Choosing the best seats on a long flight to Hawaii can be an ordeal. That is if you pay a high enough fare and choose an airline that offers advance seat selection. It’s an important part of the airline ticketing process and choosing wisely can determine in part how much you enjoy your 5+ hour flight to Hawaii.
It is always great to travel with extra legroom or get upgraded using points or cash into premium economy or business class, but that isn’t always possible either due to affordability or availability. As we mentioned, premium seats to Hawaii are in far greater demand than ever before, and people stand ready to fork over the extra money in order to be comfortable. So the only option may be to select the best economy seats available, especially for such a long duration.
Airlines, including Hawaiian, are now charging extra for some regular economy seats.
Earlier this week we wrote Hawaiian Adds $19-23 Fee for Many Economy Seats. Airlines other than Southwest let you pick your seat. But there can be an extra charge for seat assignments, especially on the cheapest tickets and for those seats found near the front, plus aisle or window seats. But when the alternative is sitting in the middle, or not being seated together with your travel companions at all, that can be a real bummer when starting out on your Hawaii vacation.
Everyone has their own take on what’s best.
Seats that are in one class are the same as others, in terms of their physical dimensions. But in other ways, they may not be equal, as experienced travelers will definitely attest to.
One thing to decide on is whether you want an aisle seat or window seat, or whether, when two are traveling together, will one of you accept a middle seat? Also, make note of the distance from restrooms in terms of potential convenience as well as annoyance.
Do you prefer seating near the front of the plane?
We definitely both do. We like not seeing all the other people on the plane. It doesn’t really make sense, but somehow it feels less claustrophobic. Also, it’s great to be among the first to get off the plane on arrival in Hawaii. When you have a connection en route, sitting forward helps reduce the concern about a missed flight.
Will you be able to easily stow your carry-ons?
That’s a real concern. And it isn’t always easy to figure out since it involves both where you’re sitting and the airline’s boarding plan. Sometimes, too, overhead bins near bulkheads will be used by flight attendants. Generally, sitting near the back gives you more access to overhead storage, depending on when you board.
Two-across economy seating is becoming somewhat of a rarity.
Airlines flying to Hawaii have moved to more single-aisle, narrow-body aircraft for the majority of their flights. These are almost exclusive 3-across seating. Check when booking to see if some flights might still be on wide-body aircraft. Those are offered depending on route and flight by American Airlines, Delta Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, and United Airlines. Both Alaska Airlines and Southwest Airlines only fly narrow-body aircraft to Hawaii.
Aisle and window seats are now monetized.
The airlines know that we hate middle seats and they are in the process of fully monetizing window and aisle seating whenever possible. Even on aircraft with two-abreast seating, airlines will try to charge extra for those sections to the degree they can.
This old trick no longer works.
In a plane with three-across seating, an old trick was to reserve in a row that was open, even better towards the rear, and then select window and aisle seats, leaving the middle seat open. When the plane was not full, that often provided an opportunity for two people to share three seats. But airlines filling nearly every seat, that is not likely to happen any longer.
But this old trick still does work.
When traveling with a companion and neither of you is willing to sit in a middle seat, many will opt to select adjacent aisle seats. We have done that ourselves. We had a comment on that practice from Ted, who said, “An annoying pattern I’ve noticed is that before when 2 people traveled they usually took aisle/middle or window/middle seats. What’s happening now is each person taking aisle seats across each other.”
And so does this one.
Check on your reservation frequently from the time of booking until your flights. In today’s rapidly changing travel world, your flight could have been changed, the aircraft type might not be the same, or other seats may have become available. Whatever may have happened, do check to be sure everything is as you expect.
How to check for the best seats on your flight to Hawaii.
Some seat locations simply are more comfortable than others. Depending on the aircraft, seats can include more or less legroom, and some seats in front of exit rows may not even recline. There are other issues too, such as fixed armrests between seats. Two websites that we use to check seating on all aircraft are Seat Guru and Seat Maestro. We like checking both to see if they yield the same results. You’ll enter the date and flight in most cases or may need to identify the specific aircraft type assigned for your flight. Both websites show you a depiction of the seat map, with indications of which seats are better and why, as well as which ones you should avoid. You can also check the seat width and the seat pitch using these websites, which is especially helpful if, like editor Rob, you happen to be 6′ 4″.
Choose your seats as soon as possible.
That gives you the best selection of seats to choose from. Ideally, that happens in the same process as purchasing flights. If that isn’t possible, and you have to obtain seats 24 hours before departure, set an alarm so you’re there at the exact moment you can check in and not one minute later.
Twenty-four hours before travel is also the ideal time to change seats if you had reserved ones that aren’t your favorite, or are hoping for an upgrade. When that doesn’t work either, the last choice is to arrive at the airport early to see what is possible.
What are your airline seat tips and tricks?
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Well I am on a A430 neo and don’t think there is an avenue to choose a best seat. They are all small seats for a 6 foot woman, unless you can afford the big upgrades.
Monetiting Everything, isn’t that why we pay for Tickets? When are they going to begin selling tickets for the rear facing Wing Seats? Don’t even try to tell me that they haven’t considered it yet. I’ve even heard that they wanted to seat ugly people, face forward, over the Engines, Why? To scare away the Birds and do away with Bird Strikes and Engine Failures! Imagine all of the Money the Airlines could pocket with these Schemes, I won’t fill you in on the Postal Bags quite yet!
Aloha I will choosing some numbers on Hawaiian airlines what I will have someone to be marriage or be with m family bring our new suitcases backpacks have our books magazines snacks bottles portable dvd player movies iPhone tablet earbuds my new pillows sleep mask and things to travel to Hawaii someday🥰
Have a Aloha day🤙🤙🤙
Mahalo🌺🌺
My wife and I have done, many times, the 2 aisle seat thing right next to each other. Gives both the best flexibility on a flight that is packed like sardines. Although I will say that, being the luck of the draw, if there is a medical emergency near your seat, and the medical people need to have theequipment, you might be pulled into holding a medical box while the attendants address the patient. My wife had that happen once when we flew on Alaska to Seattle and there was an onboard medical issue with a passenger.
Now if we are talking international, on an international carrier, it really depends on whether you are able to choose a seat or not. Many times unless it’s an American carrier, you typically are given the seats at the counter.
I booked my flight to Maui from Ontario airport in California about a month ago.
I’m not going until May 5th 2023 so the seats were wide open.
I’ve been giving it some thought since I booked economic plus and I think I want to upgrade to 1st class. Hopefully they still have seats available. What’s the best way to do this and about how much more will it cost me?
Please have a gate at OHare airport!
Joseph,
I fly from SoCal. But I’m a little surprised there is no Hawaiian gate at O’Hare. We meet a lot of people from Chicago – in the elevator. Seems like there would be more visitors from that area than some of the others. And, when we go, 4 relatives fly from O’Hare, and sometimes 2 kids.
Most aisle seats have a button or latch under armrest at the back to raise it. Being able to do makes it easier to get in & out.
Frequent flyer-credit card holder on American and Hawaiian. Have never been upgraded.
Being a credit card holder does not earn you upgrades. Having elite status does, but on a route to Hawaii, even elites rarely get upgraded.
Amazing, maybe Brand Loyalty is only for Marlboro Smoker’s that Register! If “Unfunded” Upgrades are being waited for the average person isn’t going to live long enough to have their name picked. BOH has the Best Idea, no not the chocolates, checking the bookings and availability 24 hours prior to the flight. Good Luck!
aloha. It should be noted that you can purchase early boarding for Southwest which gives you your pick of the litter so far as seats go. Remember also two bags fly for free with SWA which gives you some extra change to purchase early boarding.
Choosing the best seats is easy. Anything in the very front of the plane is best.
Mahalo, BOH! We’ll be back in 6 weeks.
Hi Ed.
Thanks. Have fun!
Aloha.
I went into 2 reservations I have on Hawaiian where I paid for Extra Comfort seats and now all of the EC seats are $5-$13 or $0 depending on the trip. Is this possible? I paid over $200 round trip for EC to Maui next year and the fees are non-refundable. Just a couple of days ago they said they were going to start charging for some regular seats. Anyone know what’s up?
Those 3 prices are the upgrade cost per seat from the original EC price
I think that Hawaiian is having an Identity Crisis, they should leave the “Strong Arming” of customers to people that know how to. If done properly no one complains or says anything about it! What’s Next with the airlines, a large spinning wheel with seat assignments? If some people aren’t happy let’s make them all miserable!
ROD W
Rebook your tickets for a cheaper price(by phone no up charge) and get a voucher to use within the designated timeframe (usually a year from date of purchase) with your airline.
I do this every year with American earning me a $382.00 flight in 2021
and shopping currently to use my voucher and most likely will visit HI for about the same from Memphis,TN. I get to visit Paradise twice within 12 months.
It’s a Great Idea but you just outed yourself and many others. The airlines read the comments and will be looking for a way to stop this practice. Don’t worry too much, I am certain that no one is going to hold it against you, well…almost!
We fly Austin – Maui for the past 14 years. We book on AA using miles. We fly to Maui in Coach but buy the extended legroom seats. We book our return 1st/Business class and “pay” the extra 20K miles to be on an OGG – DFW 777 or 787 that has lie flat seats. If on 787 you have to decide if you will take rear facing seats. We usually select the forward-facing seats but I’m not sure it really makes a difference.
Window seats on the left side usually get a better view at Honolulu airport, since prevailing trade winds lead air traffic to orient that side towards the land.
When to buy tickets? We typically fly Premium Economy which from Ontario, Calif to HNL is about $800-$1000. When we made our September reservations in April, 1st class was $1167. So, it was close enough to Premium, we bought the 1st class tickets.
Today, that 1st class ticket on the only nonstop from Ontario is $1706 and Premium on Hawaiian (our airline) is $1369.
So, will fares go up or down between now & Sep 9? No one knows for sure. Too bad we can’t sell our seats and get the Premium for $400 less than today’s first class! No matter which way they go, we got a deal. However, 1st class from Ontario gives you a crappy recliner seat with 39″ of pitch. 1st class from LAX today is $1513 on Hawaiian 76″ pitch on sleeper seats. No thanks LAX
Rod you scored a great deal, enjoy it! We typically don’t pay over $550.00 per ticket and have spent as little as $425.00. Of course they weren’t First Class. Happy and Safe Skies.
Thank you, BOH, for another interesting article! Do you know which seats get the least turbulence? How about safest? I’ve Googled these topics and have never found anything completely conclusive.
Mahalo!
Hi Lanell.
Thanks We aren’t sure actually. Maybe one of the other aviation aficionados will chime in to answer your interesting question.
Aloha.
Not sure about turbulence being less in one part of the plane as opposed to another, but I have always read that the rear of the plane is safest. Makes sense: physics.
I’ll have to ask my aerospace engineer son about the turbulence question. 😄
Cindy,
I don’t recall reading of any significant accident that resulted in any lower deaths for back of the plane passengers.
The best seat on the plane to avoid turbulence is either over the wings or towards the front of the aircraft. The wings of the plane keep it balanced and smooth, whereas the tail of the aircraft can bounce up and down more. (Google search)
exactly what my hubby says and he worked on Top Gun technology for an aerospace company (which I cannot name for security reasons) as a software/electrical engineer
Lanell, the further forward you sit the less you’ll feel the turbulence. I guess you could think of it as a sort of pendulum effect.
A plane enters an area of turbulence nose first obviously and the tail will have the largest movement.
Keep in mind turbulence really isn’t a hazard unless you are not wearing your seatbelt or someone has a heavy unsecured item near you.
Sorry to say but theoretically the tail is the safest place to be in the highly unlikely event of a crash, or so they say. A crash is so rare it’s hard to prove that with meaningful statistics. I guess you could also choose by an emergency exit, it’s a roomier seat too.
We’ve been flying into Kauai for nearly 30 years. Early on, I realized that the flights from continental US nearly always land going east, turning from their westward flight over the ocean in the area northeast of Poipu. Since we are anxious and delighted to see the greenery and beauty of the island from the air, and to view the area where we’ll be staying in the Lihue area, I always get a window seat on the left side. Just a wonderful nice ‘tingle’ for an octogenarian to spend about 5 minutes or so surveying what we love so well before those wheels hit the ground!! My wife always wants an aisle seat, so we select our seats when we make the reservations (at least 8 months in advance) and we can always get our preference.
Another tip: if you book far in advance, check your reservation at least every two weeks. Check to make sure that there hasn’t been a change in seats or flights. The earlier you find out about changes, the more options you hav to get your favorite seats back..
Great information. I might add that even though you pre-reserve seats and pay for upgrades that you regularly check/confirm your reservation. Change of scheduled times or aircraft could get you reassigned to a seat that you do not accept. It has happened numerous times since we purchase tickets months in advance to lock in fares. We pay and pick for specific seats as discussed in the article but find we have been moved without noticed. Yes, even HA does this. Additionally, certain seats are released for assignment at the airport on the day of the flight so you need to persistent to get the seats you are looking for.
SeatGuru and SeatMaestro are also good for determining which seats are over a wing, blocking your view. Also, a map will show you which seats don’t have a window in the right place. The airlines have recently been greedily squeezing more rows in, so many seats are often offset from the windows. Some “window seats” have no window at all.
It’s not correct to imply that “greed” is part of airline space use. They only do what customers will tolerate, and most people would rather pay a little less with efficient seating, rather than guarantee a window lines up with every row.
Efficient Seating? It’s nothing but reducing personal space and comfort to add additional seating which equates to a Money Grab! They add seats, give a small break on ticket prices and a few months later they raise prices higher than they had been. That is Greed. That’s being Inconsiderate and Money Hungry. There’s been Plenty of Complaints and they never change the seats back voluntarily.
With SW it’s that 24 hour thing and for a bit of cost the 36 hour thing. We prefer the exit rows, there’s bit more room.
Aloha