Help please with flights from LAX - When to buy?

[Adrii]

Hi!

We are visiting from the UK to Aulani this year!! (cant believe I can actually say that now)

We have flights from UK to LA and are looking to fly the next day from LAX to HNL.

We know the dates we want to fly to HNL, its 4th-11th September.

Im looking at flights at the moment and they are showing around £280 return with Hawaiian airlines for my exact dates. However, when I look at flights in Jan/Feb they are much cheaper, around £120 return

Do flights get cheaper closer to the date? Am I booking too early? Or do I need to book now?

I have miles I can use with American, but dont want to kick myself using all those miles if I can get a good deal closer to the time with Hawaiian.

Also, whilst im asking..... Does anyone have any advice on car hire?

At the moment its looking around £700 for the week with Sixt. Is this a normal price? And should I book now

Thank you so much in advance for any help!

Adrianne

 

[alohamom]

I think it is a little early for the flights but I would sign up for the Hawaiian Airlines email newsletter (if you are 100% set on using Hawaiian Airlines) so that you will be notified when your exact dates go on sale.
Sept is just an incredible time to go to Hawaii, the ocean water is warm, the USA kids are mostly all back to school so you don't have a ton of visitors so you have chosen very well.
I would be surprised if you cannot find cheaper flights from LA eventually.
Are you familiar with the Hopper app? Idk if you can download it in the UK but it notifies you when the price of a particular flight route goes up or down.
You can also do that with Google Flights.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Also, whilst im asking..... Does anyone have any advice on car hire?

At the moment its looking around £700 for the week with Sixt. Is this a normal price? And should I book now

Car rentals are very flexible. You don't have to pay up front. Book now, then check every couple of weeks and change your reservation if prices have come down.

That said, Sixt is not a reputable company. Enterprise, Hertz, National, Avis, Alamo, Thrifty, Dollar, and Budget are the major reliable car rental companies. Avoid Sixt, Ace, Fox, Advantage, Europcar, Payless, E-Z, or Firefly.

 

[jimmymc]

3 to 5 months is considered the best time to book domestic flights. Also check Southwest, since their website doesn't show up on flight search websites.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Another option, which might be quite a bit cheaper, would be to book London to an EAST COAST destination, and then fly Hawaiian Airlines from there. Hawaiian flies nonstop from Boston, JFK (New York), and Orlando, and those are big, comfy planes.

 

[Lilsia]

I second everything that CaptainAmerica says. Price out flight configurations and keep checking back for rental cars. They usually hit their lowest around 3-6 weeks out, but book at a good price just in case.

 

[juju]

Also check out Alaska Airlines who is huge on the West Coast and has multiple daily flights to all Hawaiian islands (plus our favorite nonstops from Seattle to Orlando!). West coasters fly often to Hawaii and many people fly Alaska, not Hawaiian or Southwest. Also I don’t know if you have a frequent flyer plan but Alaska partners with British Air

 

[kda]

Hawaiian Airlines also is having a sale for a few days that covers the next few months, so prices are lower than they have been. I've been tracking fares for a few months, but not long enough to have any idea how frequently they have sales.

 

[longboard55]

Typically fares peak in July and will fall for September. You could wait till August, that will usually work. You might consider an Airline like American Airlines so if you rebook you can use the credit for a trip to Orlando.

 

[Adrii]

Amazing advice! Thank you all so much!!