HAWAIIAN AIRLINES Customer Reviews and Passenger Trip Reports

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HAWAIIAN AIRLINES review :  4 June 2009 : by D Lambro

I am a travel agent and have recommended Hawaiian Airlines many, many times in the past. I booked some clients on Hawaiian and were able to get seats on all of the flights legs except the return Maui to Seattle. Fine, I advised our clients to check-in early for seats, which they did, in fact they were the first in line for check-in. They were told by Hawaiian Air gate agents that all aisle and window seats were already gone (3 hours prior to flight)? I don't think so. They were told that the emergency exit window and aisle were available and would seat them there. Once they boarded the flight, they realized the agent had advised them wrong, they in fact were seated in the three seat section (yes, it was the emergency exit row, but not window and aisle as they were told). They felt Hawaiian gave them the run around. It's too bad, they travel to Hawaii twice a year. I'm afraid Hawaiian has lost two or their loyal past passengers!

HAWAIIAN AIRLINES review :  12 May 2009 : by W Haxton

I strongly recommend that consumers avoid Hawaiian Airlines at all cost. I came down with a very bad flu, which my wife then caught. It required me to cancel a United flight to Denver, which United handled for me, waiving the change fee of $150 when I provided a doctor's note. But Hawaiian Airlines - to change our tickets to Hawaii - wanted a total of $750 in change fees (more than the tickets cost), charging per person and per leg. And their co-called consumer affairs representative indicated they would reconsider only if one of us were to be hospitalized. The value of the tickets is less than the change fee. So the next time you fly Hawaiian, the guy next to you who is sick as a dog - and is pumping his germs throughout the airplane's closed ventilation system - is there because Hawaiian Airline forced him to be here. I have traveled to Hawaii every year for the past 30, almost always on United. What in the world possessed me to fly Hawaiian Airlines this time? Never ever will I fly them again.

HAWAIIAN AIRLINES review :  5 May 2009 : by Jo Wright

HNL-SFO-LAS-HNL in Economy. Our first time with Hawaiian Airlines and all things considered we would fly with them again. The convenience of flying direct from LAS-HNL and at a great departure/arrival time was the deal clincher for us. B767's both sectors and showing their age. A bit of inconsistency in that we had to pay for our bags on the first leg but not on the second? We didn't have to pay for the cabin movie on the first leg but were told it would cost us $5 per person to see it on the second leg? When we offered to pay for this they said not to worry? The provided meal was basic but ok. The cabin crew on the second sector did what they had to do and that was it. I walked passed the mid section galley to see one of crew sitting on a crew seat with her feet up on the bench - very hygienic, very professional. The provided meal this sector was pretty ordinary. No delays with the flights and check in was smooth. Vegetarians be warned, bring your own food as Hawaiian does not cater a special meal request nor does it always have a vegetarian option.

HAWAIIAN AIRLINES review :  7 April 2009 : by G Alba

Honolulu-Manila-Honolulu Coach. Very good service each way. Food okay, good beverage service, although cabin attendants made more water rounds on the HNL-MNL portion. There were more movies shown on this particular portion as well 3, as opposed to 2 movies on the MNL HNL leg. Dig player should be complimentary on a 10hr flight, not $15. I would have also appreciated seeing times, mileage, temperatures of each location, and position on screen. Some airlines ie. PAL, DL have this feature. Ground service extremely poor, especially in Manila. 45-75 minutes to check in is not acceptable. Ground service at Honolulu's interisland was better. Would fly Hawaiian again if ground service improves in MNL.

HAWAIIAN AIRLINES review :  7 April 2009 : by C Pedersen

Seattle to HNL and HNL to KOA return. Flight over had an older plane that the televisions were poor and the bathrooms were not fully functional. Great service though. Flight back to Seattle had a newer plane that everything worked great. My complaint was that there is a large box that takes up almost half the legroom of the passenger in the second seat in from the window (aisle seat). I noticed them on both sides. My largest complaint is that they are still charging for the first bag to and from the mainland, both ways. Other airlines flying the route do not charge anymore. Food was great and service very friendly. I still think they are the best airline out there and cannot await the new aircraft on order. I just hope they take out a row of seats and give their loyal customers more leg room for such a long flight.

HAWAIIAN AIRLINES review :  27 February 2009 : by M Deardorff

SEA-HNL-LIH-and back to SEA, coach. Won't be flying Hawaiian again. Arrived at the airport an hour early, but managed to almost miss our flight due to lengthy check in. At Sea-TAc, Hawaiian has no curb-side service or self-check-in kiosks. So, everyone was standing in line to check in (in an otherwise empty airport). It took a long time, and toward the end, all the people waiting for the same flight as us were pushed up toward the front of the line to check in. After that we went to closest security gate which had long lines (Hawaiian customers no doubt). We decided to go to the next gate which luckily had no lines. We still almost missed our flight. Undoubtedly, some people who had stayed at the first security gate probably did miss their flight. When we arrived at Lihue, our luggage had not arrived, apparently because we were 'late' checking in - it did arrive within 3 hours. On the way back, check in at Lihue was inefficient but we arrived extra early so the trip back was less eventful. Our luggage arrived just fine. Flight was fine and flight staff very friendly and professional. However, the big reason that I will not fly Hawaiian again is that they have changed their frequent flyer policy. Even though they are still partners with Northwest Air (my ff company), they no longer reward miles from the mainland to Hawaii.

HAWAIIAN AIRLINES review :  23 February 2009 : by Brian Smith

HNL-ITO-HNL economy. On-time, friendly flight attendants, clean aircraft, decent airport facilities. I liked Hawaiian airlines and the 717s they fly. No complaints for such short flights.

HAWAIIAN AIRLINES review :  23 February 2009 : by Michael Shafer

Honolulu to Kahului (Maui) return and Honolulu to Lihue (Kauai) return. I know these were just inter-island flights, but they actually were of excellent service. Very friendly flight crew, good fruit juice beverage, good leg room, easy check-in, flights were on time. Can't ask for much more.

HAWAIIAN AIRLINES review :  21 January 2009 : by R Nyman

LAX-HNL First class Boeing 767. Best North American domestic First. Cabin was clean and airy. Seat pitch is 42' (other major carriers 38'-40') so feels roomy. Very friendly service, nice tapas style food.

HAWAIIAN AIRLINES review :  8 January 2009 : by J Choi

LAX-OGG roundtrip economy. LAX-HNL, the crew was very inconsistent. The 767 was aging and dirty, but flight crew was very informative throughout the flight. The meal was a sandwich and a bag of chips. HNL-OGG, FA was also friendly, and went to great lengths to help my claustrophobic mother get a seat in the first row of C class so she could get out of the plane first. Other than that, not much to say about the 20 min flight. OGG-HNL was at 6am, yet the flight crew was very friendly. HNL-LAX was on a newer 767, service was definitely more consistent than the LAX-HNL leg, but more robotic and less friendly. This time, the meal was an actual meal - on par with a cheap TV dinner. Not much to say for the entertainment, since I slept through most of the flight, but HA needs to improve their movie choices, considering that there are no PTVs.

HAWAIIAN AIRLINES review :  31 December 2008 : by A Gurevich

SEA-OGG-HNL First Class. This was a 767 in 2-2-2 configuration out of Seattle, and a 717 out of Maui. As the Maui-HNL flight was 25 minutes, there is little to be said. On the 767 the seats were between a standard US domestic First Class seat and an international Business Class seat. They had very good lumbar adjustment, an extendable leg rest and fold down foot rest, and an adjustable headrest. However, like most headrests, you can't get it out of the way and, after 4 hours, it became uncomfortable. Also, it did not recline very far. Overall, I felt the seat was comfortable enough for the flight. The food deserves comment: Hawaiian asks you to choose three items to "sample" from a six item menu. My flight had cold beef salad, warm lamb chop, cheese plate, chicken breast, and a couple of others. The three I had were like a Spanish tapas plate with a vegetable/potato accompaniment- a reasonably sized sample. Three together made a satisfying meal. More than satisfying was the quality and flavor which were excellent - it was truly a surprise to me that you could get such high quality food on a domestic flight, from a US airline. The entertainment system was one film and some filler showed on overhead screens and a portable entertainment player pre-loaded with about 8 films, lots of music, some TV, etc. It was free in First Class, though the films were a little too vanilla for me. Each First Class seat also came with a noise-canceling headset. Overall I would happily fly transpacific on Hawaiian again, although if it were over 5 hours (this flight was just short of 6) would know that my neck would start to complain towards the end. The only drawback is that they are not a partner in many mileage plans.

HAWAIIAN AIRLINES review :  22 December 2008 : by Lorraine Cobcroft

My husband and I flew Hawaiian Airlines Brisbane to Honolulu return and will never travel Hawaiian again! Our comment on transferring to a Qantas flight from Sydney to Brisbane was "WOW, isn't it nice to see hostesses smiling?". On our return flight from Hawaii, staff on Hawaiian Air were abrupt, unfriendly, and unhelpful and never smiled once. Staff going over were a little better, but we had the feeling that they regarded their role more as one of policing than servicing. The seats are way too close together and the plane layout poor, so passengers travel in extreme discomfort. Coming back, we had an extra tall person behind us and my husband could not recline his seat without cutting the poor man's legs in half, so he was forced to sit upright the entire trip. Worst of all, foods containing chocolate were served at every meal and snack, with no alternate options. My husband - like many people - is allergic to chocolate. We advised his allergy when booking and were told there were no food options. "Take what is served or go without". On a long haul flight, this is unacceptable when there are not reasonable options for people with very common food allergies. At one snack, there was nothing at all on offer except chocolate ice cream, and when my husband asked (very politely) if an alternative was available the hostess snapped at him quite rudely. Our overall experience of Hawaii was not great. We would never go again, and wouldn't recommend it as a holiday destination for Australians. Everything is outrageously expensive, and you would never guess from the conduct of most of the service staff in hotels and restaurants that the state depends on tourism heavily for income and there is a worldwide recession threatening heavily reduced tourist activity! Honestly, I expected to see people in the tourism industry working doubly-hard to make their service or destination the first choice of travellers!

HAWAIIAN AIRLINES review :  11 December 2008 : by Dave Robbins

SYD-HNL-LAX return. Overall a pretty lousy experience. Flying LAX-HNL both of our seats had very loose backrests - I understand that backrests are designed to collapse forward in a crash situation however it seemed strange that our seats were so very loose and didn't inspire confidence. After duct-taping closed an overhead compartment an engineer adjusted a setting in the seat just prior to pushback. As we were a little uncomfortable we were re-accomodated in other seats and our original seats were used for crew rest (crew were pleasant and helpful regarding this). On the same flight other anomalies included safety video not playing properly, my reading light button activating someone elses light (and vice-versa) and overhead display monitor only showing red. As regular fliers we noticed cabin crew not completing safety checks properly - allowing passenger to carry his non-infant son on his lap at takeoff, carry on baggage left in the isles and on seats, seats reclined, and window blinds left closed. Check-in LAX-HNL was a severe headache as another flight had been cancelled. The quality of food on the HNL-LAX legs was pretty average, however SYD-HNL had better cooked meals and a full beverage service. Some crew were quite friendly however others stand-offish - the pilots were excellent at providing updates and came out to thank passengers at the end of each flight. Digeplayer IFE had a reasonable selection however should be an inclusion for International flights, not $15 extra. The seats on the international legs were quite comfortable with adjustable head-rests however seats on HNL-LAX legs were below par.

HAWAIIAN AIRLINES review : 27 October 2008 : by Pat Payne

Customer Rating : 4/5

I flew Hawaiian in mid-October for a vacation on Oahu, and was pleasantly surprised by the experience. The insides of the two planes were clean, and cabin attendants friendly and helpful. For the inflight meal, you have two choices - amazingly a complementary meal (which is usually a turkey sandwich or penne pasta with red marinara, chips and cookie) or you can upgrade to a full-on meal for $10. Drinks selection was amazing. The inflight entertainment was either expensive or mediocre though - you can pay $5 to watch the ceiling/bulkhead mounted video screens (that played HA's in-house features magazine "Skies" for the first half of the flight and then a first-run movie - sadly, the choices were limited, or you can pay $15 for a small personal media player loaded with music and TV shows that you may or may not be interested in. Hawaiian Airlines staff at the airports were helpful.

HAWAIIAN AIRLINES review : 13 October 2008 : by M Gregory

Customer Rating : 3/5

PDX-HNL-MNL-HNL-PDX on Coach. Service great, friendly and pleasant. Food above average for an American based airline - flight attendants much better than NW or UA. However, connecting in HNL was a nightmare as there was inadequate ground staff to help out. Being on an international flight one has to deplane, go thru immigration, get luggage, pass thru customs and repeat the check-in process all over again. This was agonizing as I had to go to another terminal, up one floor to check-in 2 pieces of luggage weighing 50lbs each plus carry-on. The 2 hour layover was just enough to go thru all of this and make my connection. Will fly this airline again if going to Hawaii only but not international.

HAWAIIAN AIRLINES review : 15 September 2008 : by A Ayres

Customer Rating : 4/5

SYD-HNL return. Boeing 767 with plenty of room and a clean, up to date interior . Staff friendly and attentive. Food better on the return trip, but overall fairly good. Check in at Honolulu was very poor. Only one staff member available for coach check-in. They should look at getting personal entertainment systems as standard in the backs of seats. Overall, it was a pretty good experience for a 3 star airline.

HAWAIIAN AIRLINES review : 9 September 2008 : by J Li

Customer Rating : 3/5

SEA-HNL-SEA in first class. Friendly crew, but lacks attention to detail. Food quality is poor and taste is just as appealing. Coffee is lukewarm and extremely weak. Digital player was distributed an hour after take off and collected more than an hour prior to landing. My unit was malfunctioning, and was reluctantly exchanged by the flight attendant. No water run during either direction. No harsh complaints about Hawaiian, but I will stick with legacy carrier if schedule permits in the future.

HAWAIIAN AIRLINES review : 7 September 2008 : by Peter Pomeranze

Customer Rating : 4/5

Honolulu to Manila/Business class-For a ten hour flight, the lack of lie flat seats is the only negative. Everything else is positive. The crew, food and general ambience is excellent. This airlines deserves kudos for its high quality service.

HAWAIIAN AIRLINES review : 30 June 2008 : by Alex Buchanan

Customer Rating : 4/5

PDX-HNL-SYD return. Flew coach outbound and Biz/first class inbound. Overall seat, service and food was OK in coach, about what you can expect from most airlines and superior to your normal US domestic fare. Biz/First class return was excellent, very attentive cabin crew and a genuine sense of enthusiasm. Taster plate meal was a novel idea which I enjoyed. Biz class cabin does not quite match up to the high end long haul carriers (no flat bed, average IFE via Digeplayer) but the price point is significantly lower and in my view service is at least on par. Hawaiian does need to start offering online check in for international flights. This is not new technology and it would speed up check in as passengers would enter passport information etc - before arriving at the airport. If you are travelling from the Pac NW and don't fancy the 14 hour hop from LAX/SFO give Hawaiian a try.

HAWAIIAN AIRLINES review : 27 June 2008 : by Peter Pomeranze

Customer Rating : 4/5

Kona-Honolulu-Las Vegas First Class-Although the front cabin mainland service has lost some of its luster it is still a decent experience. The entrees have diminished in quality yet the smiles and efficiency remain a constant. The 767 has adequate space for a 6 hour flight and the digiplayers provided help pass the time

HAWAIIAN AIRLINES review : 24 June 2008 : by M Saunders

Customer Rating : 3/5

Went with Hawaiian for Sydney-Honolulu specifically for a few days in Honolulu rather than the 14 hrs to LA. Flight (just over 9 hrs) left on time and was only half-full. Leg-room in economy was not overly-generous, but worst problem ended up being the guy in the middle section who stretched out across 3 seats and snored all night. Quality of food was good, portions not enormous. Staff were competent but not exactly exuding that 'aloha spirit' they go on about. I was surprised that they allowed a female passenger to keep her 18-mo old child on her lap, not strapped in, for landing - indicates they didn't know (poor) or didn't care (even worse).

HAWAIIAN AIRLINES review : 30 May 2008 : by Brandon Starr

Customer Rating : 1/5

I will never travel Hawaiian again. Our plane (Seattle to Honolulu flight) turned around about 2 hours into the trip on May 24. At the airport they said "we are going to take everyone off the plane". Fine. An hour later they tell us it will be about 45 minutes. An hour later they tell us it will be about 45 minutes. Then, 45 minutes later, "it will be about an hour". They give us meal vouchers only to tell us later in the day that they wont be able to get us out until 2:00am (about seven hours from that point) due to the plane issue being "worse than expected". I had my three year old with me, a dead cell phone battery, and no charger. Normally I would bring it with me but I had a full battery and a plane ticket telling me I would be there in no time so I figured there was no need for it. We could access our luggage if we wanted to wait around a couple hours. I take a shuttle home and a shuttle back to the airport, get to the gate, and see that only the waiting passengers are there and no airline personnel to update anyone. Our plane boards, about 45 minutes past when they said it would, and after offering a $300 voucher for our troubles - if we wanted to wait in line for it (my tickets were a total of around $3,000). I used to get a free round trip ticket for being bumped from a flight and having a 2 hour delay, making the $300 dollar voucher unacceptable. Heres the kicker. After we finally board, a flight attendant informs me that the issue was fixed shortly after we landed and the delay was because the "crew wanted to rest". So, after being told we were waiting on parts from Boeing etc, it turns out the crew just wanted to get a hotel and a nap.

Hawaiian Airlines - by John Dineen

23 May 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

I recently flew Hawaiian Airlines to Honolulu and Maui First class. My trip was from Sacramento, California to Honolulu and connecting to Maui. The first class service from Sacramento to Honolulu was terrible. Although food was good, service was unacceptable. The flight attendants could not care less about the passengers and this comment was shared by others. I ordered coffee and it was 20 minutes before it was delivered. For the price Hawaiian charges for first class travel, I would not recommend first class to anyone on Hawaiian. Maybe they are taking advantage of the airlines that recently went bankrupt and they are aware that they are the only players on this route, although hopefully only for the short term.

Hawaiian Airlines - by L Souza

27 March 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

I recently had an incident where I was unable to fly on March 24th to San Diego and had to change my tickets. I purchased two tickets on the Hawaiian Airlines site in February, at a cost of $509.98 per ticket for a coach seat. When I called in on March 21st I was informed by the customer service agent that my change fees amounted to $300 per ticket to change my dates from March 24 to March 31 to new dates April 17 to April 24!! My coach seat tickets would cost me a total of $809.98 each, for Off-Season travel. I protested, was told to contact another department and did so on March 21st by fax and still have not received a resolution. $300 per ticket for change fees are totally out of line and I want satisfaction. I am not saying they are not entitled to some kind of change fee, but $300 per ticket is absurd! I am telling of this incident to bring to light the fact that Hawaiian Airlines is not acting like Hawaii's Airline! Sad because this airline has been the airline of choice of all of our family travel for quite a few years now. We need more competition in the Hawaii market, especially for the Honolulu to San Diego route!

Hawaiian Airlines - by J Greene

6 March 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

Honoululu to Sydney 10hr 15mins, all in all a good flight especially as we only paid $350 for 2 people one way! Online check in doesn't seem to work for international flights (the website doesn't tell you this!). However the airport check in staff were nice, we had our seat moved to an exit row for the extra leg room and this was done seemlessly. The flight was only half full. Earphones were free onboard for in flight entertainment, we did rent one of the media players for $15, as it was such a long flight - this wasn't worth the money, and some of the programs on it were a bit dated and it was hard to prop up the screen on the fold down table. You are better off with the IFE they show on the big cabin screens. Cabin crew were lovely and the meal served was acceptable. For me this was one of the best value for money flights I have travelled.

Hawaiian Airlines - by R Rositani

7 February 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

Sacramento - Oahu-Kauai round trip. Economy SAC to Oahu, fine. Inter-island was fine. Lost my driver's license in luggage pick up in Oahu and they were extremely helpful! First class back to SAC and it was good. Plenty of food and service. Very nice crew - very accommodating.