Southwest Hawaii. How’s it going now? “The other airlines can’t touch you… Predatory and opportunistic—which we like.” — SW and SWAPO
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160 thoughts on “Go Big and Predatory: Southwest Hawaii And Costco”
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I have always loved flying HA to the islands, but the last 2 flights to OGG and KOA from Long Beach was on SWA. I am sold as the fares are great and free checked bags is a plus. I do love the aloha vibe when you board an HA flight, but the SWA service is pretty good as well. HA miles program has been so bad, we can’t even use them to go because its so high now to book with miles on HA. I’ll continue to cross shop both airlines from here on out.
Hard to defend Hawaiian when they pull their frequent flier miles scams and block out pretty much everything and they track what you look for and when you go back in 5 minutes later it’s more miles. Then you buy the extra miles and they drop the flight availability for miles but it’s there if you want to pay cash.
Competition breeds better service and low prices. The locals win.
Hawaiian has gouged the us locals for years. They didn’t seem to mind putting Aloha right out of business and then acting like a monopoly.
I guess competition is good unless you work for Hawaiian airlines
Southwest has opened up many avenues / options for convenient travel between Islands. For the sake of tourists, hope it is sustainable. Hawaiian and Alaska have been around a long time but nothing beats Southwest for frequency and liberal cancellation/ change policy coupled with 2 free bags.
Lolz at Hawaiian getting their ___ handed to them after gouging everyone for years. SW is the best thing to island flying since the old $25 per flight coupon books.
Love competition here in the islands, Hawaiian Airlines deserves to suffer the same way their made other airlines suffer here, Aloha, GO, etc. They talk about their “aloha” spirit” but where was it before SWA came and HA was charging more for interisland flights ($400-500+) than everyone else was charging for mainland destinations. Not to mention HA’s crappy business decision to not handle baggage from other airlines and that pissed me off as we flew HA from LAX but they wouldn’t transfer our baggage to our GO fight to Hilo back in the day. After that, I no longer keep HA as my first go-to carrier within Hawaii. I do love their service, but until they allow for one free bag per Hawaii resident it’s SWA whenever we can for interisland.
Been flying to the islands of Hawaii for 31 years on different airlines May 2022 took my first flight on Southwest from San Jose California to Oahu both flights were great using again in October
Please consider that when Costco is cheaper for same product or service that savings is real $ that can be used for other things. Many mom and pops use Costco to as there go to supplier
Costxo does get “some” business from store owners as well as other businesses such as Catering and Restaurants, however, SAM’S is getting the Bulk of those Businesses because of the Lower Cost and Quality. Been that way for a long time. Some specialty items are picked up at Costco.
Aloha, I meant to say does anybody remember Aloha Airlines, Go airlines, Mokulele Air, all casualties to the price wars on airfare.
Wouldn’t it be nice if we all played together nicely in the same sandbox.
Just a fair price to do business is all I ask
Not to say I don’t like the cheap airfare, but I do have concerns about safety being shortcutted here and there.
I remember looking at the Departures board in HNL Airport a few years ago and seeing that 90% of the scheduled Mokulele flights were cancelled or delayed.
I loved flying with Hawaiian Air when they had the large planes. My husband and I could sit together with his aisle seat and my window seat. Then Hawaiian started using the 3 seat rows (just like southwest) with those dreaded middle seats. So we switched to southwest since their prices are a little cheaper. 2 bags fly free and most importantly there is no change fee. Some stranger just sits between us now.
Thank you but seriously, Hawaiian was getting out of hand. I agree $39 flights are a little crazy, but on the other side of the spectrum prior to SouthWest coming in Hawaiian was charging $400-$500 for a roundtrip ticket from Kona to Kauai. A market needs competition to keep everyone honest.
I get that it’s easier to call out when you watch it happen in front of you but hawaii companies do all the same moves. Look how expensive it was to fly inter-island when Hawaiian was the main ones. Or why does it cost twice as much to ship a car inter-island because you can only go through Young Brothers.
Hawaiian had a monopoly for so many years. They charged very high prices for inter island travel and also kept their fares to Las Vegas very high where many Hawaii residents love to travel too. They continue to have baggage fees which brings in a lot of revenue. Southwest is a very big airline on the continental US and they have very competitive fares to at all their destinations and with their low fares and no baggage fees and they are still in business. I will continue to give Southwest my business even if they raise fares as long as they continue to have no baggage fees.
Hawaiian Airlines has 1) Safety record 2) on-time record 3) Aloha spirit 4) fewer cancelled flights 5) nicer, more comfortable aircrafts. And supports the local economy.
Everyone finds reasons to defend HWA, Is it worth the one way loyalty in the end? Apparently no one defending HWA heard or saw the Announcement that they made Months ago. They Stated on an Earnings Call that They were charging some things to make them Much More Profitable. Those “Ethnic” Donations were on the chopping block, They’re being more Liberal Compliant! It’s a surprise to many that will become apparent.
I can see Southwest being a long term competitor on the islands, the competition should be healthy if they maintain their prices but this price war will continue until the other surrenders. If Southwest is able to open a crew base there in the future, I think they’ll be able to stick around for a long time. However, that’s if they can have the same or exceed the amount of interisland flights Hawaiian has which is honestly really difficult. I fly on both but fly Hawaiian from the mainland because of their reliability, but I also don’t mind the lower pricing and 2 free bags for island hops offered by Southwest.
It may work as long as swa, keeps it crew diverse, As much as I love Hawaiian Airlines, for mainland passengers it would be great to see its crew more representative of the mainland population. Who have made the islands home.African-Americans.thx.
This seems a bit random. Why not just hire the best applicant for the job? Does a “mainland looking” person (whatever that means to you) make the flight more enjoyable to you?
Haha… yes, because the color of the pilots skin is important to experience and safety…
First of all, I absolutely love the service on Hawaiian Airlines. I will pay more to fly Hawaiian to the mainland and now Asia, but not exorbitantly more. I find their pricing in line most of the time. When HA had the monopoly on inter island flights, they were not in line. They charged whatever they wanted and it was unfair to the consumers. They even changed the mileage for rewards on their inter island flights. There is very little service on an inter island flight and the mileage is minuscule. It is good to have some competition.
We still have small grocery stores hear in Hawaii. They still charge usuriess prices, I’m sure there on all the islands. We continue to have the highest electricity prices in the country and gas prices are really high. If he wants to (commentor) step over a dollar to pick up a dime, let him. I just want to live here (Hawaii).
Hawaiian service to the mainland is by far superior. Love them. I may be biased living in Maui. But I am glad their rates are lower and I am glad they have competition.
Before Covid they were high. And Southwest etc made them lower rates.
Now on Inter-Island flights being so short. Really not concerned about which airline but stick to Hawaiian because I consistently have no issues.
But people need to understand Hawaiian is not nearly as established on Mainland as anyone else so you can understand their higher prices before the competition to the mainland.
But become a Hawaiian miles member which is free and you get miles that really add up. I have 100,000 miles because Hawaiian offers so many ways to earn them. They always treat u amazing.
I have to agree with Franklin. We have ohana on Maui and finally decided Hawaiian is our go-to airline for travel from the greater Los Angeles area. SWA does not fly direct to Maui from either LA or Long Beach.
Jim, I just put in this Friday from LAX to Maui, coming back on Monday, and Southwest’s web site shows one nonstop a day in each direction. I checked Long Beach, and it also has a nonstop in each direction.
I wonder how much revenue they earn transporting good between the islands.
It’s good to see airfares and grocery prices drop due to competition from company’s such as Southwest airlines and Costco. They make living in remote places like Kauai more affordable for the folks living there.
Competition is good. Hawaiian Airlines had a monopoly for years and took advantage of the locals and tourists by very very expensive fares. Southwest can and will offer low fares for long time to come. Low fares will stimulate demand and provide relief to the Hawaiian population. You shouldn’t have to pay 250 dollars to go to a doctor appointment in Honolulu.
I fly SWA a lot and love them. However, nothing beats the HA service and vibe flying from the mainland to Maui.
Costco was getting their Hawaiian gas from Russia. That’s why their prices have jumped recently. Since the war started they’ve looked at South America for it.
This is the result of the airline deregulation act of 1978. It spilled over into every industry. This is what unregulated capitalism always ends in. Wealth inequality.
No, not wealth inequality. Inequality in ambition, effort and talent. Envy is so unbecoming people who lack those traits.
Ambition is one thing but greed is another
I love Hawaii and if Southwest makes it more affordable then I’m for it. I decided to fly in by way of Southwest and fly out Hawaiian to be fair and supportive.
I appreciate Hawaiian lowered their prices in response as well.
Hawaii is expensive.
So having less of an airfare will allow me to spend more on the island: on restaurants and tipping the native Hawaiians, etc.
Thank you!
Aloha
♥️🌺♥️
Here on the big island, Costco gas is still significantly cheaper than other retailers.
Kona to Kauai seems to always be more than $200 round trip. If Hawaiian Airlines can’t handle competition (remember Aloha Airlines), I won’t cry for them.
We live on the Big Island, and our experience on SWA over the last 2 years has been relatively poor. We’ve used SWA to fly to the mainland (mostly Kona to San Diego, a route they’ve now eliminated – we loved that route and had no problems on any of Those mainland flights) and inter-island (at least 6 round trips). The inter-island service has been very disappointing because we’ve experienced so many delays and cancellations on SWA that if we have an important flight connection to make on Oahu, or an appointment in Oahu, we will only fly Hawaiian (I call a flight that is delayed multiple times and then finally moved to the next day a “cancellation” – although I suppose all SWA really did was rebook us on a different flight the next day?).
I have flown SWA and you get what you pay for. Low price, but at what cost. To many canceled flights, no assigned seat and will never fly on a 737-Max. Boeing should have built a new aircraft rather than stretch an old one and have a computer do the flying. I’ll take Hawaiian any day. Service is great, if I have to pay a little more for seat choice and on time arrival, so be it. My money, my choice. Costco is great if you are feeding an army, too much goes to waste. I pick and choose my shopping. Could be Walmart, Target, Safeway or KTA, all depends on the deals. My money my choice.
Don’t fly on an airbus then because they are all computer flown. The Max is not. The MCAS system on the Max is easy to override. There have been zero issues with the plane at US carriers. There are very few computers on a Max or any 737. Not so on Airbus. Shut down every computer on an Airbus see what happens. DO the same on a Max or 737. I’ll take the Max in those regards. Not to mention Airbus had a very similar issue as the Max, yet it wasn’t as publicized. Look it up and educate yourself.
The ware house stores like, made life affordable in Hawaii. Competition between them keeps them competitive. The mom and pop stores, prices were unreasonable for the buyer. They had us by the throat. Like almost the only player in town. Not that all tried to gouge us, but the box stores brought prices down. I would never go back to eliminating the box stores. I would be foced to eating rice, pasta, and bread, or move to NM. As for the airlines, we have seen cheap seats before, on Island Air, etc. it burns itself out.
Just flew SWA, Maui to Kona, roundtrip for $99 paid by my company. SWA doesn’t assign seats (boarding groups), no drink service because pilot said it was “too bumpy” (it was normal for this route).
It was “ok” but prefer Hawaiian Airlines.
The SWA crews that fly inter island are only in Hawaii on layover and fly inter island for a day. It could well have been his first inter island trip ever. They don’t have the experience of consistently learning about the weather or winds on the routes. One of the reasons I prefer HA.
We will have a limited time in Hawaii. We particularly wanted nonstop Inter island flights. We chose Southwest over Hawaiian because the schedule was better for us.
Certainly we meant no offense to the island mainstays. While there, we plan to patronize local businesses, and will be staying away from traditional mainland big box stores. We are hoping for an immersive Hawaiian cultural experience.
Mahalo!
And in my previous remark though I mentioned musubi from small stores, there is no substitute for the fresh stuff at the farmers markets. Go farmers markets!
I’ve been disappointed by Hawaiians fees and policies many times. On southwest you can change without a fee, if you cancel they bank your money, you can take your luggage free, and the seats are consistent and ok. So I take them if possible. Costco pays their people well, better than target or Walmart and probably mom and pops. There is room for advancement. They are good about returns and sell good quality stuff. These guys win. But when I go to the island I buy stuff to bhq and so on there; I use the smaller stores for all that other stuff so I don’t have to buy in bulk. Plus musubi.
I find it interesting that people believe that SWA will be keeping these ridiculously low fares after they quash the competition. That is not, nor has it ever been, the plan.
So would you rather have them charge more? And pay like someone mention $480 instead of $157 to fly between islands? Let’s not forget that Hawaiian is a publicly traded company whose responsibility is to its stock holders. Not me not you not the people of Hawaii but to themselves. This is not hawaiian airlines of 60 years ago with all the aloha etc. it’s a business whose goal is to pull every dime it can from its customers so the stock can go up 25 cents. Nothing more. Where was hawaiian whe aloha was going down the tubes? Don’t think they were saying let’s raise prices to help out aloha.
The price of gas changes almost daily in most places due to market forces far beyond the control of local station owners. But certainly more competition anywhere is typically better for consumers. And as long as the Costco / WalMart / Home Depot’s of the world stay in business–and stay in any given market–the loss of local “mom and pop” stores is usually not going to be much of a loss for consumers. Think about the huge difference in products that a store like Costco brings into any given market–and jobs as well. But if Walmart were to go bankrupt and fail–like, say, Sport Authority–which had bought up or driven most of the national and local sporting goods chains out of business–that can create big problems–as it did on big island
All I want to point out is …Hilo, Southwest has tripled the daily flight choices to one of the fastest growing areas on the Big Island. Thank You Southwest. Lets Go Hilo-Vegas!, P.S We used to fly the heck out of Go airlines when they had poorly maintained aircraft, fell asleep at the helm, and passed Hilo, but they were very nice and offered cheaper airfares Aloha Airlines had vacated.
Hello — this is free enterprise. It’s a capitalist economic system. What do you expect — socialism?
I think is subject is more about community and how people might want to protect it than “free enterprise” and “socialism”
HAWAIIAN Airlines hasn’t cared about Hawaii in a long time. Ever since Aloha Airlines, they have forgotten Locals. Unless you are rich. H A L does not care. In 2019 I traveled Hilo to L A. 20 trips each flight was high priced, higher and higher in price. Never a deal. So Far I’ve flown SWA And each flight has been a Better Price, Friendly Service, and on time. The Bonus is my bags fly free. The draw back is HNL Airport has the crummy est food options. And The Costco theory’s is B S. There are more Walmarts And Target….. Mahalo Plenty
Hawaiian is just getting a taste of their own medicine. They forced out All the competition, remember? Remember Aloha, Mahalo, Royal Hawaiian, I forget all the others. Using Costco as a comparison is dumb. I have no sympathy for Hawaiian; Hawaii needs competition. Why don’t you ask people on Lanai how much they pay for gas? There’s only one gas station there; bet it’s way over $6/gal. , and that’s not Costco’s fault… it’s the fault of lack of competition.
Costco’s business model is to make a profit on membership sales. I believe goods are marked up a maximum of 14% to cover direct costs. So they make money from the membership annual fee, not on the products it sells.
Southwest is a cheesy, corner -cutting airline. I would much rather fly on Hawaiian, United or Alaska than Southwest.
Dave, with all due respect you couldn’t be more wrong. Southwest leadership and employees work hard to make sure safety comes first. They do Not cut corners on their aircraft and to say so is flat wrong I say this from personal experience working with the good people that work for Southest . FYI I am not and have never been a direct employee of the airline.
Southwest has no clue how to treat passengers on a 5 hour flight to and from the mainland. No food or snack packs to purchase and just one drink service. Alaska has the cart come by three times… pathetic service.. the flight attendants don’t bother with the customers.
You are welcome to your opinion but can I respectfully point out that you are also comparing apples to oranges. SWA has always been and promoted itself as a low cost but efficient airline. And you can’t go wrong with two Free checked bags. I’m not sure where the cost-cutting costs you mentioned would be?
Amen Dave
And with SWA came the over crowding and lack of local respect from their passengers. Hawaii has never been worse off than it is now.
No way,,,SWA is friendly, we always make our connections from Kona/Honolulu to Denver. Alaskan landed several times as our connection was leaving, and the service was always rude when we were looking for another flight to complete our trip.
Do explain. Seems like a coach/economy product is just that economy. If you purchase that early bird you get a low boarding number and you get to choose the best seats. Hawaiian flys the airbus version of the 737. So I’m not sure I get the “cheesy cutting corners” comment. The flight is 25 min long. What does one need? Flying to the mainland, well they seem to provide as much as every one else. Guess we should be happy we have choices.