Lastest news on Southwest schedules and fares. Some routes continue to have great deals for summer. Find out more in today’s post.
1,796 thoughts on “Southwest Hawaii Stiffens Competition: 11 New Daily Flights Exposed”
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Home » Blog » Hawaii Travel News » Southwest Hawaii Stiffens Competition: 11 New Daily Flights Exposed
Don’t expect anytime soon the terminal to be where Island Air commuter flights were. The entire building and parking lot has been demolished and is being cleared of the rubble.
Hello – in recent updates I thought I saw that there will be HI flights from Portland, OR (PDX). No mention of PDX flights in this newest update, however. Any news on this? thanks
Hi Jeff.
Portland has never been on any list we’ve seen or in any discussion we’ve had. Perhaps down the road, but not really sure.
Aloha.
I am not interested in flying Southwest. Looking at Delta on July 16 (first class or Delta One). Cost is between 1050 and 1200 ONE WAY from HNL to PIT. Do you think the Southwest Effect will effect first class? I realize SW doesn’t offer such a service so I am not sure if I should buy now or later> THanks!
Hi MC.
Doubt Southwest will impact business/first class at all. $950 one-way is the cheapest we usually see in that market. So that price for your date is reasonable.
Aloha.
Thanks! I appreciate the feedback. I am just so torn on the Delta One vs. regular first class. My understanding is the only benefit is the beds,one stop vs. two stops and aceess to the lounge. Price difference is 200 pp. Delta One is what we flew last summer and enjoyed…Have you ever flown regular Delta First Class? Not Delta One…Was it ok? I appreciate your site!
Hi Scott.
Yes we’ve flown Delta first (767-400) but it has been a while. It was fine – no standout, but comparable with other domestic first. Delta One is going to be great on new A350 for example, which doesn’t fly here, but on other aircraft it may not be as good.
What we do is find specific plane we’re flying, then do a google search for the airline, aircraft type, then first class reviews. Both text and video results that should give you a good idea what to expect.
Aloha.
Aloha BOH!!!
Now that we’re almost into October are there any new updates on a date for ticket sales to begin in October? We are flying to Maui from California (OAK) over the Thanksgiving holiday and decided to try and wait it out to see if SW will be flying by then. The suspense is killing us haha, just hoping y’all might have an update or a date that they’re schedule or expected to provide an update on in October?
Thanks for all the helpful info!!!
Mahalo,
Sam
Hi Sam.
No updates. Nothing has changed and we have had word in past week that process is doing forward. We hope to hear within next 30 days.
Aloha.
Hello, we have a companion pass only valid until the end of the year. It is my understanding that even if you book before it expires, you cannot use it beyond the expiration date. That being said, we have a trip to the islands booked in mid-November and have fingers crossed that flights will be announced soon because we want to use points and companion pass. We would not be able to go in December, so hoping it all works out! My question is, will we (the public) know when these ETOPS Test (proving) flights happen? Just trying to get some indicator of progress. Thank you so much for all of the information, I am following this topic daily! 🙂 Mahalo
Hi Meagan.
Yes we will be advising when the proving flights happen. There is progress as recently as this past week, and as soon as we have a bit more to report, we’ll be updating the situation.
Aloha.
Thank you for your continued updates on this. We still have our hotel booked for early November, and still waiting on Southwest to use our points and Companion Pass. Since we are flying to Kauai, it sounds like IF the flights are going by then, we will have to take an interisland flight from Maui or Oahu to Kauai anyway, which looks like it will be around $300 for the 2 of us. I am tempted to book Alaska airlines, which is currently $285 per person roundtrip. This will cost us $300 more than anticipated, but being that we are less than 1 month away from departure, will give a lot of peace of mind. Decisions, decisions.
Hi Meagan.
While no one knows, it is still possible that even the first Southwest Hawaii flights could have extensions to Lihue or Kona. Something like OAK/HNL/LIH for example. Of course that may not happen and flights might not even start when you need them.
Our gut call is to go with your temptation and book now. There are too many variables out there, leaving us with the sense that it might just not come together in your time frame.
Aloha.
Communication to FA group from Sonya yesterday indicated they are just now submitting in flight ops procedures/manual for ETOPs approval. One step closer to the hawaii LUV.
We have a companion pass, and wondered if we booked for Hawaii when it opens, and still use it next year?. I think our companion pass is over Dec 31st. Is there anyway to book and use it next year? We have points also. Just have waited so long to be able to go and wanted to go this fall, but have a trip planned for next April 2019. Please advise if you have any answers for us. The last trip the other couples mom passed and didn’t get to finish there vacation, so both couples are trying to go back for them. Thanks so much, Debbie
Hi Debbie.
Being based here in Hawaii, we aren’t super familiar with Southwest, but expect to be soon. What does your pass say – booking by 12/31 or flying by 12/31?
Aloha.
The pass is per year so it wouldn’t work for 2019 unless you have already met the requirements to renew your pass for 2019. You could book on points and then if you renew the pass have it rebooked and get your points back. That would be better than paying since you would only get a travel credit good for 1 year from date of purchase.
Hi! We are flying to Maui from Denver Dec 26-Jan 4. I found a round trip on delta for $1,180 which seems like a decent price for that time. Wondering if I should hold out for Southwest in hopes they are flying by then?? Would you please share your thoughts or is that Delta flight worth booking? Thanks!! -Kim
Hi Kim.
While Southwest may well be flying from California by then, it isn’t at all clear how that might impact your situation. We’re seeing that fare at $1,101 as of now. Not a great price, but considering your dates, it is to be expected. We’d certainly prefer the nonstop, but it is about $500 more. Lastly, if you have any date flexibility, you can save further. For example, Thursday return will be $150 less and Saturday return will be $100 less. Hope that helps.
Aloha.
Aloha! Thanks so much for all the great information you provide on your site. We would be grateful for your input please. We are in Sacramento and have had a Maui resort in Lahaina booked for a while now (11/25/18 to 11/30/18). We have been waiting to see what happens with Southwest before booking our flights. We have a companion pass with Southwest, but now also have a single companion fare with Alaska. Alaska flies direct to OGG from SMF on both dates and right now, the flight appears to be around $517 RT. Do you think we should wait and see what happens with Southwest, or should we just go with Alaska and book now. One consideration is we don’t know whether Southwest will fly direct to OGG from SMF and we would really prefer a direct flight if possible. Thank you for any advice you are willing to provide.
Hi Jerry.
Chances of Southwest flying by then are perhaps 30%. More likely in December. Also your dates aren’t idea being weekend and outbound at the end of Thanksgiving period. So not sure you’ll improve by waiting. Likely Southwest will fly that route, but of course no one really knows until they announce.
Aloha.
Interested in flights directly from Denver to Maui. Wife is getting on in age & I worry about her in the layover at LAX. So pleased that SWA is making this GREAT expansion in service. Thank You SWA.!!!