Flying to Hawaii is the start of a dream vacation. Many travelers wonder if upgrading to first-class is worth the extra expense. With Hawaii flights offering a mix of domestic first and some more international-style business class, the answer depends on factors like the aircraft, cost, and personal priorities. We’ll also tell you about our own experiences in first-class and a tried and true travel hack to save money and get more space.
Most airlines flying to Hawaii label their premium cabin as “first-class,” while Delta refers to theirs as “business.” However, this domestic “first-class” is a far cry from the luxurious international business class offered on long-haul routes.
What makes first-class flights to Hawaii appealing?
Perks like priority boarding, better meal options, and more attentive service are part of the draw. As far as we know, Alaska and Hawaiian are the only airlines that will give you lounge access on a paid First-Class ticket or First-Class Award ticket. However, the biggest selling point is the enhanced seating and comfort.
For flights to Hawaii, these seats vary widely depending on the airline and route. Wide-body aircraft like Hawaiian or United’s Polaris on the 787 Dreamliner, Delta’s A330 and others, typically feature lie-flat seats, making them a standout for long-haul routes. These seats offer more room and allow passengers to stretch out fully and sleep.
On narrow-body planes like the 737 or A321neo, which are the workhorses of west coast to Hawaii flights, the first-class experience is far less compelling. Seats are usually recliner-style, with less space and limited privacy. For many travelers, this is hardly a significant upgrade over premium economy or extra-legroom economy seating.
Why domestic first meals leave much to be desired.
Another key consideration for first-class travelers is the in-flight meal service. Unfortunately, the quality of domestic first-class meals has dropped significantly in recent years, which is particularly frustrating on long flights to Hawaii. Gone are the days of thoughtfully prepared dishes and diverse menu options. Today, passengers are more likely to receive reheated entrees, uninspired salads, and minimal variety. There are exceptions, but these are not the rule.
This decline in meal quality is especially apparent on narrow-body planes, where catering options are often limited. For many travelers, the meals in first-class feel only marginally better than what’s offered for purchase in economy. While wide-body flights sometimes provide an upgraded dining experience, they rarely match the elevated standards of international business-class dining.
For those considering an upgrade, it’s important to set expectations accordingly. If gourmet meals are part of what you’re hoping for, first-class domestic meals to Hawaii may well fall short.
The cost of comfort.
The cost of upgrading to first-class on Hawaii flights varies widely. A one-way ticket can range from $600 to over $1,200, depending on the airline, aircraft, and seasonal demand. While paying $600 each way for first-class can feel somewhat more reasonable, prices above that—especially on narrow-body planes—can lead to disappointment.
We looked at just one sample route and dates for comparison. Flying from Los Angeles to Honolulu January 13-22, 2025. Here are the prices we found:
- Alaska Airlines narrow-body B737 MAX 9. $1,161.00 RT.
- American Airlines narrow-body A321neo. $1,244 RT.
- Hawaiian Airlines widebody B787 Dreamliner. $1,488 RT.
- United Airlines widebody B777. $1,688 RT.
- Delta Air Lines widebody B767. $1,890 RT.
Wide-body aircraft, such as the 787 Dreamliner, in the price comparison above, offer a far better, roomier, more comfortable ride in every way, providing more of a traditional first-class experience. It is typically more expensive, but in this case, the difference is small compared with the contrast in offerings. In some cases, however, first-class on these widebody flights can cost double or more the amount of a narrow-body first class. While the experience is undoubtedly far better, travelers should carefully evaluate whether the additional cost is worth it for a relatively short domestic flight, in this case, under six hours.
When using points makes sense.
For travelers with a stockpile of frequent flyer miles, redeeming points for first-class to Hawaii tickets or upgrades can be a good deal.
Upgrading to first-class on a Hawaii flight can be fun and worthwhile if you have miles to burn or find a particularly good redemption rate. Ensure the aircraft you’re traveling on offers the comfort, seating, and amenities you want before committing.
Why travelers often prefer extra-legroom economy.
Having flown nearly every airline to Hawaii, and in all classes, BOH editors have found that three economy seats with extra legroom are always a more comfortable option compared with narrowbody first-class. Three seats for two passengers provide more space overall and avoid the disappointment of an underwhelming and expensive premium experience. This setup offers more flexibility and room to spread out for two persons traveling together.
On the other hand, wide-body first-class can still provide a genuinely premium experience. If your flight is on one of these aircraft from American, Delta, Hawaiian, or United, and the upgrade cost is reasonable, it can be a worthwhile splurge, especially for special occasions or when arriving well-rested and ready to vacation is a top priority.
Final thoughts on class of service to Hawaii.
For most travelers, the decision comes down to balancing comfort, cost, and priorities. If you can snag a deal on a wide-body flight or have points to spare, the upgrade can greatly enhance your trip to Hawaii. Otherwise, premium economy, extra-legroom seats, or our three-seat trick often provide better value for the money.
What’s your choice of service flying to Hawaii?
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Bottom line: I’m happy with economy to/from West Coast. My return first class flight yesterday on United was terrible — both a broken tray table AND a broken seat (wouldn’t hold position) in first class. My November outbound United flight in first class was canceled. Rebooked on Hawaiian Airlines, and I got great service from them to LAX in *economy.* I liked the seat we got in row 43… It’s where the seats go from 2-4-2 to 2-3-2, so my wife and I got the three seats with nobody in between us. Don’t believe seatsmaps.com as there is Extra space under the seats.
Dear Rob & Jeff,
I just booked the 3-seat economy trick on Hawaiian Airlines for the first time. I put my name/DOB on two of the seats and my husband’s on the 3rd seat. This was much cheaper than 2 seats in first class and also cheaper than 2 extra legroom seats. Does the person with 2 seats need to scan both boarding passes when they get on the plane? Since we haven’t done this before I’m hoping you or your readers can answer this question.
Thank you for all the great information you provide to your subscribers.
Hi Kim.
Hawaiian needs to know that this is an extra seat. Then at TSA you only scan the real boarding pass but when you go to step onto the plane you’ll scan both boarding passes.
Let us know how it goes. We do this all the time.
Aloha.
What is your process for booking 3 seats on Hawaiian Airlines? I just spent over an hour on the phone to get my reservation noted that I purchased an extra seat. They split my reservation from my husband’s and created a new reservation for me with the 2 seats. However I was charged again for my 2 seats but they assured me I’d get a refund for my original reservation. Do you guys book your seats online or do you call and book over the phone?
Hi Kim.
With Hawaiian we call. And generally that’s still the safest way. But with United for example it’s just built into their app. So when you add another person it’ll either ask for a name or for you to specify that it’s an extra seat. Couldn’t be easier.
Aloha.
For flights of 5 hours or more, flying First Class or in extra legroom economy is worth it to me for the added comfort. I’ve flown Alaska Airlines twice in First from Seattle to HNL in order to enjoy a lounge visit for breakfast…yummy! Also, I thought their First Class meals were quite good. I also flew First Class on Hawaiian once to try out the suites on their new Boeing 787–which were awesome!!!
Ironically, I think Hawaiian (now Alaska) is missing the mark on their audience. For example, I fly once a month at least back and forth from SFO/SJC/OAK to OGG for business. I pay a premium so that I can focus on comfort and the Starlink internet is a game changer. I need to be productive at all times. I don’t mind the seats/service on the A321’s, but I think the A330’s would be a route that HA/AA should consider. Why? Know your customers. Business owners, 2nd home owners, etc will pay a premium, because that’s what we expect. Who else do you think is paying $1200 a night in Maui?
Gone are the days of twenty-something female ‘stewardesses’ who took up the occupation for ‘fun and adventure’. They were (typically) young and attractive (an airline requirement) and enthusiastic about their job. Service was a top priority bilt into their training. Even passengers in standard (non-first class) seating were treated well and taken care of. The seats were roomy (comparatively) and the food was decent.
We all know what to expect today. ‘Older’ women, young guys, who too often treat the occupation as ‘just a job’, who go down the aisle with that ‘far horizon’ look to avid having to respond to the request for some water. First class/business seating, in some cases, consists of three and three seating, with the middle seat blocked or covered over. Been there, and with profit motive being the driving force today, doubt it will ever get better.
Other than Europe, I don’t know of any carriers (US) that do 3 x 3 seating for business. Can you give me an example?
Thanks
Hi Patrick.
Don’t give the airlines any ideas…
Aloha.
LOL… I’m pretty sure they don’t need ideas. They’ve already thought (and sometimes used) the worst ones.
Flight fron San Fransico to kauai on united was certainly a disappointment. Seat was 2 or 3 inches wider, quite a bit more leg room and a fairly decent meal. All for about $700 extra above economy. Definitely not worth the money. Don’t remember what plane it was but it was pretty old judging from the seats and interior. Needed a refresh badly.
🙁
Great article gentleman. I fly mainly first class domestically and business class internationally. The comfort and convenience for me is worth every penny. Being retired, I am not locked into having to travel on a specific day of the week. I can be choosy and fly on the cheapest day of the week for business or first class.
90% of the time I will only fly on wide body jets.
Booking really early seems to get the best fare. I booked a first class/ business class roundtrip fare from KOA-MUC for February back in October for $3500. For that much travel time it made a lot of sense.
Everyone has different reasons for why they pay what they pay to fly.
Business class food is so much better than than first class domestically,
One minor benefit that you left out. If you buy a first class ticket on Hawaiian Airlines, you receive a mile and a half for each mile that you fly. These bonus miles count towards miles traveled and allow you to reach gold or platinum status with fewer flights. Platinum status will also give you two free upgrade certificates for first class for a future flight.
I travel from San Diego to Maui or Kauai and always take the route via Honolulu so I can enjoy a lie down seat on Hawaiian’s A330. It’s absolutely insane they charge almost the same amount for First Class on the nonstop to Maui in the A321, when those are just regular recline seats. The food is ok, nothing special. They really need to up their game at these prices!
I head over to Maui once a year, use to go via HNL, out of San Diego. The last few years I’ve no had reason to do so, and have flown direct to OGG. Lately I have decided to revisit that route for, as you say, the wide-body from SAN to HNL is a lot more comfortable, and the cost for a connector to Maui is worth it for the comfort/service on 5-6 hours in the air.
My daughter and her family live in Honolulu and I often visit them, coming from Toronto. The flight to Honolulu doesn’t bother me, but the return red-eye flight, has become unbearable so, using points and $680 CDN, I booked a Nov. 4 1-way 1st class flight on Hawaiian for the Honolulu – LA leg of my trip – quite a disappointing experience. The departure was a 1.5 hrs late, the priority boarding was slow, and there was no special treatment once seated. The lie flat seat was a big improvement over economy, and the welcome Mai Tai was nice when it was finally arrived quite some time after departure. The meal was disappointing and I wished I had brought my own food. The first class lounge was simply a comfortable room offering tea, coffee, and soft drinks – no alcohol or food. Upon arriving late in LAX, the departure gate of the 2nd leg of my flight to Toronto was so far away that I almost missed that flight and had to be escorted. I will think twice before making the same plan next time.
We flew first class on Hawaiian Airlines in November. The service and comfort were terrific! Introductions by our service staff and drinks served in glass before takeoff. Entertainment screens and headsets provided, a nice brunch served plus dessert and coffee with cordial cart!
We will definitely fly first class on Hawaiian again!!
It’s not worth the price for such a short trip from the west coast to Hawaii. Try lowering the cost and miles?
Living in Colorado, we usually fly United direct from Denver to Lihue. Due to my replaced knee and hip, we try to fly United’s faux-Polaris on their B-757’s. And BOH is correct about the food quality. Nothing to write home about. We have flown Economy Plus over the years and have found the legroom quite adequate, but United changed to very uncomfortable thin-padded seats to allow an extra row or two, which we discovered on our trip this past year. I vowed never to fly EP on this route again. But United’s Polaris class fare RT DEN-LIH for two is now over $10,000, prohibitively expensive. Due to that and Hawaii’s ever increasing costs, we canceled our Feb 2025 trip.
Hi Rob.
Sorry to hear you had to cancel. Yes UA has gone to ridiculous on that route’s fares. From Hawaii, we have been able to get it for far less when using the flight as a connecting one to other destinations in their network.
Aloha.
Friends of ours travel from Pittsburgh, then connect with us on the DEN-LIH route. They pay far less for the entire route than I pay for just the DEN-LIH portion. UA must have some reason for it, but it makes no sense to me.
Maybe the wife and I will see you in 2026. We’ll see.
I see from a couple of comments that some people were/are flying from SAN to OGG. Since Alaska is replacing Hawaiian on that route I’m wondering if flying first class to HNL on an A330 might be better than first class on a 737.
American Airlines also provides access to their Flagship Lounge when flying on a wide body nonstop from DFW to Maui (OGG) or Honolulu (HNL). This cost is significantly more expensive than flying a narrow body plane from DFW and connecting on the West Coast. We tend to fly DFW-OGG nonstop once or twice each year. We chalk the cost up to part of our trip to paradise and it always gets us started off right!
Regarding your comment “…As far as we know, Alaska and Hawaiian are the only airlines that will give you lounge access on a paid First-Class ticket or First-Class Award ticket…”
AA, on select routes, notably DFW-HNL, ORD-HNL and CLT-HNL that are marketed as “Flagship First”, will get you lounge access.
Hi Patrick.
Thanks!
Aloha.
Even flying from the SE, FC/Biz really isn’t worth it compared to premium economy. You’re flying during the day and arriving mid afternoon so you’re not really tired. Premium economy seats are fine for the outbound leg, but I always spring for FC/Biz for the return redeye. That’s when the high price is worth it to get some sleep during the initial ~ 8 hour leg to ATL or DFW. You arrive in much better shape to drive.
Best Regards