Beat of Hawaii is continuing to bring you more Hawaii flight reviews from our unique Hawaii-based perspective. Today we’re reviewing Hawaiian Airlines’ economy and ExtraComfort offerings. This was our outbound flight from Hawaii to Los Angeles. On the return flight, we authored a Hawaiian Airlines First Class Lie-Flat Review, which has already proven to be one of our most popular articles and has already been seen more than 100k times with many interesting comments.
By introduction, the Beat of Hawaii team, and editor Jeff, in particular, has flown on Hawaiian Airlines hundreds of times over decades. Many of those flights were onboard this same A330 aircraft in all classes (economy, ExtraComfort, and business/first). What’s different is that we’re reviewing airlines that fly to and from Hawaii, and so we approached these Hawaiian Airlines flight reviews, the recent Alaska Airlines review, and our Southwest Airlines review with a more critical eye.
Beat of Hawaii paid in full for this trip, and Hawaiian Airlines was unaware that we would be onboard. Yes, Hawaiian could have looked him up by name, but honestly, they couldn’t have changed the flight’s overall service. The flight cost from Lihue to Los Angeles via Honolulu was $310. Jeff also purchased an ExtraComfort seat upgrade for a jaw-dropping additional $142, which you’ll read more about below. The total amount we paid was $452, one-way.
What worked and what didn’t on Hawaiian Airlines’ economy and ExtraComfort.
On the negative side is the terrible legroom in economy and the relatively poor value for more legroom in ExtraComfort. Add to that the “food,” which has been going downhill for a long time but has achieved new lows.
On the plus side, we still love the aging A330 fleet for its spacious, clean, modern, and oversized feel. The Hawaiian Airlines product is very consistent, and they’ve done an excellent job of delivering that in a truly unique way. There’s no doubt that there is a “Hawaii” feel to flying with the airlines that no one else can offer.
The airline is known for superb on-time performance, and they did not disappoint. If we ignore the cost of the extra legroom of ExtraComfort, it makes the flight infinitely more enjoyable. Seat-back entertainment is a nice touch, too that’s been disappearing from most new planes.
Why Economy and ExtraComfort reviews are combined.
Jeff originally intended to fly regular economy and not review the ExtraComfort product on this flight. Unfortunately, the flight he booked was almost entirely full, and the only seat available to him was a middle seat in the 4-across center section. Having been tormented for many hours previously in middle seats on multiple airlines, Jeff didn’t want to experience that again.
For that reason, Jeff purchased a costly ExtraComfort upgrade to his economy ticket, which will now be part of this review. That’s the most he’s ever paid for ExtraComfort. He also was able to move to a regular economy seat later in the flight, so he actually “killed two birds with one stone.” As a result, you’re getting reviews for both Hawaiian’s regular economy and ExtraComfort products. It was a fascinating contrast for us here, and we hope it will be for you as well.
Cost: Economy 10/10.
We won’t fault Hawaiian for the cost much here. We paid more because we booked the trip just a couple of days before flying. If we had planned a little further ahead, the $310 fare could have instead been just $129.
Cost: ExtraComfort 7/10.
Despite the excellent legroom it provided, we couldn’t get a good feeling about the value offered for the ExtraComfort seat price. Some additional offerings, perhaps upgraded food, a checked bag, blanket (Jeff froze), amenity kit, or something else, might have tipped the scale regarding the perceived value we received. When Jeff spoke with his seatmate, who had also paid the extra $142, they shared the same feelings.
Jeff is not proud of paying that $142, but in the end, it was far more comfortable and less stressful for him at 6′ tall. That ExtraComfort seat more than doubled the typical flight cost. Besides the legroom, ExtraComfort doesn’t come with anything other than early boarding and a 110-outlet. One thing worth noting is that Hawaiian has spread the ExtraComfort seats around the plane, making it more challenging to provide a differentiated soft product. Hard product, for those who don’t know, is the physical and fixed aspects of what is being offered, whereas soft product relates more to the service elements.
Customer service: 7/10.
Due to an error we made in booking his flight, Jeff inadvertently ended up with one of the flights being reserved for the wrong day. Our 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 frankly isn’t appropriate to require a phone call in 2022. Furthermore, using low-paid foreign call center employees receives a very low score in our opinion compared with Alaska, Southwest, and others, who answer the phone with airline employees based in the US. In countless comments, BOH visitors have also complained about this.
Check-in: 9/10.
The online check-in process was easy, and Jeff was checked in within one minute. Changes in seats once selected, and bag checking didn’t seem intuitive, but that may just have been us. These were found after check-in was completed.
No problem either when checking in at the airport. The kiosk-based service was easy to use. The only thing Jeff couldn’t figure out was how to attach his printed baggage check to his luggage. There was someone there to help.
Checked baggage. As a Hawaiian credit card holder, Jeff was entitled to one free bag, which he brought for overnight shopping in California. Otherwise, the cost of his checked bag, even after the $142 seat, would have been an additional $35.
Boarding: 10/10.
We will skip the Lihue boarding as being largely irrelevant to this review and only address boarding in Honolulu. Because Jeff was getting onto the LA-bound flight from the Lihue flight, which was late due to an inoperative jet bridge at HNL, he arrived at the gate well after his premium boarding group had been called.
Since we’d paid a whopping $142 more for Jeff’s ExtraComfort seat, he approached the gate podium and mentioned that he had missed his boarding zone due to his flight’s late arrival. He was allowed to enter without going to the back of the line. Nice service touch.
On-time Performance: 10/10.
Everything went exactly as scheduled, which is what we expect from Hawaiian. Boarding started about 30 minutes before flight time. The boarding door was closed 5 minutes beforehand, and the flight departed the gate precisely on time. After a 10-minute taxi out to the Reef runway, the plane was airborne.
Food and beverage: 2/10.
Carts were in the aisles within 15 minutes of departure. The first offering is their Pau Hana “purchase-only” snack cart. It had a variety of unhealthy chips and similar options and the infamous Mananalu Pure Water by Jason Momoa for sale. A complimentary beverage service followed that.
“Meals” would be an overly generous term to describe the economy/ExtraComfort food offerings regarding nutrition, aesthetics, and dietary choice. Given that Hawaiian considers itself to be a full-service airline and promotes “meals” as a fundamental aspect of its service offerings, we would rate the food inferior to Southwest, which doesn’t pretend to offer anything more than its own relatively unconscious snack pack.
Read: Classless Southwest Hawaii Review SJC to LIH: Quirky, Unique
Even then, Southwest offered a delicious bespoke cookie and beverage service toward the end of the flight. Hawaiian instead provided a single piece of Hawaiian Host candy one hour before landing, which was the only included offering that spoke “Hawaii” at all.
Furthermore, Hawaiian has no other options for food, so if their mystery “Cheddar Cheese and Chicken Sausage Parmesan” bagel roll (photo below) isn’t to your liking, no other food is even available for purchase. Contrast this with full-service Alaska Airlines to Hawaii, which offers a variety of food for sale. To us, Hawaiian Airlines fared much worse.
Beverages were offered in full cans, with cups and ice. There was no recycling of the aluminum cans, with everything placed in trash bags, which struck us as odd compared with other airlines. After the beverage service, guests were invited to avail themselves of other beverages by visiting the flight attendants at the rear of the plane.
Aircraft condition: 10/10.
The plane, an Airbus A330-200 widebody with twin aisles and 278 seats, was about nine years old. It is still an elegant plane, feels modern and up to date, and there were no signs of any wear and tear.
Wifi/texting: 0/10.
There is still no WiFi or texting on Hawaiian Airlines. However, they intend to finally have free high-speed satellite WiFi starting in 2023. That will be a vast improvement as they are the only airline flying to Hawaii entirely without connectivity at this time.
Flight attendants: 7/10.
The ratio of flight attendants to passengers in economy was very low, appearing to typically be 3 flight attendants actively working with the 260 passengers. As a result, the interaction is limited. We’d also add that the flight attendants weren’t particularly engaged with the passengers, and they didn’t stand out in any way.
As an aside, the flight attendants’ most popular place on the plane by far was the crew rest area adjacent to Jeff’s row 34 seat. With steps downstairs, the area features six cots. Flight attendants reported they could rest for up to 90 minutes on this flight.
Jeff’s overall impression of the flight attendants was that they were lackluster. That was interestingly juxtaposed to his experience the following day in first class.
Cockpit crew interaction: 10/10.
There were several well-timed, courteous, and professional announcements from the flight crew.
Seating and comfort (economy): 7/10.
Overall, the spaciousness of the A330 aircraft compared with any B737 plane is profound. Even if the personal space is the same or less than on other aircraft, there’s something that just feels so much better about flying on a wide body, especially on long flights across the ocean. It can even make up for the lack of personal space in some ways.
Economy is configured as 2-4-2, which is typical for that plane type. Seats are 18 inches wide and provide a mere 31-inch pitch. That amount of legroom provided in regular economy is noticeably less than Southwest Airlines, which has a 32-inch pitch. Editor Jeff reported that Hawaiian’s legroom feels even tighter than the inches indicate. It is simply claustrophobic unless you are an incredibly petite person. As a result, people splay their legs out into the aisle, making getting to the restroom challenging.
Seating and comfort (ExtraComfort): 10/10.
Seating in ExtraComfort can vary from 35-36 inches or even more (compare to 31 inches in regular economy). In row 34, where Jeff sat, the legroom was perhaps close to 72″ due to the flight attendant’s jump seat and the emergency exit doors. As a side note, when considering that row, keep in mind it gets very cold. The reason is that the door leaks air, and it is like having freezing cold air conditioning blowing on you throughout the flight.
Despite the legroom, the seats feel very narrow. That is partly due to how A330 planes are configured with 2-4-2 seating. We aren’t sure if there’s anything different that is even possible.
Hawaiian’s ExtraComfort is not an actual “premium economy” product.
Premium economy is becoming more of a standard offering on full-service airlines. ExtraComfort, however, is merely more legroom and a power outlet, plus early boarding. Having said that, the amount of additional legroom is between very good and extraordinary. But the cost is a significant consideration, and the value proposition in our minds is not great.
By comparison, Delta’s Premium Select actual premium economy (which is available to Hawaii on some routes) offers a wider seat, more recline, and an adjustable footrest and leg rest. They also provide an upgraded amenity kit, noise-canceling headsets, a blanket made from recycled materials, and a memory-foam pillow.
Power: AC/USB 9/10.
All guests are provided USB power which is great, except for laptop computers. Only ExtraComfort and first class have AC power.
Entertainment 10/10.
The A330 features seat-back entertainment screens. That’s still a nice touch when you tire of using your phone for entertainment, which has become the only option on many planes, including Hawaiian’s own narrow-body A321 fleet, on Alaska, Southwest, and others.
Cabin monitors played flight maps and time to destination throughout the flight. The times were off, however, and it displayed 6 AM In LA when it was actually 3 PM.
Score (economy): 101 out of 130.
Score (ExtraComfort): 101 out of 130.
The differences in score are based on less value in ExtraComfort but more legroom.
What’s your take on Hawaiian Airlines’ economy or ExtraComfort?
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Deb L says
I recently flew out of Ontario, CA on HA79. Sorry, I forget what type of craft it is, but it was 3/3 seating with a very narrow center aisle. I had a window seat. I must admit that I always pray the middle seat goes unoccupied these days, for obvious reason. It unfortunately was occupied. Ever since Hawaiian restored the Ontario route it’s been the airport of choice for me. I cannot bear going through LAX any more. The walk from the check-in counter to the boarding gate is over 1 mile I’ve been told. This is insane. Insane. Passengers are not warned in advance of this, a major problem, especially for small children and the elderly. My 71 year old companion nearly stroked out getting to the gate. (to be continued)
Deb L says
Continuing… The food was a meh sausage sandwich. My seat felt cramped. My knees touched the seat in front of me and I’m not tall. The width of the seats was the usual, and when you realize you are shoulder2shoulder/butt2butt physically touching a stranger for 6 hours, it’s not ok. I hate being treated like just another piece of cargo that is loaded onto the plane. I hate flying now. It has become so uncomfortable that I no longer want to travel by air. Something must be done and soon. I imagine the airlines adding an upper row so they can double capacity. This awful treatment to human beings has become INhuman. I want something to be done about this, but what? If you can’t afford 1st class you must fly as cargo. It is no longer OK.
John says
Hawaiian Airlines has the worst leg room unless you pay extra.
Southwest has the best and most leg room without paying extra
Jim T says
John,
The seat pitch on Hawaiian Airlines Economy is 31 inches. The seat pitch on Southwest is 31 inches. Oh! I think that means they are THE Same. If you doubt me, check SeatGuru.com. However if you are talking about inter-island and not flights to the mainland or Canada, I will agree that Hawaiian may be less as some of the B-717s have a 29 inch seat pitch, others have 31 inches. On most inter-island flights I can deal with 29 inches. The longest inter-island flight is only about 52 minutes.
Jordan D. says
Jim,
That’s actually incorrect. While seat pitch on Southwest’s 737-700s is roughly 31 inches, the pitch is 32-33 inches on their -800s and MAX 8s. Since only the MAX and -800 jets fly to Hawaii, Southwest does have greater seat pitch than the Hawaiian offerings in that scenario.
Monica B. says
I’m 5’1″ and would not do long haul flights without booking an extra comfort seat. In the regular economy seat, it’s impossible to reach your under-seat bag if the person in front of you has their seat reclined.
Variations in charges for add-ons like extra comfort are seemingly arbitrary. I changed my flight by one day and they wanted to charge me an additional $180 when I’d already paid $170 for that one-way extra comfort seat.
To end on a positive note, flight personnel are gracious and professional.
Jim T says
Here is something that will only be relevant for those in the greater Los Angeles area. It is a video I did, comparing flying from Long Beach to Kahului vs Los Angeles to Kahului comparing the differences in Extra Comfort and Main Cabin. Of course, the same comparision will hold for flights to Honolulu as the equipment is the same, A320s out of Long Beach, A-330s from Los Angeles. I am not a professional videographer and it is not a revenue producer, just something to help educate.
youtu.be/NbnBUTf6-wA
Carol T says
Great article & comments. We visit Maui annually, most recently in October, and will be in Kauai for the holidays. We preferred Hawaiian, primarily for the 2-4-2 configuration. As a couple, we dislike the 3-seat configurations that are typical in economy and EC. One of us has to be in the middle and it’s miserable. The seat configuration plus good food and friendly flight attendants made it a no-brainer to fly Hawaiian. Sadly, have to agree the food has gone downhill dramatically and the flight attendants are less engaged (but still courteous). We’ll be considering other carriers from now on. Alaska & Delta are eager to compete, among others.
Linda says
I’m a 6’ tall woman, and cannot fit comfortably in an economy seat
Roxann C says
I had been in a bad car accident two days before leaving to come home when entering the airport I asked if I could pay for closer seating as I was black & blue, 2 black eyes and 3 broken ribs. The airport attendant told me absolute not, wouldn’t even consider me paying for something to help me get home more comfortable. I was in a middle of 4 seats and had such a hard time getting out of the seat a man had to help me. Because of this I am done with Hawaiian.
Lauren C. says
Hi Jeff and the gang.
Have you come across this before? To preface, we moved to Maui last fall and I fly back to SFO often. On a 2 pm flight on Hawaiian this past March from OGG to SFO, a flight attendant announced shortly after take-off that we must close our window blinds for those on computers, phones, etc. This was a first for me on any *daytime* flight. I closed mine half-way, but then the person in the aisle seat told me to close it all the way. That’s a first too, but as the flight attendant had ordered it, I complied. Normally, I’d politely point out that I’d already closed it half-way, & that I wanted the some natural light (it’s also a safety bonus on a plane). I’ve since just flown Alaska ’cause of the daylight. Thoughts? Thanks!
Beat of Hawaii says
Hi Lauren.
Yes, we’ve seen that before on Hawaiian. We can’t remember if that is true on all their flights or not. When they bring the Dreamliners onboard, they’ll be controlling the dimming of all of the windows electronically, so that will be the end of that. For better or worse.
Aloha.
Cindy C says
Completely agree with all
Of your Comments .
Hawaiian has Lots of
Work to Improve
Lanell says
Aloha, thank you for the information. We flew Seattle to Maui a few days ago in regular seats, nothing exciting there. We also noticed the flight attendants were less engaged, they’re probably worn out.
The food. Yikes! It has gone so far downhill. I couldn’t eat the bagel, or whatever with cheese and pork bacon. There are lots of people who don’t eat pork, so why would they serve it? Fortunately, I brought leftover veggie pizza.
Looking forward to your next article.
Lanell
Beat of Hawaii says
Hi Lanell.
Thanks. We’re appreciate hearing from you. And this sanity check.
Aloha.
PAMM says
Aloha Beat of Hawaii!
I actually flew HA last week from HNL to SFO.
Everything was good on the A330, 1st class seats, because my Ohana are 6’5 and 6’10. (Yes, that’s tall)
It was all good until we landed.
I was taking my pillow with me.
The flight attendant from the other part of the plane was an older female. She grabbed the pillow, yelled at me that it belongs to her and cut my arm with her really long nails.
I was bleeding through my shirt.
Then I went to get a checked bag that was destroyed.
1st class cost each of us 1k.
Hawaiian won’t return my calls.
Anywhere else it’d be called assault.
Mahalo to you both.🌺
Beat of Hawaii says
Hi Pam.
Thanks. We’re so sorry to hear about your experience! Have you contacted their executive office (call their Corp ofc to get there)? Please let us know how it turns out.
Aloha.
SherP says
We love Hawaiian Airlines when going to the islands yearly. BUT we used to upgrade for about $100+ from LAX to the islands for Extra Comfort in previous years but this year, it was over $200. With a family of 4, that’s an upgrade for almost $1K just for one way. I might start looking at other airlines that offers a better deal for extra leg room.
Ed D. says
BOH, Here is a question for you regarding the “upgrade Fee for the “Extra Comfort” seat:
The price of the Flight was more because Jeff waited till the last couple of Days to Book the Flight. Would it be an accurate assumption to say that if he had booked earlier to obtain the $129.00 Air Fare, that the Upgrade to “Extra Comfort” would also have been less expensive? I am only asking this in Fairness to Hawaiian Airlines. If you could find this out and let us all know, it would be “useful information” for us to have when booking in the future. I would find it incredible odd, that the “upgrade” would cost more than the actual “ticket price” for a regular economy seat if booked well in advance. Please let us know. Thanks for your help.
Beat of Hawaii says
Hi Ed.
Great question. No. The upgrade fee would not have been less unfortunately.
Aloha.
TammyB says
As BOH said, the price of EC doesn’t fluctuate like the actual airfares do for a flight.
But the price for an EC is different depending on:
what airport you fly out of/into Hawaii,
where the seat is on the plane
and the time.
I was shocked that he had to pay $142.00 one way for an EC. From OAK or SFO I see the price varies from $45.00 to $95.00, again depending on departing airport, island arrival, seat map and schedule.
Hope this helps.
MichaelM says
Aloha Jeff & Rob and all at BoH.
Just returned to Ireland from a trip to the Big Island Maui.
(Incidentally, the queue for the flight back to Los Angeles at Maui was horrendous- well over an hour!)
Because I’m traveling back to Europe from the Islands, I usually travel Extra Comfort on Hawaiian. As a six foot plus, I have always enjoyed and been very happy with Hawaiian and that extra space. The sandwich offered is a sandwich more than any of the other carriers. It’s nothing exceptional, but better than nothing. I prefer the seats on the A330 to the A331, but have experience both and the space is fine.
I still look forward to the time Hawaiian will fly direct from Europe on the 787’s Extra Comfort…
Keep well and all good wishes.
Beat of Hawaii says
Hi Michael.
Our paths almost just crossed again on the BI. Hope they will again soon.
Aloha.
Emily B says
Any other long haul carriers offer much better complimentary meals than Hawaiian even tries to.
Steve says
HA charges more for a one way ticket than half of a round trip. I prefer segment pricing like SW and Alaska. Usually a better deal.
Rod W says
BOH,
Jeff gave a less than stellar review of “Seating and comfort (ExtraComfort),” yet it was rated a 10. Seems like an 8 or 9 would have been more on target.
In the past, we flew from San Diego – a 3 1/2 hour drive (anything to avoid LAX). We flew Extra Comfort in a small 3-row section just behind First. It was pretty comfortable but just was not enough legroom.
When they started offering non-stop from Ontario, we jumped at it. Last year we took Extra Comfort – so underwhelming in a single-aisle plane. So this year we took first class. Which, in reality, was more like Extra Comfort with better service and a bit more legroom. I think, if we go 1st-class next trip, it will be from San Diego or, God forbid LAX – wide bodies are great.
JIm T says
Rod W take a look a flying out of Long Beach! Most of trips have been from LAX on the A 330 but I prefer flying from Long Beach due to less traffic, hassell, stress, and now the long trek to the gate at LAX. My wife does not like the A 321 from Long Beach but hates the trek at LAX. I think we should just flip a coin each trip to decide from where we depart.
Turia M. says
Flew HA last Saturday night from Tahiti to Honolulu then Honolulu to Pdx and have to say, getting more disappointed by the minute. Paid 4 ways extra comfort seats as much as 100 $ each then had to change my return date so lost on my original seats, had to pay more money to get extra seats again. In fact, I don’t know how these seats can qualified for extra comfort when they are uncomfortable to begin with. I won’t even talk about the food. Been flying the same route for several years because I like the times but seriously looking at different companies where my money would go a long way.
DebraM says
Aloha Rob+Jeff So I bought extra comfort for our trip Oct 11-20 there and back. The seats going back were 160.00 ea. Was less than 125.00 going to Lihue. I prefer the comfort seats near the front. Don’t know why they are spaced in each section. The food has gotten really bad. I bring my own. Will give you a report on my flight experience when the event happens. Am gearing up for “the hike” at LAX on Tuesday. Cheers!!!
Beat of Hawaii says
Hi Debra
Yes please let us know. Thanks and happy travels!
Aloha.
Janice. S says
So sad to read about the status is meals …. Many years ago popular chefs designed meals for Hawaiian Airlines… it made for such s pleasant trip…
Tom B says
Thank you for this assessment. I’m in San Diego and visit at least every other year – sometimes annually.
With the completion for these flights, Southwest excluded, it might help to compare other airlines.
I’ve used Hawaiian once, but have used others and comparing offerings would be good.
I want to keep Hawaiian at the top of my list. My in-laws do, but I think an objective view of 5-6 hours in a captive machine should consider what it is we’re accomplishing. We step on a plane in (pick location) and step off in (pick Hawaiian destination).
Delta and Alaska offer foo alternatives.