Lastest news on Southwest schedules and fares. Some routes continue to have great deals for summer. Find out more in today’s post.
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1,796 thoughts on “Southwest Hawaii Stiffens Competition: 11 New Daily Flights Exposed”
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While I’m sure this is great news for many, I’m rather bummed. We have tickets and had planned on being on the first flight out of Sacramento to Hawaii in January. We wanted to be part of the festivities that Southwest does when launching a new route. Unfortunately, the new November dates don’t work for us.
Aloha!
I was wondering if you know if Southwest will be booking more flights from Denver to Honolulu in peak season months – specifically June?
I know you can’t book Southwest too far out but they’re our preferred airline and thinking the cheapest option as well.
Thank you!
Hi Rachel.
We honestly don’t know more about their plans than we publish. If we find out anything like that, we’ll be sure to update the post.
Aloha.
LOOKING FOR 6 TICKETS 5/2020 FOR GO TO HAWAII FOR 2 WEEKS FLYING OUT OF RICHMOND VA
THANKS,
VINNIE
Hi Vinnie.
Also, you’ll want to avoid Memorial Day weekend, and if possible fly mid-week for best prices. Can you let us know which island you are traveling to for more information.
Lastly, we respectfully ask that you do not type in all upper case in comments.
Aloha.
When can we expect the April Southwest Hawaii dates to be released?
Would love to know this too. Oak to Lih in April 2020
Hi,
I am looking for one connection of nonstop from Austin to Honolulu June 14-24,2020. When is good time to buy for family of 5? Current price I have seen is in 800s range. Thanks
Hi Hgoc.
That is a fair price from Austin for your dates. Perhaps considering buying now. While off season can be as low as $500, it is not likely to get better for peak of summer travel.
Aloha.
What a let-down
Holding the city of San Diego hostage
Forcing us to wait for unsafe aircraft when we all know the max 8 will be further delayed so you’re just screwing over San Diego people out of the sale to Hawaii should be going on now if your company wasn’t so greedy
So, I was surprised and very excited today. I was able to book a DIRECT flight for February 2020 from SJC to LIH for only $164!!
Hello from San Diego. I am patiently awaiting the Southwest $99 deals from San Diego to Honolulu (SAN – HNL). Have you heard anything about when they might be released, or if they are still planning to for that route? My dilemma is do I purchase a regular (but very reasonable) ticket with Alaska at $335 or still wait. Our dates are completely flexible from now until next May. We just want to go with the best deal and don’t really care when. Thanks!
Hi Noreen.
With your flexibility, it would be best to wait and see what happens. San Diego will get announced for your time frame. We just don’t when. $99 is a good bet for introductory fare.
Aloha.
When is the new anticipated date for non-stop flights from San Diego to Hawaii to be announced? Will it be any day or likely with the next schedule update? Can we again expect rock bottom trans-pacific and inter-island deals then?
We are looking at a group of 17 flying from Dallas or San Antonio to Honolulu on May 16 and returning May 23. We have received group rates from $982 to $867. Should we wait to anticipate that prices will go down? Thanks.
Hi Abe.
Regular price is in $800’s without discount and 1-stop. And $960 on nonstop. You should be able to get 10% off those directly from the airline. If you wait (until later this year or early next year), expect prices to be under $500 1-stop and under $700 non-stop, before group discount.
Aloha.
My Minnesota family of 3 is headed to Maui in October. Dates are flexible. Any tips on how to spend less than $600/ticket?
Thanks
Hi Angela.
High $500’s is probably the best it is going to be.
Aloha.
What are best flight options from L’IT to HNL round trip early January to late February. Flight dates are flexible.
Aloha Beat of Hawaii,
I just wanted to write in and say a huge MAHALO for this newsletter, the heads-up and for all the helpful information. I find that your industry knowledge has helped me secure airline deals before they sell out because your newsletter hits my inbox first. So, this is just a little-simple THANK YOU. I value this site. And this past May, I flew to OGG from SFO on the $99 each way deal. Was a blast! Valerie
Hi Valerie.
Thanks so much for your message. That means more than you think. 🙂
Aloha. Rob and Jeff
Ditto with the thank you!! Your newsletter probably saved me over $500 when our family flew to Hawaii this summer!
Hi Michelle.
Thanks very much!!
Aloha.
Aloha,
Please help me find the best airfare to Honolulu.
We are a family of 5 leaving from Philadelphia on May 16 or later, staying for 2 weeks.
Thank you very much!
Cathy H.
Hi Catherine.
You can expect to may in the low to mid $600’s for that route. It is too early to buy at that price however, so check back perhaps fall to early winter. Don’t wait much later to start your trip so you avoid summer prices.
Aloha.
I’m just wondering. Is the plane configuration and seating arrangement the same on swa Hawaii flights? Curious. Mahalo for the blog. I’ve subscribed for years and we go to Hawaii from the mainland every year.
Hi Jon.
Yes it is the same configuration as aircraft used on the mainland.
Aloha.
As of right now 6;15pm Aug 14th, there are very limited flights from SMF to HNL. 1 or 2 per week..specifically in the month of No and they are not NS.
Just looked and theres flights to/from SMF-OGG right now as well. Just limited flights and Very EXPENSIVE, TRIPLE THE POINTS in some cases compared to/from OAK/OGG
Those have been on there for a few months now. I asked about them during the last calendar drop and it was explained to me they were continuation flights from down south. The biggest flag that something new has dropped would be the addition of more months on the Low Fare Calendar. That is my guess anyway, because from my understanding, that is the main reason for any updates is the new months being dropped first and foremost.
Sacramento to HNL now showing to start service 1/19/20. No start for SAN.
Looks like direct flights from SMF (Sacramento) to HNL start after the holidays – Jan 19th. I even saw a couple of $99 flights in there about 20 min ago.
No love for So Cal, though. Only SMF directs added, not San Diego as hoped.
Note to Beat of Hawaii – would be great if we had a “cheater box” that lists all the airport codes involved here that stays static as you scroll down. Just an idea – thanks.
Hi Dave.
San Diego will probably come sooner than later. Thanks for the suggestion.
Aloha.
SWA seems to be misleading / misfiring / badly managing expectations when it comes to San Diego / Hawaii. What is the update to the update to the update ? Thanks.
D
Hi Dave.
Can’t disagree with you there. We really don’t know what to expect for SD at this point.
They have had a very rough start for multiple reasons. We hope that all gets worked out sooner than later.
Aloha.
Hi there! Curious if you’re expecting direct flights from San Diego to Maui on SW? You’ve only been listing to Honolulu.. I fly regularly to Maui to visit family and have been anxiously awaiting SW to come into the market!
Mahalo!
Hi Paula.
We’ll have to wait a bit longer for San Diego. It could include Maui when it happens.
Aloha.
I didn’t see Sacramento or San Diego to OGG mentioned above. Do you know if nonstops between those cities and Maui are still planned? If so, do you think they will be announced at the same time as the nonstops to HNL?
May I please ask a question? My family is flying to Honolulu for thanksgiving and we live in the Bay Area with tickets from Oakland to Honolulu, but just wondering if the Sacramento to Hawaii routes have a cheap 99$ airfare? We would definitely drive up there if it was at that price.
Thanks!
Hi Jerry.
With upcoming announcements it is hard to predict. Stay tuned for that and act quickly. It might or might not work out. Typically Thanksgiving is one of the most expensive times to visit Hawaii.
Aloha.
Please tell me how to redeem credit on swam
Janis t.
Hi Janis.
Suggest you contact SW directly regarding how to redeem a flight credit. There’s also this: https://www.southwest.com/flight/travel-funds-search.html.
Aloha.
As a data point, some flights i had a price alert on for Honolulu to Kauai for HA just dropped to $99 this morning. Hopefully they know something we don’t!
Can’t wait till they start flying out of Hilo. Tom
Hello
my family and I are going to ohau in march of 2020. we would like to fly to hilo and add a tour for the day. can you please recommend which company offers that,
thanks so much
Hi Debbie.
We aren’t familiar with the tour companies, but you can easily Google for them and their reviews. Hilo is a very easy town to visit, rent a car and explore on your own as well. That is how we have always done it.
Aloha.
I live in San Jose, CA. I also live in Kapa’a Kauai and Pahoa, BI. That means I’m a frequent flyer between SJC and LIH or Kona. I always take Alaska Air. Now I’m interested in flying SWA. Is there or will there be non-stop SJC to LIH or Kona? I DO NOT wish to layover in HNL, that’s why I don’t fly on HA.
Eddie L.
Hello,
Will they be flying out of ONT to the islands?
thanks!
Ivan
Hi Ivan.
Not as far as we know.
Aloha.
I can’t wait to sign up to go we live on Kauai and could not afford it we need to go back to the mainland so we can wrap up things and see our kids can’t wait Southwest thank you for accommodating the people that are not so rich
Runway is too short/ aircraft us too heavy for takeoff.
Hi – We are looking to go to Maui for Thanksgiving. We want to fly direct from Sacramento to Maui. Do you think those tickets will be available with this update on 8/15/19??
Thanks
PJ
Hi PJ.
No, as far as we know that route will not be served directly at this time. Only via Honolulu.
Aloha.
Aloha, do you have any guesses on fare prices from LIH to HNL on Southwest? Wondering if we should hold out for October island hopper to see if cheaper than $75-80 like Hawaiian is looking
Hi Meredith.
Hold on for that. Maybe $39 to start and $49 thereafter. We just don’t know if it will be starting byOctober.
Aloha.
Just FYI I was checking the app and it looked like I could already book tickets from Oahu to the West Coast! It let me choose dates in September to Oakland from Honolulu but I could not choose flights to Lihue yet.
In anticipation of the new announcement that could possibly include direct San Diego flights, I am wondering at what time of day did SW announce the original routes ? I want to be “on it”
Thanks.
Hi SD Dave.
They were announced extremely early in the morning Texas time. We were told however, that future announcements might come at different times.
Aloha.
Bobby L
getting from hawaii international to southwest domestic ….is that an issue and how long does it take?
Aloha,
Since the launch of SW Hawaii service, I’ve been holding back on booking my flights between LIH & HNL for late-August (HA too expensive). It seems as if service to Kauai will begin August – September. Should I continue waiting or will reservations to and from LIH not be available in time? I’ve already booked my HNL->KOA throught SW.
Thank you in advance!
Hi Brad.
It will be tight since service hasn’t been announced yet. Not sure what to sugegst.
Aloha.
I’m doing same thing. Wondering if it SW will be going from HNL to LIH by August 22nd?
We are looking to fly Honolulu to Kauai over Christmas, December 20-27, 2019. You say this route will be happening between August and September? When can we start booking?
I’ve heard a couple of rumors saying the drop of SWA flights from Sacramento will come August 15th. If that is the case, what are the odds of flights actually starting before December? We had planned for a family visit for New Year’s (Dec 27th – Jan 5th), and after hearing all of the delays we decided to get tickets out of San Jose. My second question is, if they do start flying soon, how hard would it be to swap tickets from San Jose to Sacramento?? Will SWA work with us on this?
How can I get notified via email when you post?
From what I’ve noticed, Southwest has a difficult time flying their limited inter island schedule on time.
Wouldn’t it most likely get worse the more inter island flights they attempt to do? I’ve had delays of 1-3 hrs and have heard of 5+ hr delays inter island.
Aloha again!
I was a bit confused reading this article, and I was hoping to verify and clarify what looks to me to be a possible discrepancy? Apologies, if I misinterpreted something…
You quoted SWA:
“We are excited to resume growth plans next month with the first of several intended announcements. We will offer service to the islands from both Sacramento and San Diego, as well as bring Southwest service to both Lihue, on Kauai, and Hilo, on the island of Hawaii. We will provide details of the next phases of Hawaii flying in the coming weeks and months, as we put flights out for sale.” — SWA 7/25/19
Then you later say:
“Later in 2020 to 2021 …✈ Flights from Honolulu and Maui to Hilo…”
It was confusing as they made it sound like they were going to announce Hilo flights soon, and it appears you are predicting 2020-2021?
Thank you again for your thorough coverage of this Topic, and as always we appreciate your response!
Mahalo,
Jim
Hi Jim.
We do not expect Hilo to be in the next set of announcements. Anything is possible, but it is highly unlikely. That’s why we put the time frame that we did.
Aloha.
Why are the Hilo routes taking so long. Is it because of infrastructure??? Hilo Airport IS not the best airport to fly into and out of. There’s are no amenities for passengers and when Waiting for you’re flight the hotel holding area isn’t very uncomfortable…hot, sticky, lots of masquitos and insects not to mention termites. I wouldn’t want to fly into that airport either.
Do you think we will be able to book flights in august for next summer?
Just thought I’d share with Alaska Air advocates…did you know that they too are planning to utilize the MAX 9 for flights to Hawaii. As a result, your options may become limited. HA is the only airline serving the Islands with Airbus planes.
Alaska had been flying the A321 neo to Hawaii for quite a while and should be back to flying them to and from Hawaii again soon
currently Alaska flies the 737-800 and 737-900 ER to and from Hawaii
American also operates the a321 from LAX to the islands and will eventually switch over to the 321NEO so HAL isnt the only Airbus operator to the islands.
Hello!
I really appreciate how timely your SWA Hawaii updates are. Question – we currently have tickets for Oak-OGG first week of November, but live in Sacramento. I was really excited to hear Sacramento-Hawaii is finally launching, but then it sounds like no direct flights to Maui right away. Drive time to Oakland takes us about 2-3 hours with traffic and we will have a 10-month old with us. Do you it’s worth taking a SMF-Hawaii flight to another island, then hop to Maui, or hold with Oakland unless SWA later announces direct flight SMF-OGG? Sorry for the rambling question. Thank you so much! Mahalo.
Hi Suzanna.
Thank you. Inter-island is expensive and time-consuming. It seems possible that there will be SMF-OGG in your time frame. In any event, we “should” know quite soon. Obviously SW will let you change to that with no change fee, if it works out.
Aloha.
Was really hoping SW would be flying to Maui by February. We will be flying out of Vegas around the 15th of February. Can you please advise on alternative flights. I checked HA the other day, as we’ve usually flown them, but they were $1000+! I’ve never seen them that high. Any suggestions are appreciated. Thank you
Hi Linda.
$500 on United with a fast connection in LA. Doubtful your Saturday travel date will improve. Mid-week might be up to $150 less.
Aloha.
We can be a little flexible on the dates. Thank you.
Also, am I missing something? I’m not receiving an email when you respond. Am I doing something wrong? I thought I used to get an email.
Hi Linda.
No we do not notify you via email on reply. Not sure that we ever did.
Aloha.