Premium economy to Hawaii sounds like the sensible middle ground between coach and lie-flat business class. In reality, it can cost $700 to $1,700 more than economy, and whether that money buys real relief or just a dressed-up version of the same long flight depends heavily on which airline and aircraft you book. Airlines also did not create these cabins out of nowhere. They carved them directly out of economy, shrinking coach in the process and charging travelers more to get back something closer to what Hawaii flights used to offer by default.
If you are looking at premium economy to Hawaii, the field is smaller than it looks. Real premium economy to Hawaii is still exclusively a widebody story, and for practical purposes, it comes down to three airlines: United, Delta, and American.
Extra-legroom economy is simply not the same thing.
Alaska and Hawaiian do not offer a true premium economy product on flights to Hawaii and may not for years. That leaves travelers trying to sort through three different cabins that often look similar on paper, at least to us, but do not feel the same once you are actually on the flight. And the specs alone do not tell you which one is worth it.
What the upgrade to premium economy actually costs now.
The numbers are more useful than any seat review. On a spring airfare search for Chicago O’Hare to Honolulu nonstop, roundtrip on widebody aircraft, basic economy was $840, regular economy $992, American premium economy $1,794, United premium economy $2,174, and business class $4,198 on American and $4,992 on United.
On a late summer search we did for the same route (on United), basic economy is $770, regular economy $828, premium economy $2,560, and business $4,031. In that search, the gap between basic and regular economy is relatively small, while the gap between regular economy and premium economy is huge at $1,732, and the jump from premium economy to business is smaller, at only $1,471.
Premium economy costs more than twice the economy fare and sits closer in price to business class than to the seat directly behind it. These searches reflect specific dates and fares vary by route, season, and how far out you book, but the structural relationship between them tends to hold: economy far below, business far above, and premium economy awkwardly expensive at the higher end of the middle.
United is still the safest overnight bet.
A daytime flight from the West Coast is one thing. A long overnight return from Honolulu is completely different, and that is where United may be the safest choice, though it is very far from a perfect product. We flew United Premium Plus on the 767-400 from Washington Dulles to Honolulu and found that the legroom was not as impressive as the marketing makes it sound. That is, if you are at all tall. More specifically, the footrests were completely useless for anyone but the shortest people, as confirmed on our actual Hawaii flight rather than in a glossy brochure or a ranking.
Issues notwithstanding, the recline is excellent compared with economy, the Saks bedding helps on a red-eye, and the cabin more often feels like it understands why people are paying for this in the first place. Service is far different, and there is an exclusivity and privacy that helps. The actual physical space offered, on the other hand, may just depend on preferences and body types. It didn’t suit BOH editors at all.
Delta wins if the flight is during the day.
Delta makes the strongest case for daytime flights to and from Hawaii. The service gets better ratings, the presentation is more polished, and glassware and better pacing are repeatedly mentioned in reviews. If you are flying to Hawaii during the day and want the flight to feel less punishing, Delta has got it.
But even then, Delta does not win across the board, and the biggest issue with Delta Premium Select is the seat itself on some aircraft, especially their 767. Reviewers have called out the footrest and legrest setup because when the footrest flips up, the legrest retracts, reducing support.
One reviewer said flat out they would never book it again for an overnight. For Hawaii, that is not a minor complaint. Overnight returns to the mainland are exactly where people are trying hardest to buy room to sleep. Service variability is real even on Delta, and a stronger overall reputation does not mean every Hawaii flight delivers the same experience. Our own experiences with Delta to and from Hawaii have been hit or miss.
Delta’s newer planes may perform better. But Hawaii travelers keep running into those older 767s. Jay H, who flies to Honolulu regularly from Atlanta, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Washington, said he never seems to find Delta’s newer, nicer premium economy seats on Hawaii routes. It is always the 767.
The best Delta hardware often seems to go elsewhere first, which means that if you get the right plane and the flight is during the day, Delta is the best overall choice, but if you are booking a long overnight Hawaii return expecting a better chance at real sleep, the same product becomes less attractive.
American is the price play, albeit not the favorite.
American looks like the weakest of the three unless the airfare is clearly better. On paper, American belongs in the same group. In practice, the travelers say the product is more inconsistent. Some reviewers say the footrest is not especially useful, some describe the service as indistinguishable from economy, and the meal quality is also less reliable. Once you start paying serious money for premium economy, those things stop being small annoyances and become the whole argument for or against booking it in the first place.
American also has the sharpest Hawaii-specific complaint. JanM flies American premium economy from DFW to Honolulu every year. On the flagship 777, she says you get the same crap box lunch that everybody else gets, except business class.
Another BOH reader, Drew808, flew both United and American premium economy on long-haul routes and found United to be friendly, even cheerful, and to serve wine in a proper glass at dinner. American was a different story: flight attendants could not be bothered to make eye contact, and beverage service used plastic cups throughout, including with dinner. On a 9-hour Hawaii flight that gap is the difference between feeling like you spent money wisely and feeling like you got taken for a ride.
American is also more vulnerable to the gap between the published specs and what the seat actually delivers. One reviewer measured the actual width on the 777 at 18 inches rather than the published 18.5, and this category is sold on marginal gains. If the seat is not as wide as promised, the footrest is weak, the meal is downgraded, and the service feels lackluster, there is not much left to justify the cost. Before booking any of these, check the specific aircraft on your route, because the airline name tells you less than you think, and the aircraft and seat map tells you much more.
This product exists because airlines pulled rows out of economy.
Premium economy to Hawaii exists because airlines pulled those rows, compressed the back of the plane, and sold the space back at a significant premium. Economy got worse, supply shrank, and the upgrade now costs $700 to $1,700 roundtrip. The extra money can still make sense if you are tall but not too tall, older, trying to sleep, or just no longer willing to arrive in a state of being destroyed.
The real Hawaii ranking.
For a daytime Hawaii flight, Delta could be the best overall choice if the aircraft is right. The service reviews are stronger, and the cabin more often delivers a premium enough product that meets expectations.
For an overnight Hawaii flight, United is the safer bet because its bedding and seat setup are better suited to sleeping, even if it’s not perfect.
American is the airline to book when the price is close enough to economy to justify taking the chance, but not the one that is easiest to recommend at full premium economy pricing.
Premium economy to Hawaii is not fake in any sense, but it only makes sense once you understand what it is, why it exists, what got taken away to create it, and how different the three airlines still are once you get past the nearly identical seat specs.
If you have flown premium economy to Hawaii on Delta, United, or American, which one felt worth the money? If you haven’t yet tried it, do you plan to fly premium economy to Hawaii?
Photo Credits: © Beat of Hawaii flying United Airlines premium economy class.
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American has not, at least yet, crammed the legroom in the back. If you’re tall, regular economy is still OK. What they’re now charging for extra legroom is just nuts. A few inches for over $1k is crazy.
I laugh at the scam the airlines have pulled off with premium economy.
‘Stealing’ the real estate from ‘roach’ while most likely reducing ‘roach’ seat pitch thus making it even more intolerable in hopes you’ll ‘upgrade’ to a ever so slightly less uncomfortable seat. Even Southwest has caught on when they radically reconfigured aircraft to offer roomier seating at the expense of remaining seat’s pitch. The ‘upgrade’ is definitely not in economic alignment with what the airlines charge, as your article indicated.
But, as also in the article, your comment stating ‘ going for a ride ‘ was amusing as isn’t that the whole point of boarding an airliner, even though it’s the second purpose of the airline with #1 being pushing credit cards & selling frequent flyer miles ! … lol
For a lot of jumbo’s, Premium Economy is the old first class seats refurbished into a Premium Economy Cabin. Fair enough. But for too many long-haulers, they are standard economy seats with a little more leather and more leg room – hardly worth the double or triple expense. It is hard to pin down what kind of seats you will be in these days. My best flights are when my wife and I buy a whole row (3 seats) of economy and curate the food and experience on our own. I suppose we could bring a small tablecloth to cover the middle seat-back tray if we want to. Infinitely less expensive than two “premium” seats, for sure.
When traveling with my wife, I find buying the middle seat is well worth the price.
Bring your own snacks to set between you.
Twice a year for over 20 years, my wife and I fly United “First Class” direct from Denver to Maui. Although the service has gotten better, these old 737 B planes are definitely Not First Class.
We are fed up and probably will be checking out Delta the next time we fly.
(Written in Maui and will go back to Denver in April)
Just looked at google flights & UA only has a non-stop DEN-OGG operated by a 777… Have heard it’s the older configuration in 1st class …. Could that B-737 be a typo ? Sadly, I wouldn’t expect a massive improvement from the competition….
I am 6’3″ and at this point I do not care about luxury that can’t be found in any event. I care about getting off the plane without my back and knees screaming. Airlines keep acting like premium economy is some inspired product, but for a lot of us it is really more of a pain-management tool. And if I am going to spend that kind of money, I want to get value. Hawaii flights are too long and too expensive now.
We paid for premium economy from the east coast to Honolulu last summer and I kept thinking, this is better, definitely yes, but not remotely better enough for what it cost. Not sure we’d try it again unless there was a better price.
What many younger travelers may not realize is that this is not some great airline innovation. A true premium economy seat on a widebody is awfully close to what domestic first class used to feel like years ago before lie flast, especially on longer flights. Comfortable recliner seat, footrest, decent meal, drinks, more attentive service. Airlines first shrank and cheapened coach, then sold back the space they removed at multiples of the price. That is why so many of us feel irritated by this category even if we still buy it.
Premium economy used to feel like a real step up at a price I could still justify. Now it often feels like paying an awful lot extra to be just slightly less miserable. The squeeze is on in PE too.