When to buy tickets to Hawaii is always interesting, and once again it’s largely about rapidly changing supply and demand combined with competition in 2022. Read on for some very good cost-saving news for peak travel to Hawaii.
In a word, Hawaii ticket prices are going up in parallel with renewed demand. Airlines see this as a golden opportunity to add Hawaii flights and even additional wide-body services. With international travel still somewhat questionable for a multitude of reasons, Hawaii is still looking exotic yet safe, and highly desirable.
Prices are dynamic, according to Hawaiian’s CEO.
In a recent interview, Hawaiian Airlines‘ CEO, Peter Ingram said that “prices are changing every day in the marketplace. And typically it’s driven by the supply and demand of air seats that dictates what pricing is applicable at any moment in time and in the market. That’s going to be a dynamic situation over the next couple of months. And it’ll be– of course, we don’t know right now how high these prices are going to be for jet fuel and how long they’re going to be up there.”
When to Buy Cheap Flights to Hawaii in 2022–2023
Spring 2022 low season travel (now through June 9, 2022). Prices are dependent on the fast-changing market and competition but are higher than we expected this year as supply and demand still work to stabilize. The cost of jet fuel is exacerbating uncertainty about pricing. Expect to pay from $119 and up from many west coast gateways. Maui and Honolulu are generally the cheapest Hawaii destinations, with the Big Island and Kauai being slightly to somewhat higher. Tip: Fewer than normal sales are expected this spring. Buy now.
Summer 2022 high season travel (June 10 through August 13, 2022). Still some very pleasant surprises for this summer since more flights will be operating. It’s generally best to buy tickets far in advance, especially for around July 4. Prices for peak summer travel are typically 50% or more higher than right before or after peak season. Travel starting early August will see a softening in prices. Tip: Southern California, Northern California, and the Paicfic Northwest all have some significantly lower prices for summer. Look for roundtrip airfares from mid $300’s to $500. Airlines hope to see a fast return to the regular $700+ RT summer price range. So do buy now.
Fall 2020 low season travel (August 14 through December 15, 2022, except over Thanksgiving). Fall airfares should remain competitively priced, and availability is always good at this time of year. That makes the fall season an optimal time to travel to Hawaii, which will be true again in 2022. Tip: Watch for sales to buy best-priced Hawaii airfares starting from $99-$119 each way from select west coast gateways.
Christmas/New Year high season holiday travel (December 16, 2022, through January 3, 2023). No sales are expected – but there’s some limited good news below. Keep in mind that you are going to pay a premium for Christmas this year and every year. Those who come to Hawaii during the holidays tend to purchase far in advance to avoid disappointment and get their prime picks. Remember that accommodations and cars are very challenging during the holidays, and, as with all flights, must be planned far in advance so as not to encounter availability problems. Tip: A few deals are still to be had, like LAX to HNL/OGG in the low $400’s RT. Overall, however, most flights are returning to near the regular $700+ RT range. Buy now if you find any deals.
Winter 2023 low season travel (January 4 through mid-March 2022). The outlook for next winter is hard to predict. There will be strong competition, as well as strong demand. There will still be some winter 2022 to spring 2023 airfare sales without a doubt. Winter has been an expensive time of year to visit Hawaii. Tip: In the last few years, winter prices have become more moderate, which may again be the case. Buy on sale pricing, starting mid-summer.
Spring break 2023 high season travel (mid-March to early April 2022). Pricing for spring break should return to normal ($600+ roundtrip). In general, buy tickets as far in advance as possible due to a lack of deals and limited availability. Tip: Prices are typically 50% higher at that time than either right before or after spring break.
At Beat of Hawaii, we have our fishing net out to catch Hawaii vacation deals for you. Subscribe to our free updates to get them first. Stay tuned and then act quickly when sales are announced.
Updated 3/28/22.
Disclosure: We receive a small commission on purchases from some of the links on Beat of Hawaii. These links cost you nothing and provide income necessary to offer our website to you. Mahalo! Privacy Policy and Disclosures.
Nora E. says
Hello, when will be the best time to buy airline tickets from VLD to KOA for June 28, 2022; returning July 6, 2022 for 4 adults, one child (6 y.o.), and one infant (9 mos.)? We may also consider flying out of Jacksonville, FL to KOA. Dates are not flexible as lodging has already been booked. Thank you!
Beat of Hawaii says
Hi Nora.
With dates and circumstances such as you described, it would be best to buy when it is first available. For all airlines other than SW, that is 330 days in advance. Just pay the price, as there will be no deals.
Aloha.
Gail H. says
Hi,
We are taking a family trip ( 5 adults and 1 paying child) to the Big Island from Minneapolis from 1/7/22 – 1/15/22. We’re ok with 1 stop each way. What is your advice on when to purchase tickets?
Thank you so much for your help.
Gail
Beat of Hawaii says
Hi Gail.
Your dates are priced at just over $700 rt. If you wait they could come down by perhaps $130. Might happen in late summer to fall.
Aloha.
Gail H. says
Thank you for the advice!
Gail
kelly M says
Hi I’m traveling to Maui the last week of October. Should I wait to buy ticket or buy now. Also what’s the average rate of ticket for October?
Debbie B says
Thank you!
Melissa D says
We are traveling from Seattle to Maui 10/22/21 and direct flights are a bit high. Do you expect they will decrease at some point this summer?
Jennifer D. says
Hello,
I am planning a family vacation over our spring break leaving on March 19 and return on March 25, 2022. Right now the best flight price I can find is $1085. Chicago to Maui. One stop.
Do I buy now or wait?
Thanks so much for your time and help,
Jennifer
Beat of Hawaii says
Hi Jennifer.
Unless you can adjust days, like to one day earlier departure, then you’re right, that’s the price. And no reason to think it would improve for spring break.
Aloha.
SiowFong W says
Hi,
I am looking to travel from Seattle to HNL from 2/19 to 2/25/2022. Alaska Airlines ticket is $1198 per person in the main cabin non-stop. Is this too high to buy now? What is a fair price for those dates?
Thanks so much.
SiowFong
Beat of Hawaii says
Hi SlowFong.
Whatever is going on that weekend, that is the airfare. If you can choose other dates the week following, the airfare is $550. Weekends are running up to $200 higher. Hawaiian is about $50 or so cheaper. And if you want to consider stops, that’s cheaper too.
Aloha.
Ted S says
Hi! Thanks for this resource!
I’m looking to fly to honolulu from seattle on the 17th of march through the 29th or march, 2021. Right now non-stop flights for the family are $1477 each. Should I wait on purchasing? That’s quite high.
Beat of Hawaii says
Hi Ted.
On your dates nonstop flights are $477 to $585 rt on three airlines. Not sure what your comment about $1477 is about unless you meant $477. You are traveling over spring break and it may not get any better by waiting.
Aloha.
Kim A says
Hi, my fiancé and I are flying our adult kiddos over to Honolulu to get married on the beach. We have 8 flying from SLC and 3 flying from CLT, October 8th – October 17th. Starting to look for flights and hoping to find some good deals. Would sure appreciate any insight! We are all super excited to come and visit Hawaii!!! (all first time visitor’s)
Thank you, Kim
Beat of Hawaii says
Hi Kim.
From SLC it is about $400 with one-stop and $600 nonstop RT. That market isn’t super-competitive, so we’ll watch with you for sales, but don’t have high expectations. CLT is in the same situation but prices are about $200 higher.
Aloha.
Dylan V says
Hi there, it sounds like you recommend to wait until mid-Summer to purchase two tickets to HNL Jan 10-17, is that right? This is from IAD (Dulles, Washington DC). We’ve found flights for $800, round trip, economy.
Jennifer R. says
We are looking at flights from Oakland to Kauai 12/29, return flight 1/5. Worried I missed the cheapest flights as prices are starting to climb but the flight tracking app we used suggested to wait. Do you think I should cut my losses and just buy the tickets or is there any hope they’ll go down again to where they were ~month+ ago? Thank you 🌿
Beat of Hawaii says
Hi Jennifer.
There is $588 RT on HA nonstop. That’s a great price actually for the holidays. Suggest buying if that’s what you are looking for.
Aloha.
Jennifer R. says
Thank you so much for your response. The price for that flight was under $400 a week or so ago so I wanted to hold out and see if it would go back down, but it looks like it may just be going up now which makes me nervous to hold out any longer. I may have missed out on an incredible deal to settle for a merely good one 🙂
Jen L. says
Can you please tell me the best time to purchase airline tickets to Honolulu for March, 2022?
Jen L. says
I forgot to mention…we will be flying out of New Orleans and the dates are March 16 – March 23, 2022.
Thank you
Beat of Hawaii says
Hi Jen.
Thanks for the added info. It is too early to know if those dates are going to break towards high season or low season, since it is right around spring break. It’s running high at about $900 with a reasonable connection, indicating it will probably be high season.
Spring break is a weird time and it tends to move around a bit. Best suggestion here is to keep an eye on it every couple of weeks. If it stays high and surrounding dates go down, you should probably buy quickly. Otherwise, you can wait. If things go well, you could be looking at $500 or so. Hope that helps.
Aloha.
Craig C says
Thank you for this insight – very helpful.
We’re looking at Dallas – Maui 2/5-2/12/22. The AA nonstop flights are $885/pp main cabin. Should we wait to purchase? Or go ahead and buy now?
Thank you!
Beat of Hawaii says
Hi Craig.
It looks as though that nonstop may come down by about $100 if you choose to wait. Better prices probably will surface this fall.
Aloha.
Craig C says
Mahalo,
Do you think these flights will drop later in the fall or should I bite the bullet and get the AA non-stop economy flights for $885?
Thank you so much for your info and the blog. It’s been very helpful.
Beat of Hawaii says
Hi Craig.
Thanks. We think the price might come down about $100 for that nonstop if you choose to wait a bit and keep checking.
Aloha.
Tara S says
Thanks for the info! I was just wondering, we are flying out of Pittsburgh to Honolulu around 8/28/21. Should I bite the bullet and buy now or do you feel I should wait it out a little bit to see if the prices come down? Thanks for your help!
Beat of Hawaii says
Hi Tara.
Good connections on that route for your departure date are about $600, which is really excellent already. Might or might not improve from there. If you’re flexible and can fly mid-week, then consider waiting. Otherwise, not.
Aloha.
Dawn Y says
Thank you for the information. We are planning a trip to Hawaii Nov 3-13 and first class tickets are showing $5000-$7000 for the 2 of us. Do you think those prices will come down? Wondering if I should wait and watch.
Thank you for any thoughts you have
Beat of Hawaii says
Hi Dawn.
Please provide your airport pairs and any other pertinent details so we can have a look and let you know.
Aloha.
Dawn Y says
We are able to fly out of San Antonio or Austin and would prefer our layover to be in Dallas (the research I’ve done shows this route has lie flat seats on American) thank you for the response!
Beat of Hawaii says
Hi Dawn.
To Honolulu (you didn’t state destination), check just now we found approx. $2500 to over $3000 round trip per person on American for your dates. That is to be expected and it is doubtful it will go down in price. BTW, the faster the connection to/from SAT the higher the price.
Aloha.
Danielle K says
We are flying from midwest, most likely Minneapolis to Maui next March 13-20, 2022. I found flights for $670, would you suggest purchasing now, or do you think flights will go down in price before then?
(Could fly out of Omaha or Kansas City also)
Lexi A says
Hello,
I am traveling to Big Island from PDX 8/9/21-8/20/2021. Prices are high and I’m not sure if I should buy now or wait it out?
Thank you
Beat of Hawaii says
Hi Lexi.
It looks to be quite well sold. Especially the nonstop. This is to say that it isn’t likely for those dates to go down. Possible, but not likely.
Aloha.
Jessica S. says
Looking to go 11/18 or 11/19 and come back on 11/27. Prices are very high right now. This would be Leaving from atl and going to Maui or Honolulu. When do you suggest buying the tickets?
Jamie H says
Hi,
Looking at flying around March 16, 2022. Seeing 1500-1800 prices per person. Do you think that will improve or best to just buy now? Thank you!
Beat of Hawaii says
Hi Jamie.
Without outbound and return dates and points of origin and destination, it is hard to say what you are looking at.
Aloha.
Jamie says
3/16 to 3/26 and MSP to OGG and back. Just curious if you expect much fluctuation in flight prices in the coming weeks or I’m guessing I am just going to be best to lock in now. Wasn’t sure if that was Spring Break prime or not…it is our Spring Break week. Thanks for the feedback!
Beat of Hawaii says
Hi Jamie.
One-stop with a fast connection on American $1,036 RT for your dates. Looks like that will be prime spring break, so not sure prices will go down except at the very end if there’s availability. Price is fair. Delta has nonstop to HNL, but it will cost more and in the end, you’ll have a stop either way.
Aloha.
Jamie says
Thank you! Much appreciate the feedback. I figured that would be where we were going to be sitting.
Chelsea S says
Thank you for all this information. I am planning to Travel to Hawaii end of July to the beginning of August. The prices keep fluctuating and apps are predicting better prices. So I am torn between booking now or waiting until later. Do you think Should I book tickets now or wait?
Beat of Hawaii says
Hi Chelsea.
Pricing is demand-based so no one knows for sure, including whatever apps are predicting that change. Our sense is that this year that period will not drop, but that starting after August 10, it will start to moderate down.
Aloha.