Need some advice on Hawaiian Airline flights

dis2cruise

Long Island, NY
Joined
Aug 21, 1999
heading to Aulani September 14-21. Flying from JFK to HNL I have a few questions...

1. I’m a little nervous about a non stop flight mainly because it’s a 10 hr flight how bad is it?

2. Is $513 one way non stop (extra room ) too much or should I wait to see if it goes lower

3. The above price is based on an extra room seat...are they worth it or should I book couch?

4. Any extra perks with the extra room seats, drinks, food, etc??

Thanks a bunch!!
 
Not from NY but from Sydney Australia is 9.5hrs so similar time. We only fly Hawaiian and only ever choose Extra Comfort. We love Hawaiian and the extra room is a blessing on a long flight. From Australia, Hawaiian includes meals and beverages plus some snacks like bags of nuts. They also have individual entertainment systems in the headrest / seat arms which have movies and shows. Their website is pretty conclusive so check to see what meals / entertainment is included. Australian flights also include a small pillow and blanket - which come in handy as the flights can be very chilly.
 
1. Better than 14+ hours with a layover!

2. We paid around $500 per person per way in February for our June trip (JFK to HNL) and the price has since only gone up (economy).

3. The only differences are 3 or 4 inches more legroom, a real power outlet instead of USB, and a pillow. Not worth it IMO.

4. No
 
1. I’m a little nervous about a non stop flight mainly because it’s a 10 hr flight how bad is it?

I've flown this exact route a number of times and it can be pretty brutal. It would be much more pleasant as a redeye ... but you'll survive.

2. Is $513 one way non stop (extra room ) too much or should I wait to see if it goes lower

I usually pay under $650 roundtrip. I depart from Honolulu so maybe that's why I'm getting a much better fare?

3. The above price is based on an extra room seat...are they worth it or should I book couch?

I think it is and I'm only 5'5. It's probably just my imagination, but I've always felt Hawaiian uses their nicest planes on international routes. The planes on the domestic routes always feel a bit smaller.

4. Any extra perks with the extra room seats, drinks, food, etc??

I think you get priority boarding and a complimentary digipack.
 


I've not flown Hawaiian, but we flew Delta from Buffalo through Atlanta and it was about $475 each way for September in 2016. We had standard economy seats and with the 2-4-2 seat configuration on the plane, we had plenty of room and were very comfortable. It also included a pillow for each person, a free hot meal, free alcohol, and tons of free movies, TV shows, music, and games on the seatback TV. It was a great flight and I'd even be willing to pay more for it too. Made the long flight go by comfortably and fairly quickly.
 
Flying west is usually not too bad, but the return flight east will be worse. You might need a rest day before returning to work.


-Paul
 
Flying west is usually not too bad, but the return flight east will be worse. You might need a rest day before returning to work.


-Paul

Agreed. Our flight home was on a Friday at 4:30pm Hawaii time. We got home in Buffalo the next day, Saturday, at 12:30pm. We briefly slept intermittently during the flight and forced ourselves to stay up and not nap when we got home in attempt to re-adjust our bodies. Having Sunday to sleep in, do laundry, grocery shop and just take it easy was crucial before going back to work that Monday.
 


I don't mind the 10 hour flights from the east coast. Once you hit 6 hours you're almost there, and getting off a plane and killing an hour in a layover is just painful to me. I'd rather just get it done.

I usually look for round trip flights under $800, but I got my mom $499 recently - that's round trip. I got my daughter $650 round trip coming out of boston. So, IMO $1000 round trip is too high. I'd watch every few days but it's too early to buy September airfare, IMO.
 
I've not flown Hawaiian, but we flew Delta from Buffalo through Atlanta and it was about $475 each way for September in 2016. We had standard economy seats and with the 2-4-2 seat configuration on the plane, we had plenty of room and were very comfortable. It also included a pillow for each person, a free hot meal, free alcohol, and tons of free movies, TV shows, music, and games on the seatback TV. It was a great flight and I'd even be willing to pay more for it too. Made the long flight go by comfortably and fairly quickly.
I find the Delta flights to be consistently superior to the ones on Hawaiian. It's a shame there are no direct flights from NY to Honolulu on Delta because I'd use them more oftenm. The food is way better, the entertainment package offers more movies and is more updated than what Hawaiian offers, and I think the seats are better as well.
 
I flew Hawaiian Air last Summer and felt like it was one of the best airlines I've ever flown on. The service is fantastic.
The only thing though - they had no vegetarian or vegan meal options. But I knew that ahead of time and packed snacks.
 
oming out of boston. So, IMO $1000 round trip is too high. I'd watch every few days but it's too early to buy September airfare, IMO.

OP priced extra comfort seats, those have a price premium. Maybe $125-150 one way. $1000 R/T isn't that far from your 650 number for regular economy seating
 
OP priced extra comfort seats, those have a price premium. Maybe $125-150 one way. $1000 R/T isn't that far from your 650 number for regular economy seating
Right, but OP also asked if the extra room was worth it, and for me, the extra isn't worth it, to save the money. I was just giving a comparison of what I consider a good price.
If it's one person, ok spend the money. If it's a family of 4 and you're paying 300 a piece extra? That's a lot of money.
 
I don't mind the 10 hour flights from the east coast. Once you hit 6 hours you're almost there, and getting off a plane and killing an hour in a layover is just painful to me. I'd rather just get it done.

I usually look for round trip flights under $800, but I got my mom $499 recently - that's round trip. I got my daughter $650 round trip coming out of boston. So, IMO $1000 round trip is too high. I'd watch every few days but it's too early to buy September airfare, IMO.

Right, but OP also asked if the extra room was worth it, and for me, the extra isn't worth it, to save the money. I was just giving a comparison of what I consider a good price.
If it's one person, ok spend the money. If it's a family of 4 and you're paying 300 a piece extra? That's a lot of money.

My follow up post was regards to your comment regarding booking if the price was under $800. Current N/S for regular economy, OPs dates, is 736. OPs dates are within current sale promotion. I'd probably book NOW. OP has to decide if the extra legroom is worth an extra $340 R/T

I may have misunderstood your point. Assuming the OP feels the need for extra comfort your $800 goal isn't applicable or realistic.

Extra comfort seating gives you a real power outlet, not just a low powered USB port. You can buy a good external battery with some of your fare savings.

I wouldn't bother paying for extra comfort seating but I understand why some passengers do.
 
I don't mean to derail the thread but a few of you have touched on it so I figured this is an okay place to ask rather than start a new one. Our trip to Aulani (from PHL) will be in Jan. Watching a few flights here and there that we could potentially have taken become sold out is making me nervous. We're stopping in Disneyland for a couple nights on the way back so none of our tickets will be round trip. It's way too early to buy plane tickets for January, right?
 
Cinderella, I’m not sure which airline you’re interested now in, but generally speaking, any east coast-Hawaii fare that falls under $700 is a good deal and I would book it immediately. In March, roundtrip tickets for standard coach seats from Honolulu to Orlando were $634, so no, it’s not too early to book.
 
Update...
Yes I booked Non stop from jfk with extra comfort $490 each way!!
Since I’m new to this I’m guessing that is a great price especially with the
Extra comfort seating!! Thanks again for everyone’s help!!
 
Update...
Yes I booked Non stop from jfk with extra comfort $490 each way!!
Since I’m new to this I’m guessing that is a great price especially with the
Extra comfort seating!! Thanks again for everyone’s help!!
Wow that's a great price!! how far out and which airline?
 
Oh gosh, Hawaii is such a long haul from the east coast! I complain about 5 hours from the west coast!
I believe paying for the extra comfort seats are worth every single penny. Especially on a flight as long as yours.
Make sure to get up and walk around every hour. That's a good price, BTW.
 
I flew JFK-LAX-HNL last week and HNL-JFK direct last night into this morning. I had extra legroom by chance on the way over, but as a 5'4" woman, it wasn't essential, although the complimentary movie package was nice.

I was in regular economy on the direct flight home and it wasn't much different, other than the absence of free digital content. Definitely bring an ipad or laptop! HNL-JFK has pillows, blankets, a standard airline hot meal for dinner, and a light breakfast. If you choose an aisle seat, the 9 hours really isn't bad. I fly direct whenever possible (and I generally do not trust Jetblue to be on-time for connections, even though their first flight of the day did come through for me this time).

$500 one way is about average for peak season. I tracked flights up until I left and that was the general price for nonstop service from NYC.
 

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