(Traveled 04/24/26 FR @ 12:39pm and several times before): Aloha and how are ya!?…read more
I've been a fan of Hawaiian Airlines to/from Honolulu (HNL) and the Hawaii inter-islands ever since I was a kid, but I have recently utilized Alaska Airlines and Southwest Airlines, respectively, because of cheaper and more flights. Now that Alaska and Hawaiian merged in 2024 and ultimately combined to create the Atmos Rewards loyalty program, it made it possible to carry over any mileage points I had. This was my story:
PURCHASE(S)
One-Way Nonstop Coach Airfare ($84.90): Since I booked the flight two months before its departure, this fare was a bit out of my comfort level of $60.00 for any one-way Hawaii inter-island air travel during the high season (spring break months). On an afternoon flight out of Honolulu (Oah'u) HNL that arrived in Lihue (Kaua'i) LIH around 1:03pm the same day, the nonstop flight departed a tad late but still arrived on-time.
Checked Luggage (N/A): Thankfully, I traveled light and only had a carry-on and backpack. Otherwise, they customarily charged $30.00-$40.00/bag.
FLIGHT EXPERIENCE
~Check-in: I checked-in through their app 24-hours prior, had my QR code boarding pass saved to my Google Wallet, and traveled with only a carry-on and backpack, so I was ready to go! Then, it was off to the security checkpoints and through the necessary TSA pleasantries...which surprisingly went quickly thanks to my TSA Precheck and Global Entry status. Once that was done, I headed toward my plane's gate with the excitement that always came when leaving on a vacation - sweet!
~Seat 24F Window: It generally was the same sardine can like all airplanes these days, so unless you were in Business or First Class you got to know your neighbors to the left, right, front, and back of you! However, on this particular aircraft, the Coach seats had some room, and I was able to daydream out of the wing window. https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw&start=48&select=6GjE8m0_qWw5FmPgMeREKw
~In-flight Meals/Snacks (Varied; only snacks this instance): The drink cart came out once we were at cruising altitude. Alcohol and certain kinds of food were made available for purchase. I normally didn't purchase such things on a flight. Thankfully, they provided a COMP drink (I chose a passionfruit guava orange juice 4floz oz juice) before the landing gear started to come down on the approach.
~Lavatory: These were located towards the front and at the back of the plane. Because of the short flight, I had no need for them.
~Service & Amenities: All uniformly-dressed flight attendants were adequate and spoke perfect English. On this particular aircraft, none of the seats had video monitors. The seats themselves were roomy enough. No blankets, headphones, or pillows were provided. Because of the short inter-island flight time, the attendants came around once for drinks and then for trash collection. There were no carry-on baggage fees.
PARKING
(Varied; N/A this instance): I traveled through and had no need to park (I was dropped off). However, the airport offered onsite parking garages with rates that varied depending on length of stay from FREE (less than 15 minutes) and around $1.00 (16-30 minutes) to a range of $27.00/daily maximum (8+ hours). Because my gate was located within Terminal 1 of departing flights, you had to already be an outgoing or incoming passenger to even get here, so parking would be a moot point.
ATMOSPHERE, DÉCOR, AMBIENCE
Located deep into Terminal 1 (specifically Gate 15), filled with several other gates, plenty of reasonably-priced eateries and duty-free shops, and many monitors as you passed them along the way. There were sufficient places to sit in the terminal with plenty of natural and electric lighting. Once on the airplane, it seemed like any other, so nothing really needed to be said or seen here, but I wished I recalled the type of plane since I was nerdy like that! https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw&start=48&select=V9D7TPW92BOlmwH90y4CVQ
ATTIRE
Totally casual, so I would normally be in a t-shirt, boardshorts, and flip-flops. I liked to be unencumbered and unfettered, so the least amount of clothing, especially while I traveled through an airport, the better!
OVERALL
My one-way nonstop flight on Hawaiian Airlines out of HNL was fine and got me there safely which truthfully was all that mattered to me on any domestic or inter-island (as in this case) flights. In any case, I'd fly and recommend them again. I found very good value based on the prices, service, and experience noted above (TOTAL paid experience was around $85.00 BEFORE any discounts and/or tip). And, they accepted my credit card of choice...AMEX! 4.0 STARS