Finding Hawaii Christmas Airfare Deals
A reader posted this question on our Facebook fan page wall yesterday. Since it’s something that many people care about, I thought I would share my response with you.
Will there really be 2009 Holiday deals?
I don’t want to be Scooge, but if you want me to generalize, my answer is no. Between December 17-31, the deals will be near non-existent for mainland departures.
Christmas break has the long-standing reputation of being the very most expensive time to visit Hawaii, and this year, with minor exceptions, should be no different.
Looking back at the 2008 holiday season.
There were only a few deals, which occurred in late November and early December. By that time the airlines knew what routes were not doing well, and added deals to boost traffic. Key to the airlines’ strategic timing was that early planners and last minute fliers would be excluded from the deals.
Here’s what the deals were in 2008:
- LA to Honolulu, Kahului or Lihue $500 on United and Delta Airlines.
- Sacramento to Honolulu $350-$370 on United, Delta and Hawaiian Airlines.
How much should I expect to pay for the 2009 holiday season?
West Coast to Hawaii airfares for the peak Christmas/New Year holiday weeks have been in the $700-$1,000+ range for as many years as I can remember. East Coast departures typically add another $200-$300 to the cost.
When to buy? Consider one of the following strategies:
1. Buy now if you have your dates and plans set.
Avoid seeing fares increase several hundred dollars leading up to the holidays. If fares sales from your city don’t occur, you’ll be in the best possible situation.
2. Wait until the “possibility” of fare sales.
Should that happen, I expect to see the deals pop sometime from October 1 to early December. It’s a gamble but may pay off.
We were very fortunate to book our Christmas trip well in advance. We were able to secure in April, 2009 on American Airlines departing 12/17/09 from PIA to DFW to HNL and returning 12/29/09 from HNL to DFW to PIA $600.00 ea. Our inter-island flights HNL to OGG to KOA to HNL were $160.00 ea. All flights including tax was $760.00 ea. Good luck!
How can I get you on my facebook page?
Hi Leren,
Just to go http://facebook.com/beatofhawaii and click become a fan.
Aloha, Rob
I booked my Hawaii Christmas trip back in January on Northwest, Seattle to Maui for $513.30 per ticket. One 1-1/2 hour layover in Honolulu on the way over, non-stop return. I looked for a couple months before that waiting for the airfare to even show up, then waited a bit until I was satisfied that the price wouldn’t likely go down and I nabbed 4 tickets. I have wanted to go to Maui for Christmas for years now but couldn’t justify spending $700-$1000 a ticket so this was fabulous. I’ve looked a number of times since, and the price has not gone that low since I booked! So, I guess it’s just luck sometimes as to when you book, what the deal will be! I appreciate your website and look forward to the daily updates!
Thanks for your comment Valora. I concur with you, getting the deals is science, art and definitely luck.
Look forward to hearing from you again.
Aloha, Jeff