We continue to fly back and forth between Hawaii and the mainland to give you our reviews of different airlines and their classes of service. The airlines don’t know we’re coming, and we pay our way. So how much we spend is important to us, and we know it is to most of you too.
Many of you have commented that your preference is Hawaiian Airlines First Class on their wide-body A330 aircraft. Those feature lie-flat seating, meaning you’re in for a great nap and a deluxe meal on your way to Hawaii.
Luxury, yes. But at what price? We have sticker shock.
This one caught us by surprise. We weren’t expecting prices quite this high on airlines offering deluxe lie-flat seats. But here’s what we learned.
Those who can afford it want to travel at the top of luxury, no matter the cost.
We started looking to see how much we will need to pay to bring reviews of first-class flights to Hawaii reviews to you. And some of what we found just surprised us. Things have changed, and here are a few examples, with a picture saying more than words. These were not unusual prices; they are now more the norm.
Keep in mind that if you choose to fly to Hawaii on other narrowbody planes without lie-flat seats (beds), the prices were very different and typically ran about 1/2 the cost of a lie-flat seat.
Why is the lie-flat first class to Hawaii so expensive?
The perks associated with first-class to Hawaii are pretty obvious. They include much more legroom, larger and more comfortable seats, greatly improved in-flight service, and maybe even a bed. It’s evident that such perks wouldn’t come cheap.
Oh, by the way, most airlines now call these business class, while others (notably Hawaiian), still refer to their business class as first class).
Is flying first class worth it?
We’re going to leave that to you. But it always feels better to be in first class, especially when you have figured out a way to do it for less. In Jeff’s recent example, he paid the equivalent of $400 to fly first class to Hawaii, albeit without a lie-flat bed. Would he have been as satisfied if he had paid multiple times more than that, even if it included a bed? Perhaps not.
How expensive is lie-flat first class to Hawaii?
The price varies greatly. It will be far more for longer flights and on wide-body planes with lie-flat seating. It also differs significantly by date. Frequently buying either far in advance or just before departure may yield the lowest prices for first class. First class is not a part of economy Hawaii airfare sales.
American Airlines lie-flat vs. economy.
- Available on wide-body flights from Chicago and Dallas.
- Economy class example shown $596.
- Lie-flat First class example shown $4,194.
Delta Airlines lie-flat vs. economy.
- Available on wide-body flights from Atlanta, Detroit, Minneapolis, and New York.
- Economy class example shown $1,099.
- Lie-flat first class example shown $3,075.
Hawaiian Airlines lie-flat vs. economy.
- Available on all wide-body flights from Boston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York, Phoenix, San Diego, San Francisco, and Seattle.
- Economy class example shown $169
- Lie-flat first class example shown $1,639
- You can also bid for first class on Hawaiian.
United Airlines lie-flat vs. economy.
- Available on some wide-body flights from Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Newark, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C.
- Economy Class example shown $209
- Lie-Flat First Class example shown $1,860
If you’re flying lie-flat to Hawaii, please tell us how much you are willing to pay. Is this getting out of hand?
I am flying from Oregon so not worth it. But i just looked into flying business class to Europe. 4x for BC. But if use miles and book ahead 11 months it was doable. Coach $1100, BC $4000. Or BC with 120,000 miles and $200 @ person. Through Alaska Airlines and partners. So i assume can do same in reverse from east coast.