On Sunday, BOH editors bought four flights for two passengers and eight segments on Hawaiian Airlines. This was the first time we successfully, or not entirely successfully, completed booking using their new Amadeus reservation system. Now we can relate to hundreds of comments on various articles addressing your frustrations with the new system. Please let us know your recent experiences in that regard.
Hawaiian upgraded its reservation system to Amadeus in April.
Amadeus is an industry-standard ubiquitous airline booking product. As you’ll recall, the implementation didn’t go smoothly for Hawaiian Airlines. And the same week Hawaiian had its debacle upgrade, Southwest Airlines had its own technology breakdown.
However, Hawaiian Airlines had the bulk of the problems with an unexpected, complex technology meltdown, the likes of which never happened to their or any other airline’s reservations system we’re aware of. When the problem started, there were massive flight delays, among many other problems, including no online bookings. Luckily most of the issues were resolved. While the call center was deluged and thus inaccessible during the upgrade, they answered promptly and professionally when we needed to reach them yesterday.
Two months later, some issues still aren’t entirely sorted out.
- The ability to hold a reservation was suspended until further notice, and we still did not see that offered.
- Use of prior travel credits online is still forthcoming. But as of this weekend, that still required our calling the airline. And you’d better know your booking number, too, as Hawaiian could not look those up for us.
- Saved credit cards were still gone. Following the upgrade, Hawaii did announce that “any existing saved payment methods will not transition to our upgraded system.” Yesterday the message said your card could not be saved.
We’re still encouraged about their new reservation system.
The Amadeus system should significantly improve online systems for Hawaiian passengers. Clearly, that is going to take more time. As of June 1, however, here’s the latest according to Hawaiian Air:
What does work well?
- Their App is enjoyable to use for checking availability. It didn’t work, however, so well when it came to making reservations.
- The web version seemed faster and more reliable when checking availability and making reservations. As a result, we will likely default to that for the foreseeable future when using Hawaiian.
- The Saved Travelers feature has returned. It was gone following the upgrade. “The ability to select travelers saved to My Account will be temporarily unavailable.” It is now available on the HA website and their app.
What could be better?
1. App didn’t always remember saved passengers’ details even when logged in. When booking, it asked for these, which should have been available based on logging in. At that point, we became frustrated and switched to their web version.
2. Editors Rob and Jeff are traveling together on flights, and Jeff was logged in to his Hawaiian Miles Account. When the reservation was made, weird messages were displayed: “We are sorry, we were unable to save your payment method.” Something very basic to fix and offputting to encounter.
3. When the trip confirmation appeared, logged into Jeff’s account, it said, “Robert, mahalo (thank you) for choosing Hawaiian Airlines. It wasn’t Robert’s reservation. No big deal, but odd nonetheless.
4. Saved seats didn’t quite make it into the reservation. Because two seats together were not offered without extra cost, Jeff ponied up for higher-priced seats. The only thing was that when the reservation was confirmed, two of the extra comfort seats were dropped entirely; there were no seat assignments at all. Not a big deal and it was rectified by a phone agent.
3. Neither the app nor the web version couldn’t remember or save credit cards. They needed to be entered manually each time, even though Jeff asked to have them saved. He only received an error message about that.
4. There’s no “wallet” system in which to put funds when changing reservations. Also, we have been told by the reservations department (based in the Philippines) that you must use your entire credit at one time and can not use part of it now and part of it later. That makes it hard to make the best use of credits when changing reservations. For example, airlines like Southwest and Alaska make it easy to store and retrieve wallet or travel funds money. With Hawaiian, you need to manually keep track of the reservation you previously had not to lose that money.
5. Companion Fare offers are no longer found on the website and will not be going forward. Hawaiian said those would be sent “as a discount code via email instead of through the HawaiianMiles member dashboard.” We have never received these, however.
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I have tried multiple times to make reservations round-trip Honolulu-Lihue for my husband and me. We both have Hawaiian FF#’s, although we’ve not flown Hawaiian since 2019. Same errors each time. I’m unable to book without giving a Redress Number (which we don’t have), and which is listed as “Optional” on the website. I can get no answers from humans when I call.
Mildred, I’m sorry you’re going through that frustration like I did a few weeks ago. It doesn’t make sense, “Optional” but you can’t go on without that number. Finally, one day when I tried again for the 100th time it went through w/o the number! I don’t know why.
I dared not call reservations because all the res agents are in the Phillippines eager to help but doesn’t happen. it’s difficult to converse with them-at least for me. Yesterday all I wanted to do was change my date of departure. After doing that I found out when double checking my reservation that I didn’t have a seat in fc anymore. She had taken me out of fc and put me no place. 5 hrs & talking to 6 agents later, it got cxld & rebooked correctly. Beyond frustrating.
The new system has been frustrating! I had to cancel a flight due to it being delayed 4 times!!! I was told they would refund me $161.80 back to my credit card. Never happened then I was told I had to “request it be refunded!!!” Insane Never can get an agent that speaks clear English. After an hr I said I’m done and disputed the charge w/my cc bank. Still waiting for it to resolved. Absolutely terrible customer svc.
Now, I’m just finding out after almost 2 hrs that my change of date on another trip was changed and I was put in the main cabin after booking a week ago in FC. 1 hr 30 min and still not resolved!!
Companion Fare offers are no longer found on the website and will not be going forward. Hawaiian said those would be sent “as a discount code via email instead of through the HawaiianMiles member dashboard.” We have never received these.
I did receive one of these emails but the system wouldn’t let me use my companion fare discount
even with the discount code from the email. Called 1-800 support no help. No one even answered the chat line. Filled out their complaint form and filed it online. I did get an answer in several days but no help.
I am really starting to wonder what the upper management is thinking.
I assume they are not totally incompetent, but this is beyond puzzling!
Hi Lee.
True that. We gave up on our two companion fares when the emails were not forthcoming.
Aloha.
Unfortunately Hawaiian airlines is doing just about everything to ruin the company, by not having a computer system still not working after months, refund policies are not as good as any airlines that flies here, i.e. Alaska ,Southwest United, and more. Customer service is handled from the Philippines , the phone service between here and there is not very good, I have been on the phone and chat service for over 2 hours sometimes and nothing gets resolved. Last time they or the computer system accidentally cancelled my reservation, i didn’t even know about it until i got a call from a supervisor and then spent another 30 minutes redoing it.
Our family trip from Phoenix. Even though we had reserved seats on all flights, when we checked in to the Kauai flight online, we found that our seat assignments had been dropped and we were seated away from our children. I called reservations and was told the new system dropped the assignments and nothing could be done. It was not a good flight to Kauai! At that time, I also checked the flights home from Kauai to Phoenix. Those seats had also been dropped meaning we would be flying for over seven and a half hours separated from our children and without the premium seats we had already paid for. That was unacceptable
Normally used to Alaska air refunding or crediting price reductions to fares, not so with Hawaiian. The air fare for our upcoming flight was reduced by $200 and so I reached to ask for an adjustment. Was told no can do and furthermore that if I canceled the flight and rebooked using the credit, it would all have to be used and any balance would be lost. Not sure if this airline is subliminally telling me to fly other airlines.
The call center needs to come back onshore. Sometimes you can’t understand the person on the other end.
We booked 3 seats for August travel with a 10 year old and they wouldn’t accommodate seat assignments in advance because we got economy basic, new even lower class seats we weren’t aware of. Even been to Hawaii many times and never faces this. Called the agent and couldn’t even pay for an upgrade. Only option is to show up very early 2 hours before to talk to agent at desk and even then seats together aren’t guaranteed. We could grab seats at check in but that’s usually a cluster and no guarantees there either. We likely won’t fly Hawaiian again because of this. Ridiculously rigid for a relaxing vacation flight and opportunistic like other airlines. Hawaiian had been differentiated and accommodating… Not any longer.
I believe advance seats selection are only available for “Main Cabin” Basic and higher. I had no problem with seat selections when purchased “Main Cabin” basic. Of course, it costs more Y_Y.
Pualani Elite status and no priority boarding available, no priority baggage handling, no access to Gold/precheck TSA line in HNL, no credit for segments flown, and no hawaiian miles earned on trip 5/15-5/20. Flight was delayed both directions. Pilot made up for it on return flight home but had to wait on the tarmac cause the gate was occupied. Sat there for an hour then those connecting had to run off the plane. Then baggage took over an hour to come out. Flight landed in HNL at 1230 got my bags at 240. These problems are not with the reservation system, but are with other aspects of HAwaiian. Sent an email to them when we got back home and still no response nearly a month later. It’s almost as if they no longer care.
I joined the premier club and cannot access it and Hawaiian refuses to do anything about it. Every time I call in I have to start at the beginning and the representative says its been fixed but it is not. In frustration I asked for a extension and was told No. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
I have been Pualani Platinum for the last 3 years and my experiences with HA are horrible. The actual flights are awesome, but the reservation system and Pualani Elite call center are bad.
A week does not go by where I do not call service center for something. The people at the call center have real issues with English and I know more about their Contract of Carriage.
If I ask the same question for 3 agents I get 3 different answers. It’s like they do not understand English because the replies I get are not really relevant to the question asked.
Don’t get me started about the problems they are having with the roll out of their new website and app.
I spend a lot of money with HA. They need to do better.
Thank you gentleman.
Hi Kelly.
Thanks for your thoughts on this. And everything else the past three years.
Aloha.
Absolutely correct! Poorly run airline, nothing works like it should anymore . It is turning into a joke unfortunately!
Aloha,
And with this upgraded system, they absolutely 100% need the availability to cancel online or the app. The ridiculous amount of time spent and wasted on chat/text/calling is 2000. If they want to continue to compete with Southwest, which has an extremely polished and easy to use web/app experience, I’ll happily book there instead. Ease of use in 2023 is real.
Mahalo,
Hi John.
Your point is well taken. We do believe that’s where they are headed, the first step of which was getting over to Amadeus. But time will tell.
Aloha.
Similar experience, flights on southwest were also almost half off of those that Hawaiian had.
Bought upgraded seats online prior to change. Received confirmation and online noticed pop up saying my partner had a seat credit. Called and was told no seat credit. After change tried to change seats to window seats and couldn’t do it online. Called to change to window seats and agent spent over 30 minutes cancelling current seats, reserving window seats, taking credi card for the difference. Received no confirmation. Noticed online that I had no seats and someone else had my window seats. Called again and I was told ‘tough’ and I was offered window seats in the back of the plane. So I think this shows their new system didn’t work for the agent that cancelled my first upgrade and then failed to reserve or purchase the window seats I wante
I had previously posted regarding my frustration trying to use a $100 companion fare coupon during this meltdown. The reply from HA did nothing to resolve the problem nor my suggestion to extend the expiration date of the unused coupon for another year. I have now cancelled the HA credit card and replaced it with a card which is airline neutral so our rewards can be used for whichever airline is providing the best service.
I have recently booked an interisland trip and a mainland trip….
Have they done away with the fare calendar? Have not been able to find it and have not been able to compare pricing, even the option of arrowing forward or backward a couple days to check pricing does not exist.
Also, I can’t seem to share my itinerary like I used to, or for that matter I’m not able to print out the entire itinerary.
Rose, the fare calendar appears to be gone, which is a significant disappointment. I noticed this a few weeks ago. I almost always use the fare calendar to settle on my dates of travel, but now it has become tedious. They do allow you to switch dates forward and backward (at least on the desktop site), but you have to try all combinations of departing and returning flights to find the best fare.
I recommend checking for different dates on Google flights and then going to the Hawaiian site to book. You can filter the search results to only show Hawaiian airlines. Much faster.