Hawaii-bound airlines are leaning hard into a lucrative trend: passengers willing to pay for premium experiences. And who wouldn’t, given what has become of airline economy class? Airlines across the board are increasing premium seats at the expense of fewer economy seats.
Delta Air Lines, riding a wave of record profitability, credits much of its success to travelers choosing first and business class over economy. This trend has implications for Hawaii flights, where airlines like Alaska and Hawaiian may look closely to replicate Delta’s successful playbook. But will this premium push enhance travel—or make economy class even less desirable?
Airlines prioritize premium seating amid rising demand.
Delta’s latest earnings reveal a 47% year-over-year increase in fourth-quarter pre-tax income, with premium seating leading revenue growth. Baby Boomers and corporate travelers are reportedly fueling the surge, with Delta’s president noting, “Demand is coming from the front of the plane.”
Airlines flying to Hawaii are unlikely to miss this opportunity, especially as new lounges and fleet upgrades with lie-flat seating reshape travel for high-value passengers.
What this means for Hawaii travelers.
As Alaska Airlines integrates Hawaiian Airlines, the focus on premium travelers is already apparent. The new Alaska-Hawaiian lounge at Honolulu International Airport will cater to travelers seeking elevated pre-flight experiences. However, the shift to premium isn’t without trade-offs across all airlines. Passengers flying economy may face tighter seating, fewer perks, and higher fares as airlines flying to Hawaii reallocate resources to attract business and first-class passengers.
Revenue-driven upgrades will not come free.
Not to be left out, United Airlines is rolling out fleet upgrades—including seatback entertainment, free Wi-Fi, and larger bins—on narrow-body planes frequently used for Hawaii flights. While such amenities improve passenger comfort to a limited degree, some travelers worry these upgrades will lead to other service reductions. Similar patterns are emerging across the industry, and Hawaii visitors should be prepared for a changing flight experience.
Readers weigh in: Are upgrades worth the cost?
This shift has sparked debate among travelers. Commenter Lisa shared, “I love the idea of better seats and amenities, but I don’t want to pay extra for things that used to be included.” On the other hand, Nathan noted, “If it makes the flight better and I can afford it, I’m all in for premium.” Airlines are banking on more travelers siding with Nathan as they refine their offerings for Hawaii-bound flights.
Hawaii flights in 2025: What to expect.
As airlines prioritize premium passengers, Hawaii travelers should anticipate improvements and challenges. For those in economy, fewer perks, even less beverage service, and increased fees, may be the future. Meanwhile, premium flyers are set to benefit from better services but at potentially higher costs. The balance between comfort and affordability will shape Hawaii travel in the years ahead.
Where do you “sit” on this subject?
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Well, I can afford to ‘up-grade’, as I’m retired and have a good financial pillow (no, I’m not a hedge fund manager!). But, the people I feel sorry for are the families who depend on ‘economy’ fares, no matter how miserable, to make the task of just getting to HI affordable. If what you predict takes place, I can see the new ‘Queen of the Airlines’ touting the ‘joy’ of flying ‘up front’, saying in her commercial, ‘If you can’t afford it, peons, take a staycation in your back yard and leave the luxury of HI flying to those that deserve it, and can afford it.’ (Sticks her tongue out and gives you the razberry at this point, then laughs uproarously). Don’t laugh, with the in-coming administration, this may be the new ‘reality.’
As a former regular traveler with family and friends, we are now not interested in the massive accomadation and increased costs to go and stay in Hawaii( we go to Maui and Honolulu)
I haven’t seen a single article regarding the relationships between the big banks credit card programs and their airline partnerships? Don’t airlines make a crazy profit from selling miles to banks? Sad to say the real losers of this relationship are people carrying a monthly credit card balance? Is there another country on the planet that allows credit card companies to charge unrealistic interest rates on on credit card balances? I read there was a recent bill in Congress to stop this predatory practice, that is, the profitting of the airlines in partnership with the banks at the expense of the customers?
Meanwhile, the savay credit card freeloaders get upgrades.
Why is this not a story? You guys do a good job.
Hawaiian/Alaskan Airlines terminated the Premier Club. There’s discussions to terminate wide-body service from West Coast hubs. I travel 2 times a year to Hawaii and I pay for extra comfort upgrades on Hawaiian. I want to be Comfortable! flying 5 hours. I Love Hawaiian but if this merger continues to do away with perks, airline wide-body services, I will shift to Delta because they seem to know what customers want for a 5 hour long flight to Hawaii.
If it will make you feel better Tammy there are no discussions to “terminate wide body service to the west coast”. Alaska has stressed that and said the Widebody’s give them a competitive seat mile cost advantage where the traffic warrants it. For instance they doubled the SEA/HNL routes wide body service, LAX now has two Dreamliner flights. Beyond that, anything else is pure speculation and much of it based on cynical bias rather than the reality of what’s going on. The AS/HA synergy is creating a tremendous upgrade to the Hawaii and Pacific travel landscape that is just beginning.
Also Tammy, did you see the new lounge slated for HNL?…. big upgrade.
Yeah, flying in a ‘sardine can’ for 5-6 hours from the coast sucks. Maybe when the person in the middle seat gets up to use the head (toilet), you could sneak up behind them and lock them in! More room for you and your seatmate! ;0)
Translation: Make the economy experience so miserable that passengers willingly pay more to escape it.
Boeing 707s flying to Hawaii in the 1960s had the exact same cabin width as the 737s flying today. Standard legroom between the rows used to be 34″ to 35″. Now itʻs 30″ to 31″, and you have to pay a premium for 34″, marketed as Extra comfort, Premium, or Economy plus.
With these changes, folks will get half of what they requested, like more legroom and space, but not the economy price. I wrote previously that if they remove seats to create more space, they’ll have to make up the income difference by raising all the other rates. I now suspect the economy seats will eventually be done away with and it will cost more to fly, period. I recall how much more it used to cost in the 1970s and 1980s compared to other things. Then economy seats came along and made travel more affordable for the masses. Now it looks like the airlines are tired of trying to make ends meet with economy fares causing so many complaints so adding the space back is going to cost everyone more – unless you’re one who is used to upgrading anyway, which I hope stays about the same price (fingers crossed). The benefit I can see is that more business class seats will be available now as they seem to be harder and harder to get.