# Best Airline To Hawaiian Islands



## WalnutBaron (Sep 28, 2013)

John Fischer is and has been the About.com expert on Hawaii for many years. He writes a weekly column/newsletter on all things Hawaii, and I have found his advice, insights, and pointers to be invaluable.

This week, he wrote about his clear preference for which airline he prefers to get him to/from Hawaii--Hawaiian Airlines. He also writes about some horrific service by some of Hawaiian's competitors.

For me, Hawaiian Air is the only way to go.

http://gohawaii.about.com/od/air/a/troubles-flying-to-hawaii.htm?nl=1


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## daventrina (Sep 28, 2013)

WalnutBaron said:


> For me, Hawaiian Air is the only way to go.


Unfortunately they are replacing their aircraft with Airbus
Don't know what they are thinking


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## DeniseM (Sep 28, 2013)

We have always enjoyed Hawaiian Air, but we are trying Alaska Air for our next trip to Kauai - We can get there earlier, with no layover on Oahu.  I will post a review on TUG.


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## klpca (Sep 28, 2013)

DeniseM said:


> We have always enjoyed Hawaiian Air, but we are trying Alaska Air for our next trip to Kauai - We can get there earlier, with no layover on Oahu.  I will post a review on TUG.



We switched about 18 months ago. We had been very loyal Hawaiian customers and loved the aloha spirit on the flight, but then they cancelled their direct SAN-OGG flights for our travel dates - we usually go in the fall - raised fares and increased mileage requirements for tickets. Alaska came in with a direct flight and coupled with the companion fare, has made a compelling case for a switch. The 737 leaves a lot to be desired for that flight, but it's not the end of the world. 

I'm not loyal to either one. Whoever gets me there fastest and cheapest gets my business.


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## DeniseM (Sep 28, 2013)

My DH is 6'3" so our #1 concern is whether we will be able to get exit row seats when we check-in online.  With Hawaiian, we are always able to do so, because it's a $35 upgrade at check-in, and apparently most people don't want to pay more.  But this will be our first trip with Alaska, so we'll just have to see how difficult it is to get an exit row.


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## slip (Sep 28, 2013)

We've always used United but I'm sure if we lived on the a West coast that
Would change. I've been happy with United and I build up enough miles
On my MileagePlus card for one free Hawaii flight every year. I still keep any
Eye on all the others though the airlines are changing things all the time.


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## artringwald (Sep 28, 2013)

It's such a long flight that it's worth it to us to fly first class. Alaska Airlines has consistently had first class fares hundreds less than any other airline.


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## timeos2 (Sep 28, 2013)

WalnutBaron said:


> John Fischer is and has been the About.com expert on Hawaii for many years. He writes a weekly column/newsletter on all things Hawaii, and I have found his advice, insights, and pointers to be invaluable.
> 
> This week, he wrote about his clear preference for which airline he prefers to get him to/from Hawaii--Hawaiian Airlines. He also writes about some horrific service by some of Hawaiian's competitors.
> 
> ...



Except for the lack of WiFi/ Entertainment system Hawaiian Air is our choice by a mile. Their new JFK to Honolulu direct flight is THE way to get from the east coast to paradise in one convenient trip. No one else offers anything like it. They also partner up with Jet Blue for regional service to JFK so even that can be booked in one web visit & usually only one stop flights to Hawaii.


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## timeos2 (Sep 28, 2013)

daventrina said:


> Unfortunately they are replacing their aircraft with Airbus
> Don't know what they are thinking



Really? I hadn't heard that. If it's true that s a mistake. They should be going Dreamliner.


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## daventrina (Sep 28, 2013)

klpca said:


> The 737 leaves a lot to be desired for that flight, but it's not the end of the world.


At least it is a Boeing :whoopie:



timeos2 said:


> They should be going Dreamliner.


Sort of a no brainer!


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## Born2Travel (Sep 28, 2013)

klpca said:


> We switched about 18 months ago. We had been very loyal Hawaiian customers and loved the aloha spirit on the flight, but then they cancelled their direct SAN-OGG flights for our travel dates - we usually go in the fall - raised fares and increased mileage requirements for tickets. Alaska came in with a direct flight and coupled with the companion fare, has made a compelling case for a switch. The 737 leaves a lot to be desired for that flight, but it's not the end of the world.
> 
> I'm not loyal to either one. Whoever gets me there fastest and cheapest gets my business.



We feel the same way.   We love Hawaiian, but now that we can't fly non stop from PDX, we decided to try Alaska this year.   Well, we still prefer Hawaiian, but also have the companion ticket and non-stop with Alaska, so even though we don't love the planes, we are flying them again next year.


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## danb (Sep 28, 2013)

*Second Hawaiian Airlines*

We flew many times with them from JFK to Oahu and love their service. I second the $35 upgrade to a exit or bulkhead seat. Nice not having to worry about legroom. Now that we live here we use them for inter island flights as well.


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## Luanne (Sep 28, 2013)

My opinion is the "best" airline to the Hawaiian islands is the one that gets me there:
- fastest (no changing planes)
- best schedule
- cheapest


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## SMHarman (Sep 29, 2013)

daventrina said:


> Unfortunately they are replacing their aircraft with Airbus
> Don't know what they are thinking



That's great news   

Sent from my LT26i using Tapatalk 2


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## daventrina (Sep 29, 2013)

SMHarman said:


> That's great news
> Sent from my LT26i using Tapatalk 2


Except did you see the part where Luanne expects to get there?


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## jlr10 (Sep 29, 2013)

We found we really like Alaskan the best.  Now that they have added a direct flight from San Diego to Lihue it is a no-brainer for us.  -But we aren't 6"3" so can't comment on the leg room


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## Chrispee (Sep 29, 2013)

It's Alaska for us as well.  We love their direct flights from Bellingham, and the companion fare is a big selling point as well of course.


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## daventrina (Sep 29, 2013)

Chrispee said:


> the companion fare is a big selling point as well of course.


Hard to beat... If the fare is 50% more it's still 50% less expensive...

With Hawaiian's 767 becoming unavailable ... Alaska's 737 looks like our new ride to Hawaii... And if we save 50%, maybe twice as often...


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## Born2Travel (Sep 29, 2013)

The companion ticket fare is priced higher than booking a flight without using the companion ticket, plus the price for the companion ticket has gone from $50 (when we first started using them) to $119 (I think that's what it is at the moment; we used ours quite a while ago, but I believe it is now $119 + taxes/fees)  so you do need to check to see how much you are really saving.   For some less expensive fares you may not save much using the companion ticket but for Hawaii there should be some savings.


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## SMHarman (Sep 29, 2013)

daventrina said:


> Except did you see the part where Luanne expects to get there?



What's the safety record difference between Boeing and Airbus?  Nothing!

http://www.airsafe.com/events/models/rate_mod.htm
A320 = 0.08  FCRPMF*
737-800 = 0.09 

A330 = 0.18 
767 = 0.32

In both instances the Airbus has fewer FCRPMF.

* Fatal Crash Rates Per Million Flights
http://www.airsafe.com/events/method.htm


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## presley (Sep 29, 2013)

I'll be on a Hawaiin Airbus in a few weeks.  I'm looking forward to it.  

I flew Alaska last time.  There was nothing entertaining about the flight.  If I am going to be on a plane, or anywhere for that matter, for 5 - 6 hours, I need lots of things to break up the time.


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## MichaelColey (Sep 29, 2013)

I know we've flown American, Delta, and US Airways to Hawaii.  Perhaps others, but I can't remember.  We've only flown Hawaiian for inter-island flights.  The main factor for us is prices or FF availability.  (With five of us, that's always the biggest cost!)  We've flown paid (Coach) tickets twice ($273 on US Airways and about $600 on American) but we normally use FF miles and more often than not fly First Class.


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## Chrispee (Sep 30, 2013)

Born2Travel said:


> The companion ticket fare is priced higher than booking a flight without using the companion ticket



I don't understand what you mean?  The companion ticked is based on any Alaska flight you choose at whatever the posted price is... how can it be more expensive to book?


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## Born2Travel (Sep 30, 2013)

Chrispee said:


> I don't understand what you mean?  The companion ticked is based on any Alaska flight you choose at whatever the posted price is... how can it be more expensive to book?



When I book flights I usually price them out first as if I'm going to pay with dollars to see what the fare is,  then I change the option to use the companion certificate and when I change to the certificate, the fare goes up.  The posted price is higher when using the certificate.  (At least that's what I've seen)  I hope that makes sense.


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## Chrispee (Sep 30, 2013)

Born2Travel said:


> When I book flights I usually price them out first as if I'm going to pay with dollars to see what the fare is,  then I change the option to use the companion certificate and when I change to the certificate, the fare goes up.  The posted price is higher when using the certificate.  (At least that's what I've seen)  I hope that makes sense.



The companion certificate does not change pricing at all in my experience, do you actually have an example of this happening?


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## scrapngen (Sep 30, 2013)

Born2Travel said:


> When I book flights I usually price them out first as if I'm going to pay with dollars to see what the fare is,  then I change the option to use the companion certificate and when I change to the certificate, the fare goes up.  The posted price is higher when using the certificate.  (At least that's what I've seen)  I hope that makes sense.



When you use the companion fare code and search, the price listed adds in the companion fee by splitting it between the two segments. So it looks higher, but they are just showing the added amount for the companion ticket. When you complete the process, before you actually purchase, you can see the breakdown of the fees. I've found it is the same as the original fare for one ticket plus the companion fee and taxes on both.


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## LisaH (Sep 30, 2013)

United all the way, especially when it's free


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## Luanne (Sep 30, 2013)

LisaH said:


> United all the way, especially when it's free



Well of course.   When I say "best price" that's what I really meant.  We've been lucky enough to travel to Hawaii using ff miles for years.


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## Born2Travel (Sep 30, 2013)

Chrispee said:


> The companion certificate does not change pricing at all in my experience, do you actually have an example of this happening?



I'll have to go back and look at our last reservation and see if I can tell.  I have another companion ticket available, so I'll try to check it again.  I hope I was wrong


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## Chrispee (Oct 1, 2013)

Born2Travel said:


> I'll have to go back and look at our last reservation and see if I can tell.  I have another companion ticket available, so I'll try to check it again.  I hope I was wrong



I hope so too since I won't be able to book with ignorant bliss anymore if you turn out to be right!


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