

 

[StefinSB]

I have done Anilao a few times for 8 days and always sucked the life out of me. Vacation plans in the US just plain suck compared to Europe.