56 thoughts on “Latest News on Southwest Hawaii Plans at Risk”
Dorothy
Mahalo! Mahalo! Mahalo! You are absolutely the best source for Hawaii travel, and I don’t mean just the cost of airfare. Our family has been so fortunate to travel to Hawaii multiple times, and we completely trust your reports on background, updates, and judgment calls on the world of air travel to beautiful Hawaii.
Dorothy from Los Angeles
Beat of Hawaii
Hi Dorothy.
Thanks so much! You’re comment is up there with Arthur Frommer’s (“if you’re a fan of the Hawaiian Islands, rush quick to Beat of Hawaii”) in terms of our all time favorite.
Aloha.
David S
Could you give me your best guess on RT fares from Oakland to Maui around the middle of July? I realize the uncertainty of the SouthWest situation may impact your answer.
Thanks!
David
Beat of Hawaii
Hi David.
Probably just under $500 is the right target. There are a few of those already and more might be added.
Aloha.
David
Thanks so much for your prediction. You are the only website that we can rely on for a factual answer. Keep up the good work!
Aloha,
David
Beat of Hawaii
Hi David.
Thank you!
Aloha.
Kirsten
Appreciate all of these updates! I see you guys are wonderful at answering questions so I’ve got a tough one you may be able to help with..
The fiancé and I are planning a budget-friendly trip to Hawaii for our honeymoon in October! We’re in Sacramento so we have been waiting in hopes Southwest not only announces their expansion to Hawaii from Sac, but for also a sort of good sale when they finally do. However all this holding out has been making us nervous…especially since we aren’t “married” to going out of Sac, it would just be most convenient especially if it happened to be an excellent deal. SO my question is do you happen to know which airport from my area (SFO, Oakland, San Jose, or Sacramento) tends to be cheapest overall to fly to Hawaii, regardless of airline? And to which island tends to be least expensive? (I’m hoping for Honolulu). I know that’s a loaded question but I figured it doesn’t hurt to pick your brain(s). Basically we’re looking to fly out of almost any nearby airport to any island..just looking for the cheapest deal to get us there! Thanks!
Beat of Hawaii
Hi Kirsten.
Thank you and we’re happy to help. It is extremely likely that Southwest from Sacramento for fall will work out and that there will be sales in that time period. Not sure about the price point to hit, but let’s say under $300 RT and perhaps as little as low $200’s. Otherwise, Oakland and San Jose switch off being the cheapest. Maui is the going to be best priced, but Honolulu should be much more if at all. Let us know how it works out for you. Congratulations!
Aloha.
Dean
Thank you for your helpful information. Even with the promise of SW flights to Kauai opening up, Your updates helped me decide not to wait. We booked our flights for the last of May on Alaska Airlines some time back. Also, thank you for the info about the road to Kee Beach. That has helped us in our plans!
Beat of Hawaii
Hi Dean.
Thank you. Enjoy your time on here on Kauai!
Aloha.
Lanaya C
Hi just wondering what was said about the road to Kee Beach? we will be traveling to Kauai in October.
thanks
Beat of Hawaii
Hi Lanaya.
It will be open and parking by advance reservation will be possible. More info on all that coming soon.
Aloha.
Oliver
great info, thanks for the update! I’ll have to send some of our readers your way.
Wendy
Thank you for all of the updates! I always look forward to reading your emails.
We have a trip booked for Maui in May on SWA.
One of your readers commented (about a week or so ago) that the planes they are currently using are the “wrong type of plane and it was only a matter of time before it would be realized”. Do you know possibly what that comment was referring to ? Are SWA pilots experienced & trained enough fly that long over the Pacific since they have never done so until now? I know that sounds like a dumb question but my confidence in the FAA isn’t that great at the moment after all of the news coverage on the Max 8. I also read somewhere that SWA pilots had to be trained “quickly” after the FAA certified SWA. His comment made me feel uneasy.
Doesn’t Alaska Airlines use the same type of plane that SW was using??
Just curious to know what your thoughts are on that comment and any comments you may have heard from your readers that have been on the SWA flights to Hawaii.
Thank you in advance for any insight you have.
Beat of Hawaii
Hi Wendy.
We would fly on Southwest without hesitation. Having said that, airline choice is a personal matter. Southwest certainly has tons of flight experience from short to long flights. They don’t normally “pull over” on the mainland due to problems. 🙂 We also know pilots who work for Southwest, Delta and others, and they are uniformly experienced and professional.
As for comments regarding Southwest and other airlines on Beat of Hawaii. We receive comments that are from people who we strongly suspect have a financial stake in this situation. We aren’t speaking about any commentor in particular, but this is something that we’ve become aware of over the years. Too much money at stake and we have a large and engaged viewership.
Hope that helps.
Aloha.
Wendy
Thank you so much for your reply about my concerns – y’all are awesome!
Wendy
Beat of Hawaii
Hi Wendy.
You’re most welcome Glad it helped!
Aloha.
Samantha P.
Appreciate the update. I need to go one way from Maui to San Diego the first week of September. Right now the prices on Hawaiian are $223 each. Google flights say this is high although Hawaiian say they are having a sale right now. It will be our first time in Hawaii so I’m sure what’s normal for that time of year. Do you think I should hold out for the next Southwest announcement? Is $223 one way a good or bad price in your opinion. Thanks in advance for your opinion.
Beat of Hawaii
Hi Samanta.
That’s an okay price but not great. Should be better by up to $100 or more each way if you can wait a bit.
Aloha.
Samantha P
Thanks so much. I will hold out.
Rhonda P
Hi Jeffrey – Since there is no risk booking a flight and changing it on Southwest for free (YAY! – no change fees) I would suggest booking your flight now if there is a good price from HNL to SJC or Oakland. I booked to Kona and Maui from SNA via SJC and Oakland with the hopes of getting a better price and direct flight from San Diego if it opens up before we fly in October. At least this way I make sure I have a ticket there and back if the flights I want do open up in time or at a good price.
Gloria K
Interested in routes and prices to Hawaii from San Diego.
Monique
We live in Savannah Georgia and I’ve seen the best flights to Hawaii in June are going to be from California at some point so we are waiting to see what the prices will drop to before June and then take a flight from Savannah to California but we are waiting to see if prices will go lower.
Jeffrey L
Okay, I know you can’t predict the future, but as a best guess – I’m looking for tickets back from Honolulu to Northern CA in late June (I managed to score one way SJC to HNL tickets last month for $139 each, yay!) and am getting nervous watching prices go up slowly. Do I book HNL to Oakland or San Jose now, or keep waiting for the Sacramento announcement? Thoughts based on your experience?
Jenn S
Thank you for the update! I’m currently waiting for an update in hopes of getting an inter island flight from HNL to Lihue for an 20th wedding anniversary trip in August or even a return flight from LIH to somewhere in California then home to Phoenix. Currently we have flights booked to HNL both ways on Southwest but have a timeshare booked for the last half of our trip to Kauai & would love to not have to fly back to HNL but Hawaiian only offers round-trip inter island flights! Any thoughts or advice! Thank you in advance 🙂
Beat of Hawaii
Hi Jenn.
Hawaiian sells inter-island as one way. No problem there. Just be sure to select that option. Can’t say about Lihue, but likely there will be flights to Oakland and more. We should know about that soon.
Aloha.
Comments are closed.
Aloha!
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Mahalo! Mahalo! Mahalo! You are absolutely the best source for Hawaii travel, and I don’t mean just the cost of airfare. Our family has been so fortunate to travel to Hawaii multiple times, and we completely trust your reports on background, updates, and judgment calls on the world of air travel to beautiful Hawaii.
Dorothy from Los Angeles
Hi Dorothy.
Thanks so much! You’re comment is up there with Arthur Frommer’s (“if you’re a fan of the Hawaiian Islands, rush quick to Beat of Hawaii”) in terms of our all time favorite.
Aloha.
Could you give me your best guess on RT fares from Oakland to Maui around the middle of July? I realize the uncertainty of the SouthWest situation may impact your answer.
Thanks!
David
Hi David.
Probably just under $500 is the right target. There are a few of those already and more might be added.
Aloha.
Thanks so much for your prediction. You are the only website that we can rely on for a factual answer. Keep up the good work!
Aloha,
David
Hi David.
Thank you!
Aloha.
Appreciate all of these updates! I see you guys are wonderful at answering questions so I’ve got a tough one you may be able to help with..
The fiancé and I are planning a budget-friendly trip to Hawaii for our honeymoon in October! We’re in Sacramento so we have been waiting in hopes Southwest not only announces their expansion to Hawaii from Sac, but for also a sort of good sale when they finally do. However all this holding out has been making us nervous…especially since we aren’t “married” to going out of Sac, it would just be most convenient especially if it happened to be an excellent deal. SO my question is do you happen to know which airport from my area (SFO, Oakland, San Jose, or Sacramento) tends to be cheapest overall to fly to Hawaii, regardless of airline? And to which island tends to be least expensive? (I’m hoping for Honolulu). I know that’s a loaded question but I figured it doesn’t hurt to pick your brain(s). Basically we’re looking to fly out of almost any nearby airport to any island..just looking for the cheapest deal to get us there! Thanks!
Hi Kirsten.
Thank you and we’re happy to help. It is extremely likely that Southwest from Sacramento for fall will work out and that there will be sales in that time period. Not sure about the price point to hit, but let’s say under $300 RT and perhaps as little as low $200’s. Otherwise, Oakland and San Jose switch off being the cheapest. Maui is the going to be best priced, but Honolulu should be much more if at all. Let us know how it works out for you. Congratulations!
Aloha.
Thank you for your helpful information. Even with the promise of SW flights to Kauai opening up, Your updates helped me decide not to wait. We booked our flights for the last of May on Alaska Airlines some time back. Also, thank you for the info about the road to Kee Beach. That has helped us in our plans!
Hi Dean.
Thank you. Enjoy your time on here on Kauai!
Aloha.
Hi just wondering what was said about the road to Kee Beach? we will be traveling to Kauai in October.
thanks
Hi Lanaya.
It will be open and parking by advance reservation will be possible. More info on all that coming soon.
Aloha.
great info, thanks for the update! I’ll have to send some of our readers your way.
Thank you for all of the updates! I always look forward to reading your emails.
We have a trip booked for Maui in May on SWA.
One of your readers commented (about a week or so ago) that the planes they are currently using are the “wrong type of plane and it was only a matter of time before it would be realized”. Do you know possibly what that comment was referring to ? Are SWA pilots experienced & trained enough fly that long over the Pacific since they have never done so until now? I know that sounds like a dumb question but my confidence in the FAA isn’t that great at the moment after all of the news coverage on the Max 8. I also read somewhere that SWA pilots had to be trained “quickly” after the FAA certified SWA. His comment made me feel uneasy.
Doesn’t Alaska Airlines use the same type of plane that SW was using??
Just curious to know what your thoughts are on that comment and any comments you may have heard from your readers that have been on the SWA flights to Hawaii.
Thank you in advance for any insight you have.
Hi Wendy.
We would fly on Southwest without hesitation. Having said that, airline choice is a personal matter. Southwest certainly has tons of flight experience from short to long flights. They don’t normally “pull over” on the mainland due to problems. 🙂 We also know pilots who work for Southwest, Delta and others, and they are uniformly experienced and professional.
As for comments regarding Southwest and other airlines on Beat of Hawaii. We receive comments that are from people who we strongly suspect have a financial stake in this situation. We aren’t speaking about any commentor in particular, but this is something that we’ve become aware of over the years. Too much money at stake and we have a large and engaged viewership.
Hope that helps.
Aloha.
Thank you so much for your reply about my concerns – y’all are awesome!
Wendy
Hi Wendy.
You’re most welcome Glad it helped!
Aloha.
Appreciate the update. I need to go one way from Maui to San Diego the first week of September. Right now the prices on Hawaiian are $223 each. Google flights say this is high although Hawaiian say they are having a sale right now. It will be our first time in Hawaii so I’m sure what’s normal for that time of year. Do you think I should hold out for the next Southwest announcement? Is $223 one way a good or bad price in your opinion. Thanks in advance for your opinion.
Hi Samanta.
That’s an okay price but not great. Should be better by up to $100 or more each way if you can wait a bit.
Aloha.
Thanks so much. I will hold out.
Hi Jeffrey – Since there is no risk booking a flight and changing it on Southwest for free (YAY! – no change fees) I would suggest booking your flight now if there is a good price from HNL to SJC or Oakland. I booked to Kona and Maui from SNA via SJC and Oakland with the hopes of getting a better price and direct flight from San Diego if it opens up before we fly in October. At least this way I make sure I have a ticket there and back if the flights I want do open up in time or at a good price.
Interested in routes and prices to Hawaii from San Diego.
We live in Savannah Georgia and I’ve seen the best flights to Hawaii in June are going to be from California at some point so we are waiting to see what the prices will drop to before June and then take a flight from Savannah to California but we are waiting to see if prices will go lower.
Okay, I know you can’t predict the future, but as a best guess – I’m looking for tickets back from Honolulu to Northern CA in late June (I managed to score one way SJC to HNL tickets last month for $139 each, yay!) and am getting nervous watching prices go up slowly. Do I book HNL to Oakland or San Jose now, or keep waiting for the Sacramento announcement? Thoughts based on your experience?
Thank you for the update! I’m currently waiting for an update in hopes of getting an inter island flight from HNL to Lihue for an 20th wedding anniversary trip in August or even a return flight from LIH to somewhere in California then home to Phoenix. Currently we have flights booked to HNL both ways on Southwest but have a timeshare booked for the last half of our trip to Kauai & would love to not have to fly back to HNL but Hawaiian only offers round-trip inter island flights! Any thoughts or advice! Thank you in advance 🙂
Hi Jenn.
Hawaiian sells inter-island as one way. No problem there. Just be sure to select that option. Can’t say about Lihue, but likely there will be flights to Oakland and more. We should know about that soon.
Aloha.