Honolulu flights just got hotter—again. Las Vegas nonstop service is now as hot as a jackpot winning streak. But this isn’t just about more flights or just about Vegas. It’s one example of how Hawaii residents and visitors are gaining—or losing—critical options in the most traveled air corridors to and from the islands. As the battle between Hawaiian/Alaska and Southwest intensifies, it’s Las Vegas—Hawaii’s unofficial ninth island—that finds itself at the center of a major Hawaii air travel shift.
Now that Alaska owns Hawaiian, what we’re seeing is a broader effort to cement control over the state’s most important mainland routes. The fourth daily flight just added here is one part of a bigger push—an aggressive move by Hawaiian/Alaska to dominate wherever they can, especially as Southwest pulls back and uncertainty builds across the Hawaii air travel ecosystem.
Hawaiian/Alaska have now scheduled this fourth daily nonstop to a key mainland gateway starting in October. The Hawaiian Airlines brand, soon to be fully integrated into Alaska, is flexing its muscles and appears determined not to cede ground in what’s become one of the most competitive and valuable routes in Hawaii travel. Southwest, meanwhile, remains the most persistent thorn in Hawaiian’s side.
More flights, better timing.
The new fourth daily flight will depart Honolulu in the afternoon, giving travelers another daytime option before the existing overnight redeye. It follows a steady ramp-up in Hawaiian’s Vegas service, increasing frequencies by nearly 30 percent from July to September.
According to Cirium, which tracks airline schedule data, this added frequency spreads departure times more evenly. It allows the existing afternoon flight to shift slightly earlier, improving arrival times in Las Vegas.
Hawaii to Las Vegas flights: The price battleground.
While Hawaiian/Alaska are ramping up to four daily nonstops, Southwest’s late fall schedule still hasn’t opened beyond November 1—it’s set to load on March 27. But we can already see the pattern taking shape for the week prior.
For October 28–30, Hawaiian/Alaska offers four nonstop flights each day from Honolulu to Las Vegas with round-trip fares ranging from $588 to $665:
7:50 AM to 4:40 PM
2:00 PM to 10:45 PM
3:15 PM to 11:58 PM
10:15 PM to 6:50 AM (overnight)
Southwest lists two nonstop flights in the same direction, priced higher at $733 and $739 round trip:
8:10 AM to 5:00 PM
9:00 PM to 6:00 AM (overnight)
On the return from Las Vegas to Honolulu, Hawaiian/Alaska also offers four nonstop options:
1:45 AM to 5:05 AM
8:00 AM to 11:15 AM
10:00 AM to 1:24 PM
6:20 PM to 9:40 PM
Southwest shows two nonstops in the return direction:
8:50 AM to 12:10 PM
10:35 AM to 2:00 PM
With fares undercutting Southwest by up to $250, Hawaiian appears to be buying its way into this critical market. Whether Southwest responds in its next schedule update remains to be seen, but for now, Hawaiian is setting the tone for this Vegas flight competition.
Bigger plane, wider lead.
Hawaiian continues to operate its widebody Airbus A330-200 on this route. This aircraft offers 278 seats in a two-class configuration: first/business class and both standard and extra-legroom economy.
The A330 provides more space and cargo capacity than Southwest’s Boeing 737 MAX 8. While Southwest still leads in standard economy legroom, Hawaiian’s aircraft offer a more spacious and stable ride overall—something that becomes especially important on red-eyes and longer flights.
Southwest vs Hawaiian Hawaii flights: Final resistance?
Las Vegas has long been a contested Hawaii-mainland gateway, and that competition is only heating up. Southwest made clear its intentions to dominate the market years ago, even before launching Hawaii service. A flurry of routes followed, offering sharp fares and occasional flash sales that drove prices temporarily down.
Southwest still operates nonstops to Las Vegas from Maui, Lihue, and Kona—with no Hawaiian competition on the latter two. Whether that remains the case for long is now uncertain.
A plan gone sideways.
Southwest’s Hawaii strategy has hit turbulence. The airline has pulled back service across the islands, citing aircraft delivery delays and shifting operational priorities. What began as an aggressive push has gradually faded. And now, with Hawaiian stepping up its game, the Luv airline may find itself in unfamiliar territory.
The initial appeal of low fares and two free checked bags has eroded. Travelers have grown frustrated with overnight flights on narrow-body aircraft and the absence of seatback entertainment.
Southwest’s latest changes haven’t helped. It recently scrapped the boarding queue system many Hawaii travelers had just mastered. The airline is also expected to eliminate its “hallmark” free bag policy. Seat assignment and premium boarding charges are on the horizon—features long standard with Hawaiian, but a new wrinkle for loyal Southwest fliers.
Hawaiian Airlines Vegas route strategy post-merger.
This flight expansion also reflects deeper shifts behind the scenes. While Hawaiian and Alaska remain technically separate until October, their route planning appears increasingly coordinated.
Las Vegas is both a symbolic and strategic target. For Hawaiian, it’s a high-yield route with deep cultural ties to the long-dubbed Hawaii’s “ninth island.” It’s also a consistent revenue source tied to Hawaii residents visiting family, vacationing, or connecting to the mainland.
For all its strength elsewhere, Alaska has never been dominant on this route. Hawaiian doubling down here may signal a last pre-merger push to secure control.
California gateways and ripple effects.
While Vegas draws the spotlight, other key gateways—Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, Oakland, and Sacramento—are all in motion. In this volatile environment, every flight change sends ripple effects across the Hawaii-mainland travel network.
Readers have already started weighing in. Carla wrote, “I used to fly Southwest for the price, but I’d rather pay more for a flight that doesn’t feel like a punishment.” James added, “When flights are delayed or changed, Hawaiian has been better about notifying us.”
Comfort and predictability are now overtaking price for many. And with Southwest seemingly moving away from both, Hawaiian and Alaska may continue to benefit.
How to find the best deals on Hawaii to Vegas flights.
Expect continued and possibly sharp fare swings on this route into the fall. Travelers should check fares midweek, set alerts on Google Flights or Hopper, and act fast on short-term sales.
It’s also worth leveraging loyalty programs or airline credit cards that offer perks like companion tickets or baggage waivers. These can bridge the gap in comfort and price—especially if Southwest’s no-frills approach evolves further.
And don’t count out other players. Frontier’s name keeps surfacing as a possible entrant into this increasingly crowded lane. More competition could mean short-term deals, even if consistency remains elusive.
What do you think?
Have you flown this route recently? Do you prefer Hawaiian’s widebody comfort or Southwest’s lower fares and flexibility? Do you think the Alaska-Hawaiian merger will improve or complicate your travel choices?
Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
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I see that all comments are not posted. No politics or bad language, just a response.
As someone with low travel budget and problems with mobility, I switched to Southwest from Hawaiian airlines, without changing my Hawaiian credit card, because of their price and seating flexibility.
Now that both of those are being eliminated by SWA, I will probably go back to Hawaiian airlines. If Alaska decided to change credit cards for travel points, I will go for the flight with the cheapest non-stop to and from the mainland. If these airlines choose to cater only to their elite travelers, it is their choice but they will lose my loyalty.
I was a dedicated Southwest passenger flying multiple times a week and often to Hawaii. If southwest moves to red eye only from Kona direct to the mainland I will be totally done with flying Southwest They will be like every other airline but with less comfortable seats.
It’s important to remember now that anything Hawaiian does, it does as part of the bigger issue of how does this fit into Alaska’s strategy.
Perhaps this is the beginning of a push by Alaska to increase its presence in Las Vegas.
I have been a loyal customer of southwest. I experienced the wrath of hawaiian when they had a monopoly. They jacked up the airfare almost 100 percent. I swore never to fly hawaiian again when southwest started service here. I don’t think hawaiian deserves the privledge of using “Hawaiian” as it’s name.
When did Hawaiian ever have a monopoly? A few years of interisland flying after Aloha went Bankrupt? But from the mainland there has always been lots of competition. Southwest is fine for short hops but their service and amenities are poor for longer flights. I’m glad Alaska saved Hawaiian. SWA lost over a billion dollars trying to bankrupt Hawaiian. Looks like that was a bad idea as it brought AS to the rescue.
It doesn’t matter the logo on the tail, wide body will always excell on trips this long. AS will destroy Hawaiian, eventually by inability to provide Akamai service, and economically choosing a single aisle aircraft. Sorry.
Seeing as how Hawaiian hasn’t made a profit since 2019, has lost a billion dollars since then, and has no reasonable expectation of becoming profitable, I’d say Hawaiian was on its way for follow Aloha and Alaska saved them, not destroyed them.
I’m on a Hawaiian flight that leaves at 10:25 am from Las Vegas. That seems like a new flight to me. I prefer later morning flights that still allow me to connect to my Lihue flight.
Southwest discontinued non-stop flights from Oakland to Kona. Hawaiian used to have that non-stop route but only in the summer. When Southwest moved in, Hawaiian ceased that direct route. It would be great if Hawaiian or Alaska would offer a direct flight between Kona and Oakland now that Southwest is out of the picture. Maybe Hawaiian/Alaska could look in to how much the Southwest route was used and how much the Hawaiian (with layovers HNL or OGG) was used to Oakland. Hopefully it would be sufficient to consider a direct flight again. I flew Kona to Oakland via Hawaiian five times in the last few months, as I will not fly Southwest.
I think that has more to do with Oakland than it does Hawaiian or Alaska Airlines. Airlines have been cutting back in OAK for years with UA and AA pulling out altogether.
I’ve been a loyal Southwest patron for at least 10 years because of low fares, decent leg room and free checked bags. I have 5 Southwest flights booked now for the next few months, so a steady customer. I fly to Maui 4 or 5 times a year to maintain my rental in Lahaina. Their previous schedules were great leave mid morning from Oakland and return early morning from Maui.
Southwest has pruned its nonstop schedule to various other places, like New Orleans to name one. So now almost all mainland flights are connecting.
If you fly Southwest across the mainland you will quickly find out that the airports and/or terminals they use don’t have lounges of any kind and restaurants are few and crowded. One trip from Tucson to Oakland with a stop over in San Diego, the terminal in SD was packed with a line of at least 50 men waiting to use the rest room and all seats were occupied.
I just activated my old Hawaiian/Alaska accounts and booked a flight to Puerto Vallarta bye bye Southwest.