Out of all the airlines that fly to the Aloha state, only Hawaiian Airlines can give you the island vibe on board with its inflight amenities. Serving local delicacies with happy Hawaiian hospitality and the folk BGM makes you feel like you’ve already landed the destination. With everything already on point, Hawaiian Airlines first class seems to uplevel your travel even further with its lie-flat seats, delicious meals, and inflight services. It gives you the best of everything, so good that you’ll forget the absence of internet connectivity. However, not every first-class seating is this luxurious. You’ll get to witness such an experience only on selected routes, and some of them won’t even be worth the upgrade.
To save you from all the hassle and confusion, we present you with a quick and easy guide about the airline’s premium cabin.
Hawaiian Airlines has two premium cabins to offer to its passengers, where they can indulge in the highest level of comfort. Whether on a romantic getaway ticket, a family trip, or flying for business, you can always fly on business or first class. However, the two completely differ when it comes to inflight experience. Let’s find out how:
First Class | The cabin, along with lie-flat seats, is only present in A330 planes, which operate long-haul flights and foreign routes. |
Business Class | This cabin has recliner seats for passengers. It’s available on A321 Neo planes, which operate short-haul flights to the West Coast. |
Extra Comfort | This is equivalent to premium economy cabins. Present in selected rows of A330 and A321 Neo planes. |
The cabin offers a calming onboard experience that can make the airport hassle worth it once you embark on the plane. It delivers 180-degree reclinable seats specifically on A330 long-duration flights. Interestingly, it features intuitive controls that enable you to find the sweet spot, maximizing control and comfort.
Moreover, Hawaiian Airlines first-class food is curated with love by renowned local chefs, giving you the opportunity to have an authentic taste of the state before you even land. Entertainment amenities involve only handed-out iPad Pros for movie and TV show streaming—but watch out! There is no onboard WiFi.
Earthy interior tones and island touches will immediately grab your attention the moment you walk into the Hawaiian Airlines A330 first class. Curvy seats and see-through materials give an airy feel, and you feel like you’re in the middle of an ocean. Check out the unique features of the airline’s most premium cabin.
Let’s focus a little on what you cannot get flying in Hawaiian Airlines First Class cabin.
The first class experience from the moment you check in to when you finally land at the destination. In addition, the staff will ensure you enjoy all the offered services and amenities, including:
Passengers with first-class tickets are welcome to enjoy the Premier Club Lounge, which is located in Honolulu, Lihue, Kahului, Kona, and Hilo airports. However, to access the Plumeria Lounge (Honolulu Airport), the guest must be flying on an international route or heading to New York, BOS, or Orlando.
In addition, passengers can purchase day passes for $40 to get the Plumeria Lounge entry permit. However, the price is lower for Pualani membership holders. Gold members without first-class tickets can get a day pass for $30, and Platinum members can get the same for $25.
The lounging spaces are very convenient, given you get to escape the airport crowd and commotion. You can enjoy complimentary meals and beverages and relax in a comfy chair under air-conditioning. You must visit any of these lounges if you want a pampering session right before your flight departure.
Guests in first class have priority check-in included in their Hawaiian Airlines ticket. There are designated lanes at the counter, which implies that a desk will take care of your baggage, and you won’t have to do it yourself at the kiosk.
When you fly out of Hawaiian airport, all your baggage has to go through an agricultural screening. This will take place before the check-in procedure. A staff member will ask you to put your checked items on a conveyor belt, just like the TSA screenings. At some airports, this section is located near the TSA, which makes the screening process very perplexing to some travelers. Mind you; this step is only for those flyers who are checking in an item or a bag.
However, the first-class ticket does not come with a quick security screen. Enrolling for TSA PreCheck will be beneficial to passengers with TSA PreCheck memberships, especially at airports where waiting lines are usually long.
Splurging on first class gives you not only premium inflight amenities but also the allowance of packing a little extra from the standard travelers. Hawaiian Airlines allows premium flyers to pack two checked bags free of charge, and each can weigh 50 pounds. Now, you can shop extra during the trip and bring home more goods and souvenirs.
Furthermore, the service comes with priority baggage handling. At the airport, the staff will put a special tag on your bags. This will help the handling crew identify the bags that need to be handled. When you land at your final destination, your luggage will be among the first bags to arrive on the carousel belt.
Interested in purchasing Hawaiian Airlines first-class seats? Perfect! The airline will charge you depending on the selected route and the time of travel, like any other cabin. The round trip can cost you somewhere between $1000 for flights departing from West Cost. However, this drastically increases for flights originating on the East Coast.
As per the upgrades, the airline will let you upgrade to the premium cabin for a sum of extra money, between $50 and $400. Hawaiian Airlines also uses a bidding program to provide premium cabin seats if there is an availability. Passengers may also use their miles points to elevate their flying experience. With 25,000 miles, you can get flights to North American routes and 7,500 for inter-island destinations.
Hold On! There is one way to get upgraded for completely free. If you’re a part of the airline’s loyalty program, a Pualani member, you can get free first-class seats for no cost if seats are available at the time.
First thing first, book a ticket for an A330 plane since you’ll not be getting lie-flat seats on A321 Neos. As per the routes, Hawaiin Airlines operates nonstop flights from islands to nine Asian and South Pacific cities. These places are Seoul, Tokyo, Sydney, and Aukland. This also includes major cities in the United States, like Boston, New York, and Orlando.
Flights to the aforementioned nonstop routes take at least eight hours to arrive at the desired location. If you choose to fly in the first class to these cities, you will be getting the most out of the premium cabin.
However, if you’re someone flying out of the West Coast, then we would suggest upgrading to the premium cabin only if you’re taking an outbound flight. Wondering Why? Well, inbound flights are usually of short duration. You won’t be able to maximize the inflight amenities if it’s not for the outbound flights that are at least 6 hours long.
Book your first class experience online on Hawaiian Airlines’ official website. The flight reservation process is as easy as any other cabin booking. You can either reserve a seat online or consult an airline representative for in-person assistance.
However, you can refer to the following steps if you choose to purchase e-tickets. The procedure is somewhat the same for mobile app users.
Contemplating whether to fly Hawaiian Airlines First Class? Well, Why not!! The seats are spacious, and a constellation divider inspires the onboard design, the state’s nature resources, and not forgetting the Poltrona Frau premium touch to the seats. It may seem like a lot from the price point of view, but there are plenty of other options to minimize the cost. You can use HawaiianMiles and points to get the upgrade.
Along with a premium experience, passengers get priority boarding, baggage handling, two free checked baggage, lounge entry, complimentary meals & beverages, and spacious seats.
Passengers can pay an extra $50 to $400 to upgrade to Hawaiian first class. However, using miles and points can help lower the overall cost.
Hawaiian Airlines offers first-class passengers iPad Pros, which provide unlimited access to a collection of movies and TV series.
The price of the 1st class can vary depending on the selected route. However, a roundtrip on Hawaiian First Class can go up to $1000.
Passengers will require about 25,000 miles and 7,500 miles to fly to the North American and inter-islands routes with Hawaiian Airlines’ first-class cabin.
Passengers can achieve premium upgrades to first-class cabins with 80,000 Hawaiian Miles.
Leave a Reply