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A teenager hopped a fence at San Jose Airport (SJC), climbed into the wheel well of a Hawaiian Airlines 767 and survived almost six hours at heights up to 38,000 feet on his way to Maui (OGG).

He was apparently unharmed and released by the FBI after they realized he wasn’t a security threat. Although another article I read quoted a doctor saying it is “more likely than not” that the boy suffered permanent brain damage during the flight.

CNN even included a video showing you exactly how to get into a 767’s wheel well.

I don’t recommend copying this teen’s free flight to Hawaii. There are a ton of cheap ways to get to the islands without having to stowaway.

What are the cheapest awards to Hawaii? Trust me that you probably aren’t aware of all of the cheapest options because they often require easy-to-obtain foreign miles.

Cheapest Economy Awards

All prices each way. Double them to get the roundtrip price

  1. 12,500 British Airways Avios on any direct Alaska, American, or US Airways flight from California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, or Alaska to any Hawaiian island.
  2. As little as 15,900 Arrival miles. Arrival miles are a fixed-value point earned on the Barclaycard Arrival Plus™ World Elite MasterCard®. If you find a $159 flight (check Allegiant Airlines for the cheapest fares), that would be 15,900 miles. (Actually far fewer after you factor in the points you’d earn, the airline miles you could earn, and the 10% rebate on all Arrival mile redemptions for travel.) For more information, see my Arrival Miles Primer.
  3. 17,500 Singapore Airlines miles (a Membership Rewards transfer partner) to fly from anywhere on the mainland to anywhere in Hawaii on United flights.
  4. 17,500 American Airlines miles on American, Hawaiian, or Alaska flights from the mainland to Hawaii during the off peak windows from January 12 to March 8 or August 22 to December 15 each year.
  5. 17,500 Hawaiian miles on Hawaiian flights from the mainland to Hawaii all year if you have The Hawaiian Airlines World Elite MasterCard.

Cheapest Premium Cabin Award

30,000 Singapore miles (Membership Rewards partner) each way for First Class on any two-cabin United flight between the mainland and Hawaii including the 10 hour flights in flat bed First Class from Honolulu to Newark and Washington-Dulles.

 

Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

Just getting started in the world of points and miles? The Chase Sapphire Preferred is the best card for you to start with.

With a bonus of 60,000 points after $4,000 spend in the first 3 months, 5x points on travel booked through the Chase Travel Portal and 3x points on restaurants, streaming services, and online groceries (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs), this card truly cannot be beat for getting started!


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