Updated 6/30:
This deal seems to be ending as the available seats are fast diminishing. I’m no longer finding any $99 seats ($235 all-inclusive), but still a few in the $285-305 (all-inclusive) range. These dates are mostly in October through early December. I found the seats best using flexible date search on Kayak. Because of how Kayak works, however, you may have to try multiple dates that will actually yield the results. The seats are there, so keep going. And let me know how you fare!
We recently saw this deal for Spring travel. Now it returns for unbelievable late Summer and Fall travel to Hawaii. Even Thanksgiving week is available as of this moment. Do not expect this to last long.
Here’s the deal:
Cost: $235 round-trip (all-inclusive)
Airlines: American, Continental, Delta/Northwest
Dates: Late-August Travel through December 16
Advance purchase: None
Minimum/maximum stay: 3 days/None
Fare basis code: KX00A0SB (NW)
Availability: At this moment, excellent and wide-open. It works starting in Honolulu too. Book either on the airline sites, or try Kayak, FareCompare, Travelocity, Orbitz, etc.
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Thanks a lot Jeff!
Another advise I wish to seek is about things to do in oahu and big island. I am travelling with my husband and 5 yr old daughter –
1. I plan to be in honolulu (Waikiki) only for two days and then flying to kona. The 2 days stay is mainly just to see the famous waikiki and the dolophin swim at sea world. Do you approve of this?
2. On Big island, I am considering to stay at Paniolo greens, Waikoloa. Is it a nice place to stay and see around the big island? Or should I stay around Ali drive…
3. Ofcourse I want to see the volcano park!! But most tours I am fidning on net are too long (min 12 hrs) by bus – this makes we worry about my 5 yr old… OR there are expensive helicoptor tours. I wouldn’t mind paying for them but then will I be missing out on things???
Thank you so much in advance!!
Hi Jeff,
I think your replies are the most helpful information that I have ever read anywhere! COngratulations on doing such great job to help everyone!
I would be travelling from London to LAX in Oct 2009. Then I would be going to Hawaii – LAX to Honolulu (Oct9th, 09 – Oct17th, 09). Do you think I should book my LAX-Honolulu tickets now or wait for sometime… Right now, they are costing me approximately $500 each, which incidentally is more expensive that my ticket from London to LA, and it is making me nervous!!
Look forward to your advise..
Thanks & Regards,
Nidhi
Hi Nidhi,
Thanks so much for the lovely comment. I really appreciate it.
If it were me I’d wait. There will be deals and you should be able to fly for $300 or less. We should see those fall airfares starting at any time, but likely late July to mid-August. Don’t panic, they’ll come, they always do. Do you use Twitter, RSS feed or Facebook? If you sign up on those to Beat of Hawaii, that is the best way for me to be able to tell you about the deals right away. The best deals come and go so fast at times that they can be gone before our emails go out (which is only nightly).
Aloha, Jeff
Hi Julia,
I’m afraid you’ve already missed the last round of truly great deals that covered your dates. At this point we may not see more September airfare reductions for up to a month, give or take. Stay tuned. Otherwise, the best deal at the moment is Delta at $429, all-inclusive.
Aloha, Jeff
Hi I’m really glad I found your post! I have been searching and giving myself a headache! I am trying to fly out of LAX on 9/17/09 or 9/18/09 to HNL and return 9/28/09 or 9/27/09. I am not getting any good deals, mostly $460-500. What can I do for cheaper flights? thanks
Hi Charlie,
I’m seeing about $670 right now, which to me isn’t very good. I do think it is likely that they will come down, sometime before labor day.
Aloha, Jeff
Hi Jeff…We have been watching a trip MCI-KOA for 9/22-10/1 and see they have come down about $100. Do you think there are better deals coming? Thanks for your informative site!
We are hoping to celebrate our 30th annv in Waikiki. We are interested in the Hilton Hawaiian Village. Do you think the rates will get lower for a package with flight and hotel for the Nov 3rd thru 10th dates (flexible if savings)? We will be flying out of Tampa, Fl but can fly out of Orlando if the rates are better. When should we seriously book a package? Is it better to contact the Hilton directly for a deal?? Any help will be appreciated.
Hi Nancy,
Congratulations on your 30th. The better deals, be they packages or bought separately, should be more readily available if you wait another month or so. Still too early. Your dates should yield good pricing, being low season. It certainly wouldn’t hurt to call the hotel directly. Don’t forget about Priceline deals too, especially if you’re open to Prince (very near Hilton, and by far my preference).
Aloha, Jeff
Aloha, Jeff
Hi Ann,
Thanks for your nice comment!
I really suggest looking at Priceline together with bidding advice from Bidding For Travel. See if it might work for you. You’ll definitely get top deals that way. Otherwise, this Fall will be very soft (unfortunately) in Hawaii. So you can negotiate directly with hotels, no matter what they say about when their deal ends.
As for Kihei, the weather should be great in late October. That’s my favorite time of year weather-wise. Cooler temps but still very pleasant. Trade-winds are unpredictable, but I wouldn’t worry about them.
Aloha, Jeff
Hello Beat of Hawaii!
I love your website! My husband and I are taking our honeymoon the last two weeks of October in Hawaii. We are a little flexible with our dates because we would like a good deal. We are also meeting up with friends of ours, who are also on their honeymoon, so it will be a great time. The four of us all like the Hilton Waikoloa on the Big Island. Then we want to travel to Maui possibly in Keihei because it seems to be less expensive area to stay. I was wondering about hotel deals because some deals say they are good until Dec. 2009. However, other hotel deals are only for the summer, so they are only good through August or September. Do you know if when those deals are over or close to being over, do the hotels put up new deals for fall travelers? My second question is what is the weather like in Keihei, Maui in late October? I heard the tradewinds can make it so windy you can barely sit on your lanai~is that true?
jeff,
I’m taking the family to Hawaii (specifically Kauai; seven total in our group) and my questions is about a specific island. Should I look for deals mainly to Honolulu or travel straight to Kauai. I know the latter is more expensive, but the big thing is we have a timeshare that starts on the 26th of December. If we stay the whole week we’d be leaving the 2nd of January. Can you offer any east coast suggestions on what might be the best way (and cheapest) to travel this time of the year. I appreaciate any help that you could possible direct our way. By the way, love the site. Johnny
Hi Johnny,
You’ll be traveling in peak holiday season, so I’d look for anything workable, either via HNL or directly to LIH. We have seen sales (last year for example) that had limited availability even during those dates. But keep in mind that is rare and unlikely to happen. It is time to start watching and keep watching for deals right through Labor Day. Do not delay as, should a deal via LA or anywhere to Hawaii happen that covers Christmas break, those dates will be gone within a couple of hours at most. If you’re not already a Twitter or RSS person, this would be a great time to jump into those tools and subscribe.
Best, Jeff
Hi, Jeff:
Took your advice 6 wks ago not to pounce on TPA-OGG r/t for almost $600 total, from 9/7-9/14 (via United, with 2 stops), hoping for that mid-July dip you’ve been talking about. I also get Kayak Buzz alerts.
But with United’s fire-sales that buck hikes by others, I’m thinking in pieces per your advice to others: TPA-HOU (via SWA), then HOU-HNL (via United), ending HNL-OGG local. I still end up close to $600.
Any ideas?
-Kris
Hi Kris,
No I don’t have any better suggestions. As I’ve said, there will be more fall sales (we haven’t really seen anything yet). They could start at any point. Last year they were decidedly late and didn’t happen until after Labor Day. I wish there was more I could tell you.
I’m keeping fingers crossed with you.
Aloha, Jeff
Hi Janet,
I’m afraid you’re too late for that deal, and yes, you’re correct about the current pricing at near $500.
That is not to say however that we won’t still have more sales for your shoulder-season dates. It’s just hard to say.
Aloha, Jeff
Hi Jeff,
I was looking for August 21-28 from LAX to Honolulu. The cheapest I have found is $470 RT. Do you know of anything cheaper. When I look on Kayak the calendar will show some in the $200-$300 range, but when I perform the search the cheapers that comes our are in the $400 range. Any ideas?
Thanks!
Hi Mark,
I checked all of the different ways, and it doesn’t look good to me either. Certainly the easiest way is to fly on UA and get all the way to Hawaii without stopping. But that is very expensive. Otherwise, looks like puddle-jumping around.
If it were me, I think I’d hang tight. There really should be better deals for fall travel coming out between now and Labor Day that you can take advantage of either to save money, reduce stops or both.
Let me know if you have any other thoughts, and I’ll keep looking as well.
Congratulations and aloha.
Jeff
(Ip address explaination..I’m in chicago but work for a kansas city company.. )
Hello!
I’m impressed with your blog and especially your helpfulness!
My fiance and I are getting married September 12th, and looking to fly out of ORD or MDW September 14th to OGG… our thoughts were a 14 day honeymoon on Maui, Big Island, and finally Kauai. Actually, the 15th through the 29th.
Looking at flights to OGG I keep coming up with relatively expensive fares ($900+). It might be because I’m not super interested in landing at LAX at 10pm, staying overnight, and then flying back out the next morning to HNL and then connecting to OGG.. seems fine normally but for a honeymoon I’m putting my foot down! 😉
Seriously though, is there any way we can keep the trip duration lower and still fly for cheaper.. Sep 14 – 28? I was hoping to do multicity too.. ORD-OGG.. then Kauai-ORD return.
Thanks for helping all of us!
Hi Tracy,
You’ll definitely have to wait a while. Deals that go through next Spring might start as early as July, but on the other hand might not appear until as late as early next year.
Subscribe to our emails or feeds and I’ll keep a lookout from all of your airport choices.
Aloha, Jeff
Jeff,
I’m looking to fly to HNL from BDL in April 2010. Should I wait til the end of the summer or fall for the best deals?
We would be willing to fly out of EWR if it was a REALLY good deal. Other airports would be LGA or JFK too. Again we prefer BDL only because of the lack of traffic and tolls and inexpensive parking. I did subscribe to the emails and will keep looking and thanks for your advice and time to keep a lookout too. Tracy
Hi Derek,
$350 to mid-$500 is the deal range that we see between Chicago and Honolulu. At this time, there’s a $534 (all-inclusive) fare, which isn’t bad.
The fares might come down if you wait, likely until the end of July or even into August. On the other hand Chicago is one of the least predictable cities in that regard and fares could be higher.
I hope that helps and that you have a terrific first trip here to Hawaii.
Aloha, Jeff
Hi Jeff –
My girlfriend and I will be first-time travelers to Honolulu in October/November. We are planning on leaving on either Oct 31 or Nov 1 and staying until Nov 5 or 6 depending on the day we leave. We will be departing from Chicago O’Hare. I’m wondering if it’s smartest take a direct flight from Chicago or take advantage of a cheap flight from LAX to Honolulu. What would be your suggestion in terms of a decently priced flight? I appreciate the time, Jeff.
Derek
Hi Manima,
When I looked at this for you last week, here’s what I found:
First, it is really way too early for most fall airfare sales.
There is however the good deal to LAX from HNL @ about $250. Then from LAX to CUN is about $300. So about $650 in total from LIH. To add the Tampa one-way, if you want to book now, use Spirit Airlines in conjunction with the HNL-LAX Fare. $700 total.
Not bad at all really if you want to book this far in advance. Otherwise, I suggest waiting, probably another 1-2 months before booking. You will need to watch daily for deals of course.
Stopovers will definitely mess up virtually all fares. Something to keep in mind.
Aloha, Jeff
HI Jeff,
I’m traveling to Cancun in late October and found a fare for $535 one way (I’m using miles for the return)
Then, a week later, from Cancun to Tampa, Fl $150 (if I combined the two flights the fare was $50 higher so I priced separately).
Are these good enough fare for me to purchase now or would you suggest waiting until later in the summer? I need to fly on specific dates.
When my friend asked you last week I hadn’t yet decided to stop in Tampa after Cancun for a few days to see a friend. The prices I found for RT were close to $900 so I decided to use miles from Tampa back home to keep the cost low. The one-way fare kept the fare within my price range.
I’ll take your advice and wait for fall sales.
Thanks Jeff
Mahalo
Hi Abby,
Specifically because your dates are fixed and $476 is a good deal anyway, I’d go ahead and buy it. By the way, I’m not finding that price right now, the best price for your dates is $537 (still not bad). Then just don’t look back once you buy it.
Aloha, Jeff
It’s my first time to Hawaii and we are planning a trip from BNA-Nashville to HNL Nov. 16-23 dates are firm. I found a $476 pp flight with AA. I’m just torn if I should go ahead and book it now or wait til later in the summer to see if it goes any cheaper. Any advice?
This deal is still available on American as of last night (June 10). I just booked 99/one way (235/rt/all-in with tax) in late October.
Hi Jeff…I have been watching the blogs for specials and came across this one. Watching airfares from MCI-KOA for 9/22-10/2 and thought I might get a deal on flying MCI-LAX, LAX-HNL, HNL-KOA but doesn’t look good. When are the fares typically down for fall travel? Thanks for all the good info.
Hi Charlie,
I played around with your dates and cities too. It is cheaper piece-by-piece with MCI-LAX at just over $200, then $235 to HNL then inter-island for about $100.
On the other hand, it is really too early for Fall fares and you’ll likely have more and perhaps better options if you wait to buy until later in Summer, like mid-July or even beyond. I know that’s hard to do when you want to plan a trip, but it is always cat and mouse with the airlines if you want the very best deals.
Aloha,
Jeff
jeff,
we currently live in oklahoma but are driving to LA to ship our vechile. So we are wanting to leave out of LAX if possible.
thanks,
kristina
Hi Kristina,
Okay that makes sense now. Your IP address was Oklahoma, so I couldn’t figure it out.
I’d consider the $99 each way ($235 total) and just throw out the return. That’s the best deal right now at least. One way fares are more, and the cheapest ones route you from LA to Seattle to Honolulu.
You might also just wait and see what happens, if you’re the adventuresome type.
Aloha and best wishes on your upcoming move. Let us know how things work out.
Jeff
jeff,
my sister, boyfriend and i are moving to oahu in late august. i have tried searching for one way tickets on august 31st with flexible dates. We are departing from LAX. This awesome airfare would be ideal for our move to help cut cost. I’m not sure i’m searching the websites right. If you could help that would be great.
Thanks,
Kristina
Hi Kristina,
Where will you be flying from? Let me know and I’ll see what I can suggest.
Aloha, Jeff
Hi Ginny,
Thanks for the nice words.
$360 certainly isn’t bad. We could see up to about $100 less, perhaps. But sometimes it is just worth more to have a bird (or airline reservation) in hand rather than in the bush. You’ll have to decide on that one.
Aloha, Jeff
PS: Sorry, at first I didn’t see the Lanai question. I’ve always taken the ferry from Maui, which is a reasonably short and very pleasant ride, especially in summer. The other very good option is Island Air at $61 each way from HNL. Lanai is almost always more money.
Jeff,
I have found SFO/OAK-HNL for $360 RT (all-inclusive) for early December. Do you think the sales that start later this summer would go much lower than that?
Also, do you have any tips on how to minimize travel costs to get to Lanai?
Thanks – this website is an amazing resource!
Thanks Jeff! Appreciate your expertise perspective.
On a different note, when you mention the $43 inter-island flights, does that include Lanai City? The least expensive RT flights I can find are $134. Have you seen it lower than that?
Mahalo,
Jinny
As of today, earliest travel date is now August 25.
I am trying to book a flight from 8/6 – 8/14 or thereabout, but I can’t seem to find the deal for these type of dates. Is this time period not included?
Greetings Jeff,
I think my dates are effecting the price. I wanted to go around November 13th and come back November 21st. When I look at the rates for that time, I’m coming up with around $401 from San Francisco to Honolulu and around the same for LAX to Honolulu. When I look at Northwest Airlines I’m finding around $402 round trip.
Any suggestions?
Ramona
Hi Ramona,
If you change your return date to the November 22, I find the $235 total, which is $99 each way plus taxes/fees (from LAX). Otherwise, on your exact dates it is $285 from LAX (Continental). SFO is $394 to return on the 22nd, and somewhat more on the 21st.
Having said that, I’d just wait. It is way too early for most November deals. They will come later in the summer.
Hope that helps.
Jeff
Hello,
I actually live in San Francisco but thought if I could get the cheap $99rate out of lax, I could fly down from sfo.
Unfortunately when I look now, I’m not finding the $235 rate?
Have I missed it already?
Your updates are greatly appreciated and money saving.
Best,
Ramona
Hi Ramona,
As I mentioned in the post, the price is $98.90 each way, plus taxes/fees, which comes to $235.
Aloha, Jeff
I need to find tickets for 16 people for August 15th to Lihue and back on the 22nd. I tried the above offer but not getting to far. Any help is appreciated.
Called Contiental and they don’t reconize the above fare basis code.
Hi Bonnie.
The first travel date now available is August 23.
In your specific case only (16 passengers), I would try calling all of the the airlines and see what they will do. For 10 seats and above, they normally provide special group rates. Please let me know how it works out.
That fare basis code said “NW” next to it, meaning it was Northwest’s code, not Continental’s. For these deals you can’t call the airlines. You need to book online only.
Aloha, Jeff
Hi Jeff,
My father, brother, and I are looking to get to the Big Island from LAX early to mid August. I’ve been watching fares for over a week now, and they seem to be either hovering around low-$500s or increasing. Do you think it best to wait a bit longer for possible fare sales, or is the likelihood small of better prices than we’re seeing now? We don’t want to sit on this only to find that prices will be ever increasing the longer we wait.
Alternatively, we’ve been looking at booking separate flights, one from LAX to HNL, then from HNL to KOA, and cost comparing with flying direct.
Thanks for your advice!
Hi Blair,
First, the airlines have you where they want you. Most deals for that time have passed, it is still high season and not real likely to be discounted. Having said all that, if you can wait until August 18, you can fly on the $99 deal from LAX to HNL and then $43 to Kona.
Otherwise, I don’t think fares will likely increase (but of course my crystal ball isn’t always right). We may even see more summer deals, or have the Fall deals start sooner. This year, its anyone’s guess.
Hope that helps. I’ll keep my eyes peeled.
Aloha, Jeff
How do you get the $99 price? Did you forget to add a link? Sorry, lowest was $235 for “late summer.”
Sorry, but what is “the drill”? I searched Kayak and only found flights for $509 and above? Is there a guide for using your blog?
Hi Casey.
Good question, but no I didn’t forget a link. The drill is always the same. Flexible date search. Try Kayak, Travelocity, Orbitz, etc.
$235 is the total I showed. To be precise, that is $98.90 each way, plus taxes/fees.
As you can see, I suggested using Kayak, the airline sites or any of the on-line travel agencies. They will all produce the same $99 plus tax/fee fare.
Aloha, Jeff