In all my years of flying to Hawaii and via Hawaii, I’ve never flown Hawaiian Airlines between the Mainland and Hawaii. That changes today.
I’m off to Hawaii for a very quick trip and chose Hawaiian for the outbound journey. Just like I tried Delta during my last Hawaiian trip, I always enjoy trying new products when I can.
While not as long as a flight between Honolulu and Asia or Australia, the six-hour flight from Los Angeles to Honolulu will give me a great introduction to Hawaiian’s relatively new A330 business class. I’m looking forward to warm Hawaiian hospitality, and of course a Mai Tai.
The ticket was $500, which equates to 50,000 American Express Membership Rewards points. But since I burned them via my Business Platinum account, I will receive a 35% rebate, meaning the trip will actually cost 32,500 miles. That’s not too bad for a six-hour flight that will also earn miles and elite credit. I don’t like spending cash unless I have to.
More and more I am seeing value in booking “cheap” business class tickets with American Express Business Platinum or Chase Sapphire Reserve directly versus transferring to a loyalty program. Hawaiian had the space available via its own HawaiianMiles loyalty program for 40,000 miles (saver), but being a redemption ticket would have meant no mileage earning. I also would have had to pay a federal excise tax on the mileage transfer and taxes on the ticket. It just made more sense to use AMEX points for this ticket.
CONCLUSION
I’ll have thoughts on the flight tomorrow…
Anything I should be looking out for when I fly Hawaiian? It really will be my first time.
I only have experience flying with them inter island in Hawaii. Although product is OK the customer service was abysmal. I have never seen such rude airport personnel from check-in to boarding. It feels like they are mad because people are having fun and enjoying the amazing weather and they have to work. Seriously, not once, not twice but several times the same bad experience.
Yep. The worse airport personnel on any airline I’ve ever seen.
flew it last year. great product. good food and cocktails. very nice FAs
If you like window seats, get 1A or 1J and thank me later Matt! The only seat with a “small aisle” so you don’t necessarily have to climb over the person next to you when you need to get up. Or perhaps, you already knew 😉
Kudos to you finally. I travel from SoCal to Hawaii monthly for work, Hawaiian is waaaay better (hard and soft product) over the pacific than UA, DL, or AA! And I am elite on all those 3 legacy carriers. If you ever get a chance, try them beyond HNL to Japan or Oz or NZ.
I only fly HA 1st to/from the islands and have done so for years. Service is great, food options are as well (esp if you are veg). First class attendants are the best but so is ground crew.
I also have flown long haul to/from AUS and their international service is great. The only downside is they equipment didn’t have lay-flat seats (very close to the same equipment they fly domestic but upgraded with pillows, duvets, travel kits, etc.
Much better than any other the other carriers who offer flights over to the islands.
Just flew it a few months ago. I may be in the minority, but I definitely preferred the hard product of the UA 777 coming back, even at 2-4-2 across. I felt that the bedding on the red-eye coming back was much better than the thin blankets and relatively hard seats of HA. That being said, the service on HA was much better. If I was planning on sleeping I’d prefer the UA 777, otherwise I’d take HA.
Having just arrived, this summarizes my thoughts as well.
Try to fly in 1C or 1G. Aside from having direct aisle access without having someone in a window seat climbing over you, these seats do not have restrictive footwells. I found Hawaiian’s A330’s to be the best way to fly from the Mainland to Hawaii.
Good way to use up JetBlue points.