Major change from DOT to impact Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines Hawaii flights, perhaps others.
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133 thoughts on “Why DOT Just Approved Major Route Cuts For Alaska and Hawaiian”
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Major change from DOT to impact Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines Hawaii flights, perhaps others.
Get Breaking Hawaii Travel News
Comments are closed.
I just got off the phone with Hawaiian Airlines, I decided to take the flight credit instead of going to battle. The cust serv rep NEVER used the word cancel, but asked me if I wanted to cancel, I never agreed to that. I danced around it in case I need leverage later. They gave me until May 2022 to use the flight credit. I never did get an email from them canceling the flight. They are playing the DOT word game. In my opinion I should have been offered both options no questions asked, since it is not my fault and also not HA’s fault. Now onto the property management company to do the same! Already been told they are not offering a refund. I won’t name who it is yet.
I just chatted online with Hawaiian and they are resuming service to and from Seattle from HNL starting May 1. Should I get my ticket now or wait to hear what the state says?
We have a trip to Hawaii September 29 hope we can go then
Thank
You
Hi Gregory.
We do too.
Aloha.
If it helps anyone: Our May 3-18 flights (Sacramento to Kona) on Alaska Airlines did not get a recorded flight change until April 17; at that time I was *not* notified, but it showed as a schedule change in my Alaska account online.
The schedule change for outbound had us arriving on-island seven hours later than originally and the flight numbers for three out of four flights were entirely different. The return flight was later by just one hour. I called Alaska Airlines where the hold time was listed for 46 minutes so I opted for a callback. Callback was 44 minutes later (pretty good guessing on their system’s part!) and the representative (from Phoenix, AZ) was friendly and helpful. I used the phrase, “refund in form of original payment” (which happened to be an Alaska credit card) and there was absolutely *no* issue getting the full refund, even though the final leg was less than an hour in difference from the original reservation. I did not have to whine, beg, whimper or anything else. 😀 As of today, the associated Companion Pass has been restored to my account and the credit card refund shows on my bank card statement.
My advice if you’re dealing with Alaska Airlines for your Hawai’i trip? Don’t wait for an email, go check your trips online to find the schedule cancel/change. And, the change may not be reflected until almost two weeks our (YMMV).
My trip is in July. I’m still hoping we can go. Thank you for all your really helpful updates!
Hi Diane.
Thank you.
Aloha.
I have a question. I have tix for early May with Hawaiian. I’ve been waiting, patiently, for some of this to resolve itself. I’m fine with a full credit to book after a vac cine is found, hopefully before 12/2021. When you say contact via social media are you referring to the Hawaiian Airline Facebook page? Or, and? Please, I’d really appreciate some guidance. Mahalo
Hi Katie.
What others are reporting is that contact via direct messaging on FB and Twitter has been well responded to.
Aloha.
We had a trip on april 28th to Kaui that was cancelled, so we made another flight may 12 to 20th which was taken off by south west, when I called they said I could get a refund. THEY gave me $12.92 out of a $359. Flight..how they are getting around it is. They are saying that it was travel funds but I paid only Visa in Feb. For 5 people, but they cancelled our first flight so that became travel funds, even though I didnt cancel them..I wont be flying with them again ! I would like my money back and I found a flight with someone else because I was told I could get a refund ..it was a kick in the face and in the message waiting on the phone all they talk about is being kind and real with cute with customers and Transperancy ! What a crock
Our flight on Alaska airlines for April 1st was cancelled. I asked for a refund and after checking with her supervisor it was immediately granted. The Alaska rep, who was working from home indicated it would take a while to process the refund. It took a a couple of weeks but the refund eventually got to my credit card company and they are sending me a check right away. Alaska gets a 5 star rating for their response. We are not sure when we will reschedule for the mainland ( Bay Area ) trip but probably in mid May. We have been looking at non stops from Maui. Alaska has one to San Jose, hopefully they will keep it in their new schedule. Thanks for all your good information.
Hi Ken.
Thanks for the update on your situation – we’re glad it was resolved.
Aloha.
thanks again for keeping us up to date on happening in our beloved islands. ima gonna obey the rules anyway and come back when its safe for me and the islanders. thanks again
Hi Mary.
Thanks for your comments over the past 7 years. Much appreciated.
Aloha.
When I received an email from Southwest that our flights had been canceled, it indicated I could bank the funds and use them until June of next year. I emailed the company kindly asking for a refund instead and the very next day I received an email indicating that the funds had been credited to our credit card. Impressive!
Wow!I wish we would of got the same experience..our is quite different ! P
My flight is out of San Francisco non stop to Maui on May 12th, which they are saying is not cancelled. If said flight is now going into Honolulu with a 1 hour layover before Maui is that considered a significant schedule change to qualify for a refund?
Marilyn did NOT have to reschedule her trip with HA for May 8th? We have travel plans with HA for May 9th and our agent says we need to reschedule. I’m a little confused. Can someone please clarify? We do not want to cancel and get a refund. We want to be able to go visit our favorite place on Earth.
Hi Nancy.
Not exactly sure what you are asking for. Likely if you try to come in May, you would be confined to a hotel for 14 days. No beach, no grocery store, no leaving for any reason, or even walking on the property. That under penalty of $5k fine or 1 year in jail. No exceptions. More clarification on dates coming soon, as indicated in post.
Aloha.
Hi there
Have flights with Hawaiian Airlines Sydney -Honolulu 5/8/20 return 5/29/20 which includes several interisland
flights.
We booked through a travel agent,our flights are apparently still showing as on schedule which of course cannot be right,our travel agent haso negotiatedo a refund (thanks so to your great advice regarding DOT)but Hawaiian is saying refund will take approximately 12 weeks & another 10 weeks for funds to go into our bank account,this seems ridiculous, what do you think or we can take a flight credit to be used before 31/12/2021.
Thanks heaps
Deb Australia
Hi Deb.
That time frame for refund sounds completely unreasonable. When third parties are involved, whether OTA or travel agent, it just adds another layer of complexity. So what about checking with your credit card company? Let us know how it goes.
Aloha.
IT WORKED!! Thanks to your readers for the head’s up. I posted and PM’d on Facebook! I did threaten to call my bank and DOT. don’t know if that had anything to do with it. Here is the message I got today on FB pm.
“Aloha Ane, we apologize for the delayed response – as you can imagine, we’re seeing unprecedented levels of contacts during this time. We completely understand your refund request and due to COVID-19, we’ve authorized and processed full refund of your reservation including the Extra Comfort seat. Please be advised that the refund process may take 7 business days to complete and may take up to 1-2 billing cycle for the credit to show up on your card statement. Mahalo.”
YEA!!!! So glad cause I could not get through to the bank either today!
Any thoughts on refund on trip insurance for cancelled trips?
Thanks so much you guys ROCK!
Hi Ane.
Thanks! So happy that worked for you! Did you buy the trip insurance separately or from the airline? Seems to make sense if there’s no trip then there’s no trip insurance. So perhaps start by contacting whoever you bought it from and then if that doesn’t work, ask the credit card company. Let us know how that goes.
Aloha.
Aloha,
Please I need assistance regarding my travel. A group of friends and family (11) planned a tour to Australia-NZ leaving Hawaii on May 28, 2020. Arrangements were made with a travel agency in San Diego. Due to cancellation because of this situation, we wanted our refund. Three different airlines were involved. Hawaiian Airlines, Jet Star and Air New Zealand. Per travel agency:
Results: HAL only will refund $400.00, not the full amount. Wrong-
Jet Star no refund.
Air New Zealand $650.00 refund pay $50.00 for cancellation. If I want the credit for future travel by March 2021, same person, same place NZ.
The travel agency has not been very helpful. I feel responsible for this as I booked this travel. I Have contacted HA and should get a full refund. Air New Zealand, no phone contact, Yor expertise, and leadership is very much appreciated, what is my rights as a traveler.
Mahalo, for your time.
Hi Lani.
Since there is a big group and a lot of money involved, perhaps you need to look further into the legal aspects. That is certainly not our expertise. One thought is to check with the credit card company used to pay, since your contract for flights is not being fulfilled.
Aloha.
I just received a call from Southwest cancelling my April 26 flight to Honolulu. I had booked in February and saw the flight for less in March, so cancelled and immediately rebooked same flight using the cancelled travel funds. Even though Southwest cancelled, they have refused to refund the ticket because the flight now shows booked with “travel funds.” So the advantage of booking with Southwest because a customer can change or rebook if the flight becomes cheaper now comes back to bite me. This flight happened to be for my daughter who is now pregnant and won’t be traveling before next June to use the funds. I will still try to get a better resolution, but thought readers might be interested in knowing this. Thanks, again, for the work you do to keep readers up-to-date on these quickly changing events!
Hi Sue.
Thanks for the nice words, and for letting us know what happened. That is unfortunate how what is normally a benefit on SW backfired.
Aloha.
Hawaiian cancelled all flights to Hokkaido until July so Panda Travel refunded my deposit and insurance. I had purchased interisland tickets from Big Island to Honolulu for this trip. Although travel dates and times coincide with the cancelled Hokkaido flight, the agent could not give me a refund because my name was not recorded on the flight to Hokkaido – small technicality.
Aloha! Love your blog; it has been especially helpful through all the current confusion. My flights from Sac to/from the islands were cancelled and my miles are being restored. But my May 1 inter-island flight is still scheduled so HA won’t offer a refund (and the travel credit is only through 12/10/20). Obviously, I can’t fly inter-island since I can’t get there in the first place! I’d like a refund or at least more time to use the travel voucher. What do you think?
Mahalo! – Susan
Hi Susan.
Thank you. Suggest contacting them again under the circumstances. It might take several tries, and social media is one suggestion from multiple visitors.
Aloha.
I’m guessing that the airlines understandably do not have the money to give everyone a refund. Come what may, we REALLY need to get this global economy back up and moving again or we are going to experience much more fallout than is necessary or that we bargained for. Let’s not go down without a fight, and not throw the baby out with the bathwater.
I received an email from HA they had cancelled my flight that was leaving on April 22nd. I could ask for a refund or reschedule up to 12/31/2020. I was able to get through by phone very quickly (my surprise). My two children and my nephew were taking my mother’s ashes to be with my father at Punchbowl. It had been hard enough to get the 4/22 date for everyone to agree on but now, with such uncertainty, would be even more difficult. So I opted for a refund until a later date. She told me it would take one to two months to get the refund. I said ok.
Now, just a few days later, they are extending the rescheduling date to 12/31/2021. I would have accepted that with no problem. Also my money was refunded in one day. Did they happen to know something I didn’t? I am not happy with HA.
I had a flight on Mar 30 to Tokyo that had been cancelled by United on 3/25. I initially called to cancel the itinerary and was told I’d receive a travel credit to use within 1yr of when I originally purchased my tickets (June 2019). In June 2020, if I had not used it, I would be granted a refund, because it was an international flight. I called them back today after hearing about the DOT’s policy and asked that I be refunded today instead of later, and this time they did not put up a fuss and gave me back my refund.
Aloha, I received an email from HA today confirming my May 19 flight (what!?). I went to the website and sure enough it showed my flight was still on. *?* I called HA and they did not see a cancellation notice on the flights. I told them that I don’t know how they could expect us to take the flight only to be put on a return flight the same day. Anyway, they finally agreed to give me Ticket Vouchers and said that as long as I booked our flights before February 25, 2021, that I could use the tickets for anytime in 2021 at the same price that we paid for first class (which we got at a bargain thanks to you guys!). So I accepted the vouchers. We had originally booked these flights in November, but HA is still not offering refunds. And because the agent I spoke with said he didn’t have a way to send an email, I wouldn’t receive a confirmation. They said all I had to do was call the airline and give them the voucher numbers when we rebook. Does this sound right to you? Should I call HA again to verify or should I go to DOT and get the refund. Mahalo for all the guidance you provide.
Hi Debi.
Thank you.We have not heard that one before One thought that comes to mind is to get back in touch with Hawaii – a different person, and see what they say about the vouchers, and if corroborates what you were previously told. That might help. The validity dates/terms sound good. Otherwise, you always have the other refund options of credit card and DOT.
Aloha.
Aloha Jeff & Rob –
I took your advice and called HA and found out that I could find my E Ticket / Voucher under “My Receipts” on their website. All I need to do is type in the number and *voila*. They also said that they can look it up for me using my name. They confirmed that I can use the vouchers any time in 2021. Mahalo to you for once again guiding me in the right direction. Aloha
Hi Debi.
That’s great! Thank you for the update.
Aloha.
Our flights show being cancelled on the SW website, for May 13th, but we have never been notified?
Aloha,
Thanks for all the news and updates!
Here’s our experience with Hawaiian Air, we had planned to go from Maui to Seattle 3/31, after getting to spend five months on Maui.
Our flight canceled on 3/23. Long Story short, yesterday rescheduled for 6/1 for the three of us. The flight is about $40 cheaper than our original flight. The rep said he could refund our original flight, but it would take 2 -3 billing cycles. We decided to just reschedule and not refund. I asked the rep for the $40 (times 3) difference. He said no and justified it by saying, they are really doing us a favor by not charging us each $200 rescheduling fees. I told him I think that is by law.
I’m glad we got the flight home, but I do thing we are owed $120!
Be safe everyone!
Thanks for listening.
Hi Lanell.
Thanks. Yes we understand your concern.
Aloha.
Thanks for This info!!! I have also been getting the “run-around” from Hawaiian. Now I have tried posting on FB. WOW! the amount of upset people is crazy!! If they weren’t having a cash flow problem before they surly will in the future. They have lost me as a customer. I will contact DOT or my bank next.
Thanks again!
Ane T.Maui
Hi Ane.
Thanks for your comment. Please let us know how it shakes out.
Aloha. R/J
We communicated via Twitter and our HA saver tickets were fully refunded. The communication took only a few days. I did tell them I was willing to rebook at a date of their choosing since we were flexible, but I wanted the same fare. They said since it was so low they couldn’t rebook but at their suggestion offered the refund.
Despite the fact that my flight no longer shows up online, Hawaiian says my flight is not canceled. My flights are in mid May. I’ve tried several chat sessions to no avail– they insist my flight is not canceled.
Aloha,
I called Southwest on Monday in regards to a refund for our cancelled flights for this week. They were awesome. Did not even ask if we wanted a voucher instead. And yesterday the credit was already on my credit card.
Mahalo for always keeping us up to date. Looking forward to making up our trip soon.
🙂
Hi Hanna.
Thanks for the update.
Aloha.
I was scheduled to fly to Honolulu from Chicago, 4/26-5/2 via United Airlines. I got an email stating that my flight had changed. My departure was originally CHI….LAX….HNL, they changed it to CHI…SFO…HNL. But, they had no return flight for me. So there was no way for me to get back home on 5/2. They refunded me the return flight for obvious reasons. However, they gave me a hard time about refunding the departure flight. I don’t understand why they thought I would want to fly to Honolulu but not have a way back. Long story short, I was persistent and I was granted a refund and after being on hold for 30 minutes. I got the refund for both! Don’t give up!
I had a similar experience like Zach. I called Hawaiian Airlines to see about the refund. I never did say I wanted to cancel I said something to the effect that I see May flights are cancelled. The customer service rep asked if I had received an email stating that. At that time I was unaware about the ’email issue’, I think I said yes, but she came back with your flight is still scheduled on May 10th. I said I will call back later in April and check. So I will wait for this email I guess so I have them stating they cancelled. There is no way I can rebook by end of Dec 2020, maybe 18 months, but 24 months would be better, if I choose credit voucher.
For what it’s worth: we had tickets on Alaska Air for May 1, return to the mainland May 31. SAN-HNL-SAN, nonstop. I called today, explained that in CA we’re on lockdown, plus Alaska Air has eliminated all non-stop flights between SAN-HNL through the end of April and obviously at some point they’re going to do it for May. So I asked if we could just go ahead and cancel now for a refund (not travel credit). They said no. However, since they had previously changed our departure time twice, and the total change made the most recent departure time more than 2 hours different from our original departure time, they would give us a refund on that basis. This might be an angle that works for someone else, if all else fails.