There’s no doubt about it. The ultimate battle for flights to Hawaii is on, and it is poised to continue and intensify. That between bellwether Hawaiian Airlines, and up and coming Hawaii behemoth Southwest Airlines.
BOH editor Jeff: “Southwest learned every trick in the Hawaii playbook directly from Hawaiian Airlines. This is a fight to the death between Hawaiian and Southwest.”
The battle of the flights.
1. The two leading Hawaii airlines are vying across a range of routes.
Southwest is constrained by its limited-range 737 aircraft. While they have broad coverage, their cross-country routes beyond Las Vegas or Phoenix require a connection. Hawaiian is constrained differently by a limited flight network. While they have some codeshare with JetBlue, that still limits how many options they have to distribute passengers beyond those nonstop flights.
Other airlines, including the legacies and Alaska, compete too, but they pale by comparison.
2. Southwest recently pulled back on mainland to Hawaii while doubling down on interisland.
In August they cut Los Angeles to Kauai and Kona, Phoenix to Kauai and Kona, Sacramento to Kauai, Kona and Maui, and San Diego to Kaua, Kona, and Maui. That reduced their mainland service by nearly 40% compared to when they were operating 37 daily flights, instead of the 23 now flying.
At the same time, Southwest increased interisland service and has decided to sell every seat on every flight for just $39 through the end of 2022. If it isn’t apparent, that is far below their cost to provide the service. In many cases, Hawaiian has matched that price on their departures that coincide with Southwest.
3. These are the sweet spots where competition means the lowest-priced flights to Hawaii.
Competition is hottest on flights from Las Vegas, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, Oakland, Phoenix, San Diego, and San Jose.
3. The sub-battle of the service.
These airlines offer different things beyond just getting you from Mainland point A to your Hawaii vacation point B.
A week ago, we traveled with Hawaiian and with Southwest to share our review of how the two airlines did on inter-island service. We were completely surprised with the results; if you haven’t seen them, you may be too. They each have a unique brand, and there’s much to be said about both.
Read: Flight Reviews: Hawaiian vs. Southwest Showdown
You won’t be surprised to know that we were in the air again this week, and you’ll soon see more surprising reviews from us of flights between the west coast and Hawaii.
The battle of the pilots.
The airlines are now taking to a battle of the female pilot teams, not to be outdone by flights, routes, service, or fuel.
This week Hawaii introduced the first mother-daughter Tongan pilot team. That is an industry long dominated by men. One of the Hawaii flights BOH traveled on with Alaska Airlines this week also featured a female co-pilot coincidentally.
Captain Kamelia Zarka and her First Officer Daughter Maria Zarka pilot the Hawaiian Airlines Boeing 717 flying interisland. The team welcomed guests, posed for selfies, and sought to encourage young girls to follow their dreams.
“Flying for Hawaiian Airlines with my daughter, side-by-side in the cockpit, was a dream come true for me. I always knew Maria would be a fantastic pilot – she’s always been brilliant and professional – but sitting next to her as she flew the plane with such skill and ease still blew me away,” Kamelia said.
Kamelia has been with Hawaiian as a flight attendant since 1992 and became a pilot in 1999. Maria came to HA from Republic Airlines earlier this year.
In lockstep with Hawaiian, Captain Holly Petitt and First Officer daughter Keely Petitt just become the first mother-daughter pilot team for Southwest.
Holly Petitt started as a flight attendant before deciding to become a pilot. She has been with SWA for 18 years. Her daughter decided as a teenager that she would follow in her mom’s footsteps and become a pilot. Keely was offered a scholarship by Southwest in 2017 and said, “Southwest was always the end goal for me. There was really never any other option.”
The two flew as a team from Denver to St. Louis in July for the first time and were the first mother-daughter duo ever at Southwest.
The battle of the power: SAF and electric airliners.
In the past few weeks, Hawaiian Airlines and Southwest Airlines said they are investing in sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). US airlines are quickly moving on this issue. Southwest’s CEO said, “SAF is critical for decarbonizing the aviation sector.” In contrast, Hawaiian’s CEO said, “This is the first step in what we hope will be a long and productive relationship that reflects both parties’ unwavering commitment to the environment and to these islands we call home.”
The airline industry is obviously a copious consumer of fuel. In 2019, that amounted to 90 billion gallons.
Read: Southwest and Hawaiian Vie For Lead | Game-Changing SAF.
When it comes to electric-powered Hawaii flights, those are on the horizon too, and Hawaiian is moving forward with those. Undoubtedly we’ll be hearing from SWA on these, and it probably won’t take long.
Read: Hawaiian Air + Mokulele Both Plan 100-Seat Electric SeaGlider.
What’s your pick: Hawaiian or Southwest?
They clearly both have distinct cultures and do very well at attracting customers.
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This frenzy has to stop! Overrun facilities, shortage of employees, scarcity of car rentals and everpresent covid cannot support this onslaught on the islands. Both carriers are guilty of greed and lack of respect to all the islands as they have to deal with this madness. Better to raise prices (better for carriers) and get tourism back to sustainable levels. State government is guilty in allowing this to continue. Aloha!
Hawaiian air no comparison aloha spirit!
Well Hawaiian is our hometown, local carrier whose corporate office is here. They are a huge part of our local economy and I support local.when and wherever I can. $39 tickets are sweet, but Hawaiian has a way better safety record. I also think the open cups of water (no pog) they give out on swa is nasty… far from sanitary. Competition is good for the marketplace. Ha should bring reservations back to the US.
Competition is great for Hawaii. Hawaiian has had the market and Hawaii paid dearly for inter island travel after Aloha went out charging 200$ + round trip. So I think having competition from more carriers would be wonderful
And great for travel anywhere from Hawaii and back. Thank you for listening! Aloha
Southwest should have a direct flight from Kona to Lihue Kaua’i and back
Coming from a different perspective (living in the mainland), I made the decision to switch to SWA as my Alrline, as I’ve also been traveling across the country over the last couple years, including Hawaii…it just made sense. I have nothing bad to say about either HAL or SWA, but there are some trade offs between the two companies, and that’s something that had to be weighed in on for me to make the switch. Hawaiian’s food service is far better, but SWA’s customer service is also far better. The kicker for me was the FF mileage program, I clearly get a better program, with SWA, based on where I travel. I preboard, so ther is never an issue ther.
Hope you both are doing well? Kauai may finally happen next spring, guys. I’ll let you know.
Hi Jim.
Yes, it is interesting to contrast the offerings of the different airlines flying to and from Hawaii. Watch for some interesting input from us in that area this week, as we are busy flying around the country in order to share some first-hand experiences. Regards.
Aloha.
I fly the LAX-OGG route at least every other month. Hawaiian is my pick hands-down. I can pick my seat, and on flight 33 outbound and 34 return, the seating configuration is 2-4-2, which allows for me and my son to have our own little area. Because I have Puualani status, I avoid any baggage charges as well.
Mother daughter pilots is a bit frightening. Have they passed all of the standard qualifications? Or thrusted to the fore to satisfy the insatiable appetite of the diversity god? If I am having heart surgery I want the best. I don’t care what race, gender, family, whatever. Just want the best. If they happen to be a mother and daughter great.
Do you seriously think that HA or SWA would let them fly if they didn’t pass all their qualifications? SMH SAD
No Patrick they have not passed any pilot exams or training. Both HAL and SWA thought it would be a good photo op to allow to unqualified pilots fly a few hundred people around in a jet. They considered the possible crash and death of 100’s was worth the risk of a good “mother/daughter story”. Would it have made a difference if it was a father/son, mother/son, etc?
Come on man, think. My guess is you also believe the Earth is flat?
Doesn’t anyone see the sexist ____ in promoting a mother and daughter pilot team? This article mentioning that the aviation industry is “dominated” by men? That word alone is sexist! Noone says that the nursing Industry or the Hr department is “dominated” by women, even though it is. Has Southwest or any airline promoted a father and son pilot crew?
Really find Hawaiian very true to the spirt of Hawaii….the service was exceptional….and almost took us back pre-Covid. Much prefer Hawaiian.
Southwest wins hands down in my book. I’ve been a Hawaii resident since 1986 and remember the days f coupon books when you could walk up to the service counter & fill in the blanks for the next flight to wherever I was flying. I fly from Maui to Oahu often to visit my son & friends. I love that Southwest Airlines has brought back affordable travel to our Aloha state. Hawaii’s citizens have been fleeced by Hawaiian ever since they put Aloha out of business and became the only choice. Shame on them! Thank you Southwest for bringing back affordable travel. Plus I love 2 free checked bags & surfboards fly free on Southwest!
What are the odds that the current June 2023 Hawaiian Airlines $780 flight from Sacramento to HNL will drop once Southwest opens their summer schedule ?
thanks for your thoughts
Hi Gail.
As we just mentioned to another Sacramento friend, your airport is Hawaii flight-challenged at the moment. If you are talking about anything after the first week in June, we’d say it is highly unlikely that airfares will drop and that is in line with what to expect for summer 2023 at this point. If price is more important than convenience, San Jose has better fares by about $100 each way, or you can do a one-stop from SMF for about the same as a San Jose nonstop.
Aloha.
Hi Rob and Jeff,
This is not good news for SMF customers. Personally, I will take the hop over traveling to the Bay Area to fly hands down though. Since most of my Hawaii family live on Oahu, it’s easy to get a day or two in Oahu this way, and if the cost is virtually the same by taking the hop, then it’s a no brainer for me. This won’t be the case for many Hawaii Travelers, and I could see this being an issue for those in the Central Valley, who are looking for maximum time on the other islands that were cancelled.
Hi Jim.
Good to hear from you! Yes, SMF is challenged for now. Not sure, but we suspect that will change again.
Aloha.
Flew from Austin to Honolulu on Hawaiian Airlines. Do all the trivial analysis you want, but Hawaiian still treats passengers with more amenities than Southwest will ever have, starting with reserved seats rather than the cattle call
HA now charges a premium for aisle and window seats in coach. SWA doesn’t, you still have the ability to score a pretty decent seat by checking in 24 hours before departure @no extra cost!
Hawaiian, HELCO, Matson have all been running at a monopoly hence taking advantage of the Kama Aina. It’s too bad we need a mainland business to check these guys.
Aloha. Always fly Hawaiian first-it’s the most comfortable and Aloha of all. That said, going to the Big Isle in Oct Hawaiian did not have the return time I wanted and the fare was over twice SW’s. We are flying Hawaiian to and SW home to maui. A true comparison…..we’ll see.
Hi Ane.
Good to hear from you. Yes please let us know. That’s what we just did as well and the results were surprising.
Aloha.
I’m trying to understand the statement that Southwest is operating at a loss on the interisland flying. SW cost structure is massively lower than HA and their financial position stronger. How did the author determine the “loss”? My bet is that HA has been abusing their monopoly to make up for an inefficient operation and that is the real reason prices were so high. Author: please provide facts to back up your statement.
read this article.
https://beatofhawaii.com/these-hawaii-airfares-will-increase-250-or-more/
Having flown both, Hawaiian airlines is definitely my pick. SWA is a free for all during boarding. I’ll gladly pay a little more for the service and care we received from HA. Enjoyable article, loved seeing the mother daughter duos!
same. free- for-all is a good description. going to do it for inter-island but never for mainland destination
We prefer Hawaiian when traveling to Kaua’i. They have more legroom, small meals and plenty Aloha!
I’m happy that we have
Competing airlines for
Our Hawaiian inter
Island flights. It’s what keeps
The flights affordable and
Helps locals fly inter island
Much more frequently.
Aloha I’m Kamaaina, and I fly twice a month to Oahu. I’m very Happy that SW made it into our interisland skies. Overall to me SW out beats HA, reason for me saying that is HA was charging $250-$300 plus one way from Hilo-Hnl or Hnl-Ito before SW interrupted the interisland skies with there low price of $29 one way (2) free checkin snacks, drinks, free movie and the best service along with a bigger airplane with leg room vs HA tight squishy seats. Other than that I’m pleased that I’m saving $$$$ to be flying back and forth. HA today is more for tourists to use, vs SW alot of our locals are flying and working with them and helping to spread the Aloha to all that comes on board. Welcome SW and thank you for servicing our interislands.
Hawaiian for us!!
Mahalo!
Hawaiian Airlines, without code share or other means to serve more mainland cities, is a lost cost and will fade away within 5 years. So many customers are lost by not serving airports like Spokane, WA and Boise, ID. Is it any wonder that Southwest saw an easy market to be almost given away by HA?
It’s Aloha HA…
I just want to say a huge mahalo to southwest for flying to hawaii, and making Hawaiian have to match their fares so us local people can afford to visit our families on the other islands.
The crew is so much friendlier on SW.
This local girl supports SW!
“including the legacies and Alaska”
Alaska is a legacy carrier as well. Not sure why they were separated
How can you provide an impartial analysis when you’re a shill for Southwest? Or you don’t even really you have a southwest tab on your site with a drop down menu? If they pay you, fine. But be honest and admit you are a paid site by Southwest.
I love Hawaiian air I feel Southwest is a low cost airline and very uncomfortable 737-Max I don’t trust.
Why don’t you trust the Max? You think the pilots would fly it if it wasn’t safe? It was safe before the grounding and had been through the ringer to bet back in the air. Airbus had two very similar incidents with their aircraft. Go look it up.
I remember many years ago when we were flying United it was at SFO. I noticed a woman who was walking around the bottom of the 757 that was supposed to take us to Hawaii. Next thing I knew she was up at the United podium. She was the captain on our flight. She announced to the people waiting to get on the flight that there was no way she was taking that airplane to Hawaii because it had a fuel leak. We were all ushered down to another gate and that pilot took us to Hawaii on another airplane safely.
Aloha
I just want to say a huge mahalo to southwest for flying to hawaii, and making Hawaiian have to match their fares so us local people can afford to visit our families on the other islands.
I have flown on some flights with an all-female crew – up front and in the cabin – and I was happy to see that!
Hawaiian and SW may be battling it out but until I can have an assigned seat and a meal on mainland flights I won’t be on the blue planes.
Hawaiian Airlines made a huge mistake by yanking out the comfy original seats,that came with the Boeing 717s replacing them with those awful plastic chairs and squeezing our legs more.
Southwest have newer Boeing 737 jets with nice wide comfortable seats, plenty of mmm legroom and low prices on all inter-island flights. Plus no baggage and change fees.
What’s not to like about Southwest?
I’ll happily support local and the 6k+ local jobs that Hawaiian provides.
This local girl is going with HA.
Our first flight was on Pan Am 747,then for many years it was Northwest DC10, great plane, loved 2-5-2 Seating.Then,A couple flights on Hawaiian, then, Alaska joined the Market, enjoyed it when they offered buy 1 first class and get the Companion fare for the second seat! We Booked a Delta First class flight for 2020 it was Soooo much less than Alaska for 2 First class tickets, Well, that didn’t go well COVID, After canceling,for 2020, Delta charged an additional $$$, that flight was awful, even in First Class, The inflight entertainment was Broken, for the Entire trip to Maui. The meal provided in first class was Terrible. A cold roastbeef sandwich. The Saving grace was Drinks were served Copiously! Hawaiian, Southwest?????
i have no concern if my pilot is male or female, as long as they are qualified
same for their race
seems like a virtue signal
We are regular flyers to Hawaii. I don’t care what sex the pilot and First Officer are ….. I want a safe flight that gets me to Hawaii comfortably…. and flys out of Long Beach, CA. Bottom line! Very tired of these gender and race issues.
I liked how you laid out this article. I don’t think that SW will ever completely replace Hawaiian Airlines. SW has a different business model and makes its money off of travel within the US. However, travel from the west coast is going to be very competitive. That hiring of that individual from Hawaiian Air certainly gave SW a lot of insight into both Hawaiians strengths and weaknesses.
The Max 8 has a range of 3550 nautical miles and the narrow body Airbus 4000 nautical miles. My thinking is that all of the airlines put no more fuel into the aircraft than what is necessary to make a trip to Hawaii. Carrying some 600 extra gallons of fuel is very heavy and makes no economic sense. That thinking bites them in the butt sometimes.
Hi.
Thanks and best regards. Hope to see you here sometime.
Aloha.
Happy Labor Day weekend Rob and Jeff!
I’m happy to be a Hawaiian Airlines fan.
As long as I been traveling to the mainland and back, my favorite is Hawaiian.
Always Aloha from the all of the team members!
TWA, Aloha, Southwest, others here and there. They come and they go.
I hope you all have a wonderful and blessed every-day.
Mahalo for your amazing work here on Beat of Hawaii.
🌺🙏🏼🌺
Hi Pam.
Happy Labor day to you too friend! We appreciate all your inut.
Aloha.
“Basic economic theory demonstrates that when firms have to compete for customers, it leads to lower prices, higher quality goods and services, greater variety, and more innovation”, source, “The Importance of Competition for the American Economy” published on The White House Blog July 9, 2021.
Competition is great! Enough said!
It is well nigh near impossible to get a direct flight with any airline anymore to Hilo or Kauai from SFO. We had to settle for my least favorite airline, United, to get to Lihue. All the emphasis is on inter-island at the sacrifice of customer convenience.
Hawaiian supports Hawaii, SWA is trying to get what it can out of Hawaii. That said Hawaii will always have multiple airlines serving it, so I can’t say I agree it’s a “fight to the death”…. However I can’t in good conscience support a mainland company that is overtly preying on Hawaii’s largest private employer and a true State resource that people from Texas have decided they want a piece of. SWA is the rich guy who wants to buy up prime land at the expense of people who live here.
Actually Southwest has hired most all workers from each of the islands it serves and at much higher starting wages than it’s competitor,just something to think about. Also Hawaiian has had to lower it’s costs because of Southwest entering the Hawaii market, that is a major Benifit to the local community. Does one not remember a few short years ago what inter-island flights cost locals? Ask our Hilo community.
William, they employees they hire in Hawaiʻi is minimal compared to those employed by HAL. While it’s great for them to offer jobs at competitive pay rates and benefits, SWA consumer base is not around Hawaiʻi or it’s people. All the money that is made on their flights does not stay in Hawaiʻi.
“Other airlines, including the legacies and Alaska, compete too, but they pale by comparison.”
Pale, United? More flights to Hawaii than Hawaiian or Southwest and you say Pale???
Alaska is also considered a legacy carrier.
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legacy_carrier#:~:text=A%20legacy%20carrier%2C%20in%20the,directly%20affected%20by%20that%20Act.
United flies more passengers to Hawaii than both of them combined.