A Hawaiian Airlines first class review is something we’ve intended to do for some time. Last Tuesday, editor Jeff jumped aboard HA flight 3 from LAX to Honolulu in first class. This review is of their Airbus A330-200 widebody service with 18 first-class seats. You’ve already read what the Hawaiian Airlines LAX experience nightmare was like. We won’t count that against the airline in this review since it’s outside their control.
Beat of Hawaii paid in full for this trip, and Hawaiian Airlines was unaware that we would be onboard. The flight cost from Los Angeles to Honolulu Airport in first Class was $849, which includes lie-flat seats. First class lie flat is usually at least 50% more than what you’ll pay for first class on their narrow-body aircraft without lie-flat. Read our review and see if you think it was a good investment.
Many other websites have reviewed the Hawaiian Airlines first class product. What is different about ours is that, as you know, we eat, sleep and breathe only Hawaii travel. While we travel to other places in the world, our focus here is exclusively on Hawaii.
What worked and what didn’t on Hawaiian Airlines’ first class.
On the positive side, the service was superb. It was even better than our experiences on Singapore Airlines in 2019, and on other first class flights. That’s why our post title says, “stunned.” It was something beyond what we were even expecting. Was this a fluke? We plan on flying Hawaiian to New York, and we will report back to you. Honestly we can’t think of a better way to commence a Hawaiian vacation than this.
There were so few negatives about the experience as to be largely irrelevant. But they included quirky Italian lie-flat beds with strange adjustments that are also a bit too short. Also, there are no longer any Hawaiian Airlines Premier Club lounges outside the state, including at their most-important LAX gateway.
As a side note, Hawaiian’s first class is not a true first-class product but rather a business-class product called by another name. When they fly internationally, they call this by the correct name, business class. We suspect they will soon change the name to be business class domestically as well.
This product is on all A330 flights the airline offers, which includes JFK, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Austin, among others.
Cost: First class 10/10.
The amount that Beat of Hawaii paid was a hair shy of $850. In our opinion, it is worth the extra amount for those who can and wish to afford it. The price for first class, lie-flat from the west coast to Hawaii, has increased dramatically since before Covid. For example, Fares on United and on Hawaiian are regularly as high as $1,800 or more one-way in lie-flat first. We picked dates for Jeff carefully to get as low a fare as possible, as this was about as good as it gets for this first-class offering.
Customer service: 8/10.
Due to an error we made in booking his flight, Jeff inadvertently ended up with one of the flights being on the wrong day. His bad. Changing the reservation with Hawaiian Airlines required a call to their Philippine-based call center, even though the reservation was clearly cancelable within 24 hours of booking. It is not possible to cancel online.
While the process was reasonably easy once we got someone on the phone, it isn’t appropriate to require a phone call in 2022. Furthermore, using low-paid foreign call center employees gets a low score in our opinion compared with Alaska, Southwest, and others, who answer the phone with airline employees based in the US.
Check-in: 10/10.
The online check-in process was easy, taking only one minute. So was the airport experience, too, with a dedicated first class line and no wait. First-Class includes two free bags, which Jeff brought for shopping at Trader Joe’s in California. There may or may not have been an outside bag check, but if so, he didn’t see it at the ultra-busy and somewhat confused international terminal from which Hawaiian operates at LAX.
Boarding: 10/10.
Boarding was on-time, and the first class zone was called almost immediately after boarding those who needed assistance. Upon arrival at the aircraft door, Jeff was greeted by a flight attendant who escorted him to his seat, 2C.
On-time Performance: 10/10.
Everything was exactly as expected. Boarding for the flight began about 30 minutes before departure time. The door was closed 10 minutes beforehand, and the flight departed the gate exactly on time.
Food and beverage: 9/10.
As a caveat, we wavered on giving this section either a 9 or a 10 review. In the end, we decided it should be a 9 due to minor shortcomings, as detailed below.
Prosecco, Mai Tai, water, or guava juice were almost immediately served by two flight attendants who introduced themselves. It was elegantly done using Hawaiian’s Pualani emblem engraved crystal glasses. Also, before departure, the FAs brought menus and discussed options for beverages and food.
As a slight knock, there is no meal preordering, which is becoming standard on many airlines. Also, there are no alternatives to the meal provided. When Jeff asked, however, to have no sausages with his omelet, the flight attendant said they had not been cooked together.
Before departure, glasses were collected. Once airborne, nice table linens were distributed, then ordered beverages were delivered together with a generous bowl of macadamia nuts. The nuts weren’t heated, which is atypical for first class.
Breakfast followed within 15 minutes of the first beverage service. It was nicely presented and frankly tasted much better than it looked. The offering was a mushroom omelet. Our only preference would have been for pre-ordering meals and having choices.
Following the entree, fruit, and croissant, which were served on one tray with china and stainless, an unusual haupia (coconut) chocolate cake from a renowned Honolulu baker completed the meal.
After the meal service, beverages were offered throughout the flight, although no water bottles or cans of Jason Momoa’s Mananalu could be seen. The water served was from Hawaiian Springs. Jeff asked the flight attendant about the Mananalu water, and he offered to give him one from the Pau Hana (economy purchase only) cart. Jeff declined.
Final drink orders were taken less than an hour before arrival in Hawaii. And the final parting touch was a cookie from Honolulu Cookie Company.
Aircraft condition: 10/10.
The plane, an Airbus A330-200 widebody, features twin aisles and 18 first-class seats. The plane was approx. 9 years of age. It is an elegant aircraft and still felt modern and up to date, with no wear and tear. The first class cabin especially features lovely interiors with curved surfacess
Wifi/texting: 0/10.
There is still no WiFi or texting on Hawaiian Airlines. However, they intend to finally provide free high-speed satellite WiFi starting in 2023. That will be a huge improvement as they are currently the only airline flying to Hawaii without WiFi.
Flight attendants: 10/10.
It’s hard to say enough about just how excellent these flight attendants in the premium cabin were. Honestly, they were in a league of their own in terms of demeanor, pleasantness, thoughtfulness, attention to detail, and more. They exuded the best that Hawaii has to offer and presented the epitome of first class service, be it international or domestic. Two flight attendants were dedicated to the first class cabin together with the senior purser. This was the single most outstanding aspect of the Hawaiian Airlines first class flight. The purser on the flight, Diane, was based in Los Angeles and had been flying for Hawaiian for 34 years.
The staff-to-passenger ratio was great and, to us, is a clear indication of where Hawaiian Airlines sees itself headed in the future. That is, as an airline focused on premium products at premium prices. It is clearly an excellent fit and what they do exceptionally well.
Cockpit crew interaction: 10/10.
There were multiple professional announcements made from the flight deck. Those could be heard in all classes of service. It is worth noting that economy-class announcements cannot be heard in first class.
Seating and comfort: 10/10.
When Hawaiian retrofitted the A330 with lie-flat seats back in 2015, they decided to go in a different direction from most other airlines. The seats are from Italian seat designer Optimares. The issues with the seats include a single wheel for all adjustments, which limits options, 6-across (2-2-2 configuration) seating instead of the now more traditional 4 for business/first class, and a 76-inch total length. The seats aren’t quite long enough to accommodate our six-foot-tall editor, and even when pushing his head all the way into the opposite corner as his feet, his shoes stuck out into the aisle some.
On a positive side note, virtually all other business seats now provide for passengers’ feet to be located in a small and uncomfortable cubby-hole under the armrest of the passenger in front of them. With the Hawaiian Optimares seats, that isn’t the case. The unusual footrest is always available, even during take-off and landing, and is comfortable to use.
It is worth noting that Hawaiian is moving to more traditional business/first-class seating on its upcoming Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet, which could start to arrive as soon as next year.
A fleece blanket and a pillow in a bag are on each first class passenger seat. There was no mattress pad offered, which is provided on their longer flights. A storage bin is under the seat in front of first-class passengers, and a small, secure, lighted side storage pocket is at hand.
Passengers traveling solo can opt for the center section to avoid needing to crawl out over someone else. A glass privacy screen pops up between the center seats and works effectively. A highly adjustable tray table made eating and working easy, and it was possible to stand up without retracting it.
Power (AC/USB): 10/10.
All first-class guests are provided with USB power as well as AC power.
Inflight Entertainment: 10/10.
The A330 first class features fully-loaded iPad-based in-flight entertainment, including TV shows and movies, which is handed out after take-off. It includes The unit sits perched on a unique stand that pops up from the center table as seen here.
While not personal entertainment, a well-done arrival video was played that featured many Hawaiian Airlines employees involved in wildlife conservation, Hawaiian culture, search and rescue, hiking safety, and other fascinating areas that are of great benefit to Hawaii. This served to raise awareness among soon-to-be-arriving visitors in a nice way.
Total score: 117/130.
If you discount the fact there was no WiFi but it is about to be added fleet-wide, then the score would have been 127/130. And if you remove the fact that it was necessary to call customer service, it would have been 129/130. Job well done Hawaiian Airlines!
Have you tried the lie-flat first class offering on Hawaiian Airlines?
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Carol M. says
We usually fly back home to Hawaii to visit family but over the last 5 years or so have had to fly First Class on HAL due to severe back problems. So I try to allocate some vacation $$ for the flight and points. We flew on the lie down seats this past June and were extremely pleased as I was able to stretch out and get some nap time in and rest my back. The seats in full recline were a bit short for tall people but we managed to pull our knees up. The food was wonderful and service from attendants was top notch. I require some assistance and the crew was always available to help. Mahalo
Jonathan S. says
I just flew Hawaiian First Class returning from Seattle and I agree with everything you said. I would note too that sitting in 7J I had 4 windows that afforded a spectacular view. Service was Five Star exceptional. The one major downfall was not having a Firstclass lounge in Seattle. I wonder if they are planning a partnership with an affiliate airline? Also it did take me a moment to figure out the controller for the lie flat seat. While somewhat comfortable, they are by no means plush, cloud like beds.
Diane M says
Is the bulkhead near the window as good as, say row two?
Randolph H says
We are flying to Vietnam on a American Airlines code-share, Hawaiian rt to Japan then JAL rt to Vietnam, all Business Class. When I was choosing our seats I was surprised that they have 6 seats across, 2-2-2, whereas the norm is 4 seats, 1-2-1. Not a fan of having to crawl over your seat mate to use the lua. So we are sitting in the middle seats and looking forward to the JAL legs. Aloha
Robert B says
My wife Julie and I fly exclusively with Hawaiian Airlines to Honolulu and we alway fly First Class Yearly from Seattle. It has always been a great pleasure flying with Hawaiian Airlines. With our family construction business and our Hawaiian Airlines Credit Cards help make it happen
We feel that all the flight crews are always so helpful and cheerful throughout our flights. We are also planning to go to Australia via Honolulu early next year being the Winters there are Australia’s warmer months we been told. Hawaiian Airlines is the best Airlines we feel that we fly with. But we cannot wait till the Dreamliners come on board.That will be an experience. I give Hawaiian Airlines a 10 over all in all catagories.
Aloha….
Carol C says
Aloha!
My new favorite thing is to fly from Hawaii to California a red eye with lie flats. I mostly have found OGG/HNL/LAX on various airlines. my problem is the price is almost double what I am used to paying/miles. Also for the return the regular F class domestic is the same price as the lie flats. My dates are 2/21/23 to 3/1/23. Do you expect prices to drop? I have always been a buy early especially with rewards but should I wait for the 21 day before window?
Mahalo for your blog. I have learned much from you.
Beat of Hawaii says
Hi Carol.
We don’t expect dates for F to drop. They can but they are far more unpredictable in that regard than economy. Maui to LAX on Hawaiian A330 lie-flast is $990 in your selected date of 2/21. That’s a great price. And the return on your selected date of 3/1 is $889.
Aloha.
Joyce says
Macadamia nuts are never heated unless used for cooking or baking.
Reynolds C. says
Really? All the fuss over lay flat seats and you couldn’t post one photo of them?
Patrick says
No photo? I see at least 2 and then there’s always Google. 😉
Frank says
Based on the comments posted, it appears that some folks think that getting a first class upgrade on Hawaiian Airlines is simply a matter of having enough miles and requesting it. Getting a first class upgrade on any airline flying to Hawaii is extremely difficult, and the airlines have no incentive to do so unless you are among their top tier flyers. Even then, if you really want to fly in the front of the airplane, the only way to guarantee that is to purchase a first class ticket outright or use hundreds of thousands of airline miles to secure it.
Patrick says
Well that’s not quite correct. HA let’s you use miles to upgrade from a paid coach fare, approximately 50,000 miles. The question is what is the mechanism for doing that.
And as far a it costing “…hundreds of thousands of airline miles to secure it.” That isn’t quite correct either. AUS – LIH is only 70,000 in F. Pretty nice deal for 8 1/2 hours of flying time.
Jackie S says
Just flew Hawaiian Air in July. This review is Spot On!
TEO says
HAL’s A332’s will become a thing of the past when the B789’s come onboard.
Frank says
My point is that it is up to the airline as to whether you will be granted an upgrade. And you will be competing with everyone else who had that same idea! Which translates into those with the highest airline status will get preferential treatment over those who do not.
We just returned from an East Coast trip to Hawaii on UA, sitting in the front of the airplanes for 300K miles pp r/t. So that is quite correct.
Patrick says
You paid 600,000 for two to sit up front on a UA flight? Wow! but if you got ’em might as well spend ’em.
Barbara F says
Were you meaning 787 900’s? Not that great of a plane.
Katt K says
It looks like a wonderful plane, however, having had flown first class from Tokyo for the past decade there are two huge negatives about Hawaiian airlines:
1. The stewards in the galley near the cockpit speak loudly all throughout the trip including night flights. You’d think they’d speak quietly and be more aware or perhaps they just don’t care about their first class passengers, and lucky you because first class is right up close to them.
2. The food is the same as economy. It is just plain awful.
Royk says
The food is terrible for that amount of money!
Francesca C says
Yes I live on Maui, and I have flown in the lie flat seats and I did also find them to be very comfortable. I am only 5‘2“ and it accommodated me very nicely. I was able to sleep laying completely flat after a long trip to visit family and friends. It was such a relaxing experience to feel the aloha from the crew as if I was home already!
Karen H says
Yes, we were very pleased (shocked) they had this aircraft on the Kona to LAX flight. The trip was great and we agree as reviewed here- so much better than the United and Delta flights which do not have lie down seats. The downside to it in LAX was a very long walk(15-20 min) to baggage claim. Hopefully this is a terminal issue and has been solved.Naturally there is no such walk on the return in Kona. Well Done Hawaiian!
Josh W says
It’s important to note that unlike all other major carriers who increase the checked baggage weight up to 70lbs in the premium cabins, Hawaiian does not. I didn’t even bother to look into this because it is standard amongst the other major players, so the flights costs a few hundred bucks total round trip.
It may seem trivial, but that made it an easy decision to fly on United’s 777 from now on. Larger individual pods are standard on the United 777.
I was surprised to see the 10/10 rating for seats, followed by a list of things that could be better.
Frank says
Hawaiian Airlines recently increased their first class r/t fare from Boston to Honolulu to $8,000!
Cindy J says
I also flew first class with the lie back seats.. it was amazing! I suggest everyone try it once. Everything was 💯
LYNN A says
Aloha!
Over the last 6-7 years I have flown HA, round trip, LIH/HNL to JFK, always using my points to upgrade to First class. Have also flown HA: HNL to So. Korea; and Auckland, in First class (again upgraded w/points). Three weeks ago I flew Hawaiian round trip to BOS/Logan in First class (using points to upgrade). Originally the trip was scheduled for 2020, but of course that didn’t happen. The trips were all excellent…on time, great seats (usually 2C), and the flight attendants’ service was everything you would expect or want. In fact, I think the food has actually improved! Given age and arthritis, I believe that points are best used for upgrades as it allows me to get some sleep on long flights.
Mahalo,
Lynn
K M says
My husband and I recently returned to Oakland from Honolulu first class. The gate change was never disclosed, however I had walked outside of the lounge, not much of a lounge but at least it has a restroom and found on the monitor that we had a gate change. The farthest gate, over a 1 mile hike, which wasn’t a problem for us as we knew of the change but many people didn’t know and it further delayed our take off. The flight attendants were only 4 for the entire trip and one of our first class attendants really worked hard to keep the whole plane happy and serviced. We were gracious about the lull in service and aside from one of the hardest landings in our lives, the flight was nice. Our 1st class baggage, 2 pieces were the last of
Duncan M says
I would give them a zero out of 10. Lying flat down in first class my $1000 prescription sunglasses fell off from around my neck during my sleep. I heard a noise but I didn’t think anything of it. After I departed the plane, I noticed my glasses were not on me and I knew where they where. They where between the outer seat shell and at the back base of the seat. I told the airline the airplane number and seat and explained my situation and honestly all they tell you to do is fill out a form. I tried for a week calling where the plane landed for someone to look but no one would help. Never fly this airline again and I wouldn’t recommend them to anyone.
Ray D says
Not sure if 0/10 would be warranted for the whole experience for a mistake that was not the airlines fault. Please try to look at the whole picture, and understand that it had nothing to do with the actual flight, onboard service, equipment, meal and drinks, boarding, etc. The problem is losing your $1000 glasses and forgetting it was left behind. I’ve left things on board on other airlines, and I wrote them off. The chances of someone finding something small and in a crack of space in the aircraft would be low. It’s important in any situation to take care of expensive items. Best of luck in future travels. Thanks for having a broad view of airlines and traveling.
Duncan says
Your reply is valid but it was the lack of support in even trying to assist the customer. The staff person on the phone didn’t care and just wanted you to fill out a form. The only way they will ever look would be during a maintenance C check when they hopefully do routine maintenance on the seats. By the time that takes place, my case will be closed (as it has) and then they don’t have to worry about. What’s sad, they pulled a plane to look for a Diamond ring vs spending one evening when it’s parked just to look and reach behind the seat. No one even tried and they closed my case.
THT says
Next time put your eye glasses in the case and tuck it away in your bag. How is the airlines responsible for this experience? This review seems ridiculous just because people didn’t stop to look for your glasses your gonna suggest that no one fly’s with Hawaiian airlines.
Duncan says
I totally agree and I will do this from now on. I thought they would be safe around my neck.
duncan says
When the plane is parked in Hawaii on the tarmac, they have ground crews who conduct A-level maintenance checks on the plane prior to departing the next day. They can simply send a note to the maintenance crew to have a look. They have pulled the plane in before for a lady’s diamond ring. I worked in the airline maintenance business for 32 years and I understand the process.
Sharon D says
You lost your glasses then blame the airline?! Seriously? Own your own stuff!
Duncan says
How can you lose your glasses if you know where they are? HAL won’t get them even if I tell them the tail number and seat and where to look. Remember, I was sleeping, woke up and for over a year and a half, these glasses never fell off around my neck. I even put a floaty on the glasses. They will find the glasses when they do a D or hopefully a C maintenance check.
Chuck A. says
Wife and I have been Flying to Hawaii every winter and Spring for many years, Your review is spot-on.
As you mentioned the way to go is buy your ticket then upgrade with 50,000 hawaiian miles!
The key to getting a reasonable cost is to book at least 6 months ahead. Our tickets were around 860.00 each!
Of course we are retired, so we can plan well ahead.
patrick says
Can you explain how that works?
Thanks
Chuck A. says
1. Since we love Hawaii, and know we want to travel there at least every year, we plan far ahead. Generally we study flights and and book with cash, two flights to Hawaii in coach.
2. Next, we upgrade using Hawaiian Airlines points we have collected through regular purchases On HA credit cards, (my card and the wife’s card). In short, we focus only on the goal.
For us, the key is to plan at least one year in advance. We want to collect 100,000 Hawaiian miles during the coming year.
As soon as we have collected enough points we upgrade with points to first class.
Nothing tricky or complicated here, just good planning! Aloha!
patrick says
Thanks!
So book 2 coach regular coach seats and then immediately turn around and upgrade with points?
Where is the upgrade option or do yo have to call in for that?
Ed says
You have to contact them to upgrade there is no app on the site
Ed says
Yes you have to plan months in advance e. There is a limit to the number of seats available for all upgrades using miles. The other day there were 9 seats available but when I requested miles upgrades the agent told me there were not available for upgrades there were for purchase only. Anyone know how many are available for upgrades on each fligjt?
Patrick says
How do you tell which ones are for upgrades and which ones are not?
Ed says
Pat. I don’t have an answer for you. I usually contact reservations and make an inquiry ut I’m think there maybe between 4 and 6 available