When Southwest’s CEO Bob Jordan casually floated the idea of first class and airport lounges during a recent investor conference, it got us thinking about how that would look. Even as he added a line meant to downplay it—”I’m totally making this up”—we couldn’t help but wonder if this wasn’t coming out of thin air. For travelers flying to and from Hawaii, it instead sounds like a plausible next step.
What Hawaii travelers are already seeing.
Southwest entered Hawaii in 2019 with a promise: no change fees, no assigned seats, no bag fees, and no frills. Nearly six years later, most of that is gone. Assigned seating is on the way. Flight credits now expire. Fare rules have multiplied. Extra-legroom seats are being added—and will soon be sold. And yes, the airline ends its free checked bag policy this week.
Those foundational changes, however, may be just the beginning.
Southwest’s Hawaii flights were once a welcome disruption. But today, many Beat of Hawaii readers say the airline feels largely unrecognizable. Lauren wrote: “They used to be fun. Now I don’t even know what I’m paying for, or what I’m getting.”
That confusion is especially frustrating on long flights to the islands, where travelers increasingly expect more. But at Southwest, there’s growing uncertainty about the experience, even as its half-century-old value proposition continues to erode.
Meanwhile, Hawaii goes all-in on premium.
Across the state, tourism is shifting toward higher-spending travelers. Hotel rates keep rising. Taxes, resort, and other fees have spread. A new green fee for visitors starts soon. And the airlines are following that trend, starting with Alaska, which now owns Hawaiian.
Alaska has announced plans to expand premium seating on Hawaii routes, including true premium economy service on widebody aircraft. As we covered in Disappearing Economy | On Hawaii Flights This Will Hurt The Worst, this strategy will increase the number of premium seats sold, while coach cabins become more compressed.
Chris G, a Beat of Hawaii reader, noted: “I’ve also noticed on Alaska Airlines Kauai flights that Premium Class is often sold out before check-in/upgrade time. This seems to be the trend as mentioned in your article.” Another reader, Victoria, longed for a more straightforward solution: “I’d rather they charge $50 more for each and every seat and everyone gets a comfortable seat. Book early, pick your favorite seat.”
Southwest used to offer that kind of clarity. Now, it may be the airline least suited to handle Hawaii’s pivot to premium.
A quiet reinvention—without the perks.
Jordan’s first-class comment wasn’t an official announcement, but it revealed the mindset driving these changes. “You must follow the consumer,” he said, “or you are forever vulnerable.”
That consumer-chasing approach has replaced the clear identity Southwest once had. Instead of leading with a vision, the airline is in reactive mode—one policy shift at a time: Seat upgrades, Boarding changes, Fare confusion. All of it adds up to a model that looks more like its competitors, but thus far without many of the premium comforts to match.
Kevin, a longtime flyer, said it plainly: “Southwest was always different. If I wanted nickel-and-diming, I’d fly someone else. But now? They’re just as confusing—and still no seatback screens.”
The European-style premium cabin, explained.
Across Europe, “business class” often means nothing more than a regular economy seat with the middle one blocked. The meal might be better. You might get a lounge. But the seat itself? Identical to the ones in the back. It’s akin to the do-it-yourself-first-class that Beat of Hawaii editors have been doing for years on all domestic airlines (except Southwest, which ironically didn’t allow it previously).
This flexible, low-cost approach to premium travel isn’t theoretical—it’s already flying across Europe every day. And it may offer the clearest clue yet about what “first class” on Southwest Hawaii flights would look like.
European carriers have long favored business class cabins that look suspiciously like coach. They use narrowbody jets for these routes almost exclusively, just like Southwest.
Rather than installing special seats, they block off the middle in a standard 3–3 layout and shift a curtain depending on how many premium passengers are booked for any particular flight. It’s efficient, easily adjustable, and—to many U.S. travelers—deeply underwhelming.
One Beat of Hawaii reader said: “It’s like paying for business class but sitting in economy with no neighbor. That’s not luxury—it’s just less annoying.” Another added: “If the seat’s the same and the pitch is the same, calling it ‘premium’ feels like a stretch—especially on a five-hour flight.”
The logic is flexibility. The experience is often forgettable.
And yet, if Southwest ever does create a true premium product on Hawaii flights, it likely won’t include lie-flat seats or a 2–to–2 recliner cabin. Instead, it will look a lot more like what’s flying from London to Paris or Geneva to Nice.
No one’s leading anymore.
Southwest once reshaped Hawaii airfares overnight. It brought down prices fast. It added many new routes. It forced other airlines to quickly adjust, and passengers benefited. But those days are over.
Southwest has quietly dropped some Hawaii routes and frequencies in the past year. At the same time, legacy carriers have trimmed Hawaii service to more profitable hubs. Alaska now controls the direction of Hawaiian’s fleet and network, with a heavy tilt towards premium.
None of the major carriers seems interested in rebuilding the broad, affordable access to Hawaii that defined the market just five years ago. And Southwest is no longer a price challenger. It’s just trying to figure out what to do next.
Hawaii travelers feel it more.
Flying to Hawaii is different from all but premium transcontinental routes. It’s longer than most. It’s expensive. It’s personal. When airlines experiment with their identity, island travelers take notice—and react strongly.
What once made Southwest attractive to Hawaii visitors is now vanishing into thin air. In its place may come a product no one could have anticipated: a blocked middle seat, a few drink coupons, and a curtain suddenly pulled across row four. That may be the future of first class—if Southwest decides to offer it at all.
Final thoughts on Southwest Hawaii changes.
Southwest’s identity crisis is not a theoretical strategy shift. Instead, it’s beginning to play out in real time on Hawaii flights, where travelers wonder what happened to the airline they once loved.
If “first class” does come to Southwest, it may not be the first class passengers expected. On the other hand, we have to wonder if it couldn’t reset the bar for other airlines’ narrow-body first class.
Have you noticed the shift on Southwest Hawaii flights yet? Would you welcome a European-style premium cabin—or do you want the old Southwest economy back? Please let us know. Mahalo!
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I want the old Southwest back. I fly to visit family, not to tour, and can now visit less often. The new, higher fares affect the quality of my ohana time and relationships. I care about what’s there when I get there, not how I get there.
Bring back the old Southwest! As a frequent traveler to maui, we Always flew on SW. They were always cheerful, playful and made you feel special. Not to mention the price, no change fees and free bags. I’m now forced to fly on other airlines.
Ÿes! 1st Class is worth it on any long haul travel over 4 hours.
No babies crying, no seat falling back in your lap, listening to others music. You can ly back relax, sleep,eat and drink and
Be rested when you get to your
Destination.
I doubt first class would ever happen.
Southwest is definitely messed up. Budget conscious travelers will forego the entire Hawaii vacation experience and choose to travel somewhere else closer to the U.S. mainland and perhaps not by air. It’s a big county out there with plenty to see on a lesser budget than blowing dollars on Hawaii with its higher costs, more taxes and more coming restrictions. This will take all the fun out of a typical, affordable vacation.
Done with SWA. Bob Jordan has been an incompetent CEO and Elliot Investment Group is pushing him to destroy the company. Amazing that the ICahn strategies of the 80s are back… they want short term profits and will leave SWA a shell of itself ripe for takeover. Case in point, they are projecting 1.5Billion in revenue from baggage fees But their own research predicts 1.8 Billion in losses from the change over the same period. Forget these guys.
Reader Chris G. laments about the lack of Premium Seats for his Alaska flights when he checks in.
Flights to Hawaii are usually going to be filled by leisure travelers – most often using some kind of mileage redemption/award and/or an upgrade certificate.
What was not said is that for 75K and 100K flyers you receive an automatic upgrade to Premium – as long as the fare/award is not Saver. If you’re a Gold or base MVP – you may immediately upgrade as long as the corresponding fare class is purchased.
For all other discount fares, except Saver – Gold may upgrade at 72 hours and Base MVP at 48 hours.
Upgrades also extend to one companion of a MVP status member.
All MVP levels may upgrade within 2 hours if a Saver fare is purchased.
At least AS offers a true premium coach experience – with additional legroom, better snacks, free alcohol, priority boarding and 100k’s receive a free “paid” meal, if ordered in advance.
Ryan Hite said it well: “The story of Southwest is no longer about innovation. It’s about what happens when companies stop being owned by people who care about what they build, and start being owned by those who care only about what they can extract.
A fairy tale grounded. An icon undone.
The airline of hearts, now just another cog in the Wall Street machine.” “Employees, long shielded from layoffs, saw that policy end in February 2025. New leadership lacked Southwest roots. The ethos of “people before profits” evaporated.”
Using up my LUV credits, points, and switching to another card. SW used to be worth the pain for the fun attitude and low prices. Now, unless you constantly monitor your booked flight for pricing—sometimes several times a day—or get a spectacular sale score, they are higher than almost everyone else and with less benefits.
Remember the SW airlines flight attendant who caused a stir with her unkind comments about HNL food last year when she was quoted in a feature here? Perhaps now she will have to come here less, as they cut many flights in the islands. Not that we would miss her.
“Please pass the Point” – Fred Flintstone
All the reasons I preferred Southwest for regular round trip flights from Denver to Maui are eliminated. I can’t say I won’t fly Southwest again, but it won’t be my first choice, or an option.
This has not been widely reported, but perhaps the single most glaring flaw in Southwest’s “strategy” to cater to higher paying customers is the Lack of a legacy elite status program based on long term loyalty. I am a two million mile flyer on United — but I switched almost exclusively to Southwest for nearly 25 years when my travel patterns changed in the late 1990’s. Southwest offers absolutely no recognition at all for my multiple decades of loyalty — making me regret every day now that I didn’t stick with United where I would have had the much more valuable Platinum or Global Services lifetime status associated with 3 and 4 million miles of flying had I not switched to Southwest. I doubt the Southwest “just missed” this important detail as they clearly looked very closely at the programs of competing airlines. They have a Long Long way to go before they find a new niche among the many airline choices. Nick A
SWA was the Greyhound of the Sky!! Now it’s morphing into an airline like most others…. with seating changes and a fee for checked bags! Simple solution to save on the bag fees is just get a no fee SWA credit card….. It’s as simple as that! Otherwise get used to the changes and stop whining!!!!!!
We will see if this changes – a little trick is to purchase Biz Select fares at least 90 days in advance. Why? Biz Select fares are almost always more often less expensive than the other airlines refundable coach fares – and at WN, Biz Select is fully refundable, free changes, two free checked bags, free WI-FI, one free drink per segment and coming soon – pre-assigned extra legroom seating.
With Biz Select, I don’t have to worry about an expiring travel credit. I can cancel up to 10 minutes before departure and all money is refunded to my credit card.
I believe part of this is due to their own system limitations of fare buckets/classes and correlation within their oft reported problematic IT systems.
As far as UA, I also gave up them 25 years ago right after Y2K and leading into 9/11. UA just became a shxx show – labor relations problems, management problems, bankruptcy, etc. – then later the acquisition by Continental.