Hawaiian Airlines

✅ Trip Verified | I am writing this review after an absolutely harrowing and frustrating experience on a recent flight with Hawaiian Airlines from Las Vegas to Honolulu. I am still in shock and disbelief over the terrifying incident that occurred during our trip. The flight started off poorly, with multiple delays that were poorly communicated. The departure time was continually pushed back. This caused a lot of unnecessary stress and confusion, and no explanation or apology was given for the inconvenience. Then, at the start if the flight, our plane was struck by lightning. The flight crew, although they tried to maintain calm, seemed just as shocked as we were. Upon landing, the communication from the airline was still lacking. There was no debriefing, no reassurances, and no explanation of what had occurred. It was as if they wanted to brush the whole incident under the rug. This lack of responsibility is unacceptable. However, I do want to express my gratitude to the pilot who managed to land the plane safely under such stressful conditions. His skill and professionalism in that moment were the only silver linings in this otherwise dismal experience. Despite this, I am extremely disappointed with Hawaiian Airlines. Our safety, both physical and emotional, should have been their utmost priority, but it felt like we were an afterthought. The inconvenience of the delay and the lack of apology for the lost day of our vacation only added to our dissatisfaction. I will think twice before flying with them again.

Not Verified | Would not recommend Hawaiian Airlines. Flight attendants were so grumpy. Their service was very unprofessional compared to some airlines I have flown with. One flight attendant didn’t give out the right amount of headsets/eye masks so we had to ask for an extra one. She did that with 4 other people who missed out on them too. The woman who served the food didn’t even know what was in the sandwich. Felt so uncomfortable around her and if I had to ask any questions I felt I couldn’t. Didn’t even say goodbye thank you for flying etc when we were getting off.

✅ Trip Verified | I just wanted to say that Flight Attendant Miley, based in Los Angeles, exhibited genuine Aloha spirit in our interactions. It is evident she thoroughly enjoys working her job, her coworkers and her customers, thank you Miley! You are amazing. Flight 34, Maui to Los Angeles.

✅ Trip Verified | Being local, I am not proud to say that Hawaiian Airlines did not meet my requirements for being a good representative of Hawaii. I am sure no one is going to read this from Hawaiian Airlines but if they do. 1) The website is not good. I couldn't do online check-in, the website is slow and very "heavy". It's not intuitive and a lot of the links do not work. I am not sure if this is on purpose but just got to do better with the website. 2) In-flight service was not great. Food was subpar and the entertainment was again "heavy". However, most of all....the seats are horrible in Economy class. Not comfortable at all. It REALLY feels like the economy of economy. I thought Hawaiian would offer a little better than that. 3) Finally. I felt like I was being nickled and dimed for everything. I received multiple offers to upgrade, or had to pay extra for every little thing. It felt like an LCC. Not sure if Hawaiian is going through some financial problems, but as a customer it leaves a bad taste in the mouth when I keep getting asked if I want to BID to get a better seat. The Aloha is lacking. As a whole it was not really bad but compared to United, Delta, and Alaska, I was really disappointed with Hawaiian. I don't want to trash talk them. I was just very disappointed that my local airline was so junk compared to others. Especially since everything in Hawaii is so expensive. Unfortunately, as a customer, I will be avoiding Hawaiian when I can in favor of other carriers.

✅ Trip Verified | Poor customer support and indifferent counter agents. No ability to make changes to your flight online so you have to call in order to make changes to a reservation. Phone lines can be down so it can take several dialing attempts before you get through. In one particular instance, we needed to change our departure time (interisland) to a flight thirty minutes later and were told there would be a change fee equal to the cost of the ticket. When we asked for clarification on the unreasonably high charge, the customer service agent, who clearly was not based in Hawaii or the US, hung up on us. As someone who lives in Hawaii, we try to fly Southwest, which in comparison, charges no fees for ticket changes, allows you to make changes on their website, allows up to two pieces of luggage checked in for free, and has great customer service. Additionally, they jack up the rates of interisland flights when there are no competing flights. Not very aloha.

✅ Trip Verified | After first booking direct from SFO to OGG and back my flights were changed in a vague email that made no sense or didn’t seem to apply to me. No details were embedded in email and their App crashes on a routine basis. So instead of direct to Maui I need to go through Honolulu. Once arrived boarded for Maui but had engine troubles as we were then stuck in heat. For passengers going to Oahu to Seattle on this flight other arrangements were made and most of the plane disembarked. Another 10 minutes and remaining passengers were told to go to B2. No departure or arrival time provided. Went to B2 and gate attendant said we were now leaving out of gate A14 (next door to original departure gate). Even though there was a flight to Maui at 2:35pm we weren’t able to board that flight, and had to walk back to gate with no idea of said departure. Been traveling now for 10 hours and feel numb and pissed at idiot’s who are operating Hawaiian Airlines. If you have a mechanical issue they must have a procedure or practice to help the frustrations of passengers who are now getting on/off planes twice. What a bunch of idiots running this show.

✅ Trip Verified | The return flight from Maui to Las Vegas was cancelled and I was rebooked on a different airline from Honolulu to Las Vegas. The problem, I have to pay for seats and check in baggage and Hawaiian Airlines could not do anything for me. I talk to a representative and they said they could not do anything for me at their end. The agent would or. Could not forward me to someone who could do something for me. I thought they would do something for the customer in good faith because they are the ones who change my reservations to United. Very disappointed in Hawaiian Airlines. Never flying with them again.

Not Verified | We had booked 4 round trip tickets from Saturday to Saturday to Maui. Saturday morning when I check online to see if our flight was on time, I read that the flight had been cancelled. I called customer support to book another flight. The same flight, the next day was the next one available. Then the agent told me I had to pay for the flight on Sunday. I explained that I was booking the flight because the Saturday flight was cancelled. He would not listen, so I bought 4 more tickets. The following Saturday, I checked our returning flight and found that we were on standby, not reserved seats. This was after I had previously confirmed both flight. I could reserve the seats for $200 each. In other words, they extorted us for an additional $800. To add more insanity, the walk from the gate at LAX to the sidewalk is one mile. When I got home, I called my credit card company and had the charges I had made Saturday for the new flight cancelled. There was no dispute from Hawaiian Air, since what they had done is illegal. We visit Maui twice a year. I will never fly Hawaiian Airlines again!

✅ Trip Verified | Reason for leaving Hawaiian Airlines as a preferred carrier. In February of 2023, my wife and I decided to purchase tickets from Hawaii Airlines(HA) after learning our cat would only be allowed in the cabin on either Alaskan Airlines or Hawaiian Airlines. We had also made changes the year before placing this as one of our preferred airlines on our AMEX because we had used them a few times to go stateside. My wife felt unsettled in May with the ticket because it did not mention the cat on the ticket. So, she called the airlines to ensure our cat can fly in the cabin. She received confirmation and the cost for our cat Fred to fly. Post the conversation, she felt better about choosing HA as the preferred airline. On one occasion, we checked the HA webpage and noted they were changing their pet carrier dimensions. The pet carrier we owned prior was one inch larger, and since HA was making the changes effective June 2023, and we were flying until 20 July, we did not want to take any chances of having a tape measure come out and stop the cat from flying with us. So, we bought a new carrier to fit their new guidelines and started months in advance to get him acclimated to the new pet carrier. If you own pets, you understand this reason. Moves can be stressful enough on people, but when the animal does not have a place of refuge, it can be even more stressful. On the morning of 20 July, we went to the airport with eight bags and the cat. My wife was due to fly on HA 19 to San Diego, and I helped her move three bags containing all our clothes, along with our cat, into the Hawaiian Airlines departure terminal. My buddy then drove the kids and me to the Southwest terminal since NAVPTO could not get us on the same flight. I started unloading the truck, and I got a call from my wife crying, “They will not let Fred (cat) fly! They said he is too big and could not stand.” The cat was calm as a cucumber in his new kennel after a month of finally getting acclimated to it. We had one an inch bigger than the latest change HA made and my wife was just trying to get clarity. My buddy, who was dropping us off, brought his cat to Oahu two weeks prior from Sacramento on HA with a pet carrier which was the same as the one we chose to not use because of its size. So, we asked if he could get his carrier to fly with our cat. We also asked a friend to bring us their hard case pet carrier. Before their arrival, my wife went into the line and showed the bag turning on its side, unzips, and expands, allowing the cat to stand and just wanted to know if it would work. The lady said, "You cannot alter the carrier!" my wife calmly explained, "It is not altering it; it is just unzipping the side." Again, the rude lady stated you cannot alter the bag and no this will not work. Shortly after this, our friend brought the hard case pet carrier to fly the cat in the belly of the aircraft. Then the HA associate stopped my wife because she had a reservation for the cat to fly in the cabin. My wife was trying to explain she's moving to California to another HA associate, and the lady behind the counter rudely started chirping, “She started crying, thinking I would change my mind!” Who says that in the service department of Hawaiian Airlines? Apparently, it was ok for this lady to do so, and she was allowed to escalate the situation, which my wife was just trying to find out how she could fly with the cat in the cabin or get the cat off the island. FRUSTRATED!

Not Verified | 19 hours before flight couldn't check in online. Couldn't check in at kiosk. Counter rep tells me flight "might" be booked up. Gives me a boarding pass for a later departure (without informing me). I proceed to the initial gate Info from telescopes. Get to gate and my boarding pass doesn't work. They tell me I'm on plane for 6 hours later. I argue, they are calling my name, as I'm arguing and they are emailing me. I show my id, they tell me I'm on standby for a flight in 6 hours. They played me, gave my seat away right in front of me, said I checked in for the wrong flight, I explain the situation, and she tells me I was bumped to standby.