Neighbor Island Flight: Hawaiian Airlines Honolulu (HNL) to Kona (KOA) Economy Class Review HA 318 (May 2024)
Without regular water ferry service, getting between the Hawaiian Islands typically requires a plane. Fortunately, Hawaiian Airlines has you covered with plenty of flights and a good experience. Here’s our review of Hawaiian Airlines Neighbor Island flight.
View of a Hawaiian Airlines Boeing 717-200 at Kona (KOA). Image: Benjamin Schmidt.
Flight Review: Hawaiian Airlines HA 318 Honolulu (HNL) to Kona (KOA) Economy Class Review (May 2024)
Highs: A warm staff and a bright color scheme made the plane feel like an extension of Hawaiian culture. The leader in on-time departures.
Lows: No food or WiFi. Domestic Main Cabin ticket doesn’t include a checked bag. No reclining seats in economy class.
Verdict: With over 120 flights per day, Hawaiian has the art of island hopping down to a science.
Context: Hawaiian Airlines Neighbor Island Flight Economy Class Review from Honolulu
We needed to get from Oahu (the home of Honolulu, Hawaii’s largest city) to the island of Hawaii (also known as the Big Island) and it became clear we’d definitely need to take a plane to get there. Despite being made up of Islands, Hawaii has no active water ferry service. Ferry companies have come and gone, but, the overwhelming majority of people get around Hawaii by air. Fortunately, Hawaiian Airline maintains an extremely robust “Neighbor Island” flight schedule, ensuring robust coverage at most times of the day. As always, we looked for the cheapest fair with one piece of checked luggage included.
Impression of Hawaiian Airlines
The very concept of Hawaii (as a place that really exists) has maintained a strong lock on the world’s imagination thanks to its fascinating Volcanic origins, treasured culture, and natural beauty. Hawaiian Airlines feels like a natural extension of these things as an airline deeply tied to the islands it primarily serves. Founded as Inter-Island Airways in 1929 as a sightseeing company operating flights over Oahu, it was in the 1930s that the routes expanded to inter-island services with Sikorsky S-43 aircraft. In 1941, Inter-Island rebranded to Hawaiian Airlines, as its been known ever since.
A Hawaiian Airlines aircraft parked at Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL). Image: Benjamin Schmidt.
Hawaii was a strategic post during World War II, unusually well-positioned for performing long-distance aircraft operations (Hawaii maintains strong US military operations to this day). After the war, Hawaiian Airlines modernized its fleet with DC-3s and Convair 340s. By the 1990s, Hawaiian’s route expanded markedly, expanding to the U.S. mainland and international destinations such as Korea and Japan. Today, it is Hawaii’s largest and longest-serving airline, known for its punctuality and service. Hawaiian Airlines service offering ranges from tiny 15-minute island jumps through to the impressive single-leg trips like the 5,000-mile Boston-Honolulu flight. That level of flexibility and know-how from a single airline is truly impressive.
The latest news reveals that Hawaiian Airlines continues to be a respected airline. In December 2023, Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines entered into a definitive agreement to combine operations. Despite their geographical distance, Alaska and Hawaii are complimentary in their dependency on air travel, making this merger quite exciting for both brands.
What is a Neighbor Island Flight?
Hawaiian Airlines’ route coverage in the Hawaiian islands. Image: Hawaiian Airlines.
Hawaiian Airlines’ unique Neighbor Island Flights is a type of flight service that serves most major islands in the Hawaiian chain of islands. These short flights rarely exceed an hour, but are integral to movement around the Aloha State which has very little water ferry service and even fewer bridges.
The Honolulu to Kona flight is the third-longest route, coming in at just under 200 miles. Neighbor Island routes enjoy high frequency with regular departures— up to one every 40 minutes for certain islands. Booking early is better as pricing is dynamic based on seat availability.
Hawaiian Airlines Fare Classes
The fare classes for Hawaii Airlines Neighbor Island flights is very straight forward, broken into Main, Main Refundable, and First Class. For these very short flights, few services are offered, more akin to a shuttle. In fact, beyond the free checked bag and slightly extra space, I can’t imagine why anyone would book a First Class ticket on one of these routes. For what it’s worth, there is no Basic Economy on Neighbor Island flights, but international and mainland flights do offer Basic Economy. Unfortunately, there is no free checked luggage with Main Cabin or Main Cabin Refundable. That said, all fare classes do enjoy one (1) personal item and one (1) carry-on item.
Good to know
Main Cabin Neighbor Island flight tickets do not include checked luggage, even for a Main Cabin seat. For most people, the cost is $30 for the first checked bag. If you are a HawaiianMiles member, the cost of checked bag drops to $15.
Is Hawaiian Airlines part of any alliance?
As of May 2024, Hawaiian Airlines is not a member of any alliance. However, it enjoys codeshare agreements with:
China Airlines (CI)
Japan Airlines (JL)
JetBlue Airways (B6)
Korean Air (KE)
Virgin Australia (VA)
Given Hawaiian Airlines is merging with Alaska Airlines, we can expect changes to these alliances and partnerships, including the possibility that Hawaiian will join the Oneworld alliance.
Accruing American Airlines AAdvantage Points with Hawaiian Airlines
There is very inconsistent (and difficult to find) information around the possibility of accruing American Airlines AAdvantage points with Hawaiian Airlines. American Airlines’ website alludes to this possibility but it seems extraordinarily limited (for example, you cannot earn Loyalty Points on flights marketed by Hawaiian Airlines nor on flights between Hawaii and the U.S. Mainland— what does that leave you?). On the Hawaiian Airlines website, references to this partnership are even more sparse.
To further complicate things, there is no way to add an AAdvantage number online while buying the ticket on the Hawaiian Airlines website. You must call Hawaiian Airlines customer service and request the AAdvantage number be added to the reservation. I did so. As of the time of writing, I haven’t seen any points added to my AAdvantage account from this flight.
Ticket price: $84.50, inclusive of all fees, paid with Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®.
Note
This ticket price represents a one-way itinerary: HNL-KOA.
Points accrual:
This segment (HNL-KOA): N/A
Total segments/boardings for the entire itinerary: 1
Transiting through HNL: Security, and Preflight
Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) is the largest airport in Hawaii, located in the capital city Honolulu. Reaching the airport from Waikiki can take less than 20 minutes by car, depending on traffic.
Interior of Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL). Image: Benjamin Schmidt.
Hawaiian Airlines has a somewhat organized check-in area. A maze of customer queues await, but lines are often short and well-marked. The check-in area is intentionally divided by destination (International, U.S. Mainland, and Neighbor Island). Visually, this is the most overwhelming part of the airport. But be patient and ask staff if you need assistance to find the right line.
Interior of Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL). Image: Benjamin Schmidt.
The slowest part of the check-in is the baggage check. Almost everyone had large and bulky luggage, so this line moved somewhat slowly. Be sure to self-tag the bag before getting in this line. Give yourself up to half an hour to process here as we took about 20 minutes in the baggage line alone.
Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL). Image: Benjamin Schmidt.
Once I was checked-in and through security, the experience instantly became much more pleasant and tranquil. Given the comfortable climate, much of Hawaii’s public infrastructure is oriented toward the outdoors. Accessing the B gates involved passing through a semi-outdoor breezeway, offering a FOMO-inducing look into a courtyard containing a sunny garden where travelers were relaxing amidst palm trees, flowers, and grass. The scene was disorienting but comforting, a postcard Hawaii situation.
Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL). Image: Benjamin Schmidt.
The B gates aren’t so exciting, but we snagged a Mai Tai at the world’s most nondescript bar (I think it was called Kona Brewing Company). Technically, boarding was by zone, but we never heard any announcements to invite anyone to board; it simply started happening. That said, it was efficient.
Hawaiian Airlines boarding at B gates, Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL). Image: Benjamin Schmidt.
Hawaiian Airlines Boeing 717-200 Economy Class Interior and Seat
Hawaiian Airlines Boeing 717-200 Economy Class Interior. Image: Benjamin Schmidt.
Hawaiian Airlines Boeing 717-200 Economy Class Interior. Image: Benjamin Schmidt.
There is a lot of credit to be given to the designers of this interior, who were obviously tasked with bringing the spirit of Hawaii to an aircraft. Indeed, the interior feels like a successful distillation of the “spirit” of Hawaii. From the warm-toned speckled carpet evoking the look of a sandy beach to the rich aquamarine seating (evocative of the crystalline waters), the effect is completed with the restrained use of high-contrast piping and stitching in the color of the hibiscus (or Aloalo) flower. Seatbelts and armrests rendered in a confident purple-blue suggest water over lava rock. It is hard to accurately demonstrate how bright the interior is through photo alone. A small machined aluminum tray features a tasteful light blue surface, but it’s really meant to hold a drink and snack at most. I placed my boarding pass for scale.
Hawaiian Airlines Economy Class Seat on a Boeing 717-200. Image: Benjamin Schmidt
A search of the tail number revealed this Boeing 717-200 to be 23.1 years old, but it seemed incredibly fresh, with little visible wear and tear. Surprisingly, the refresh of the interior was way back in 2015, confirming the integrity of the materials used. This Boeing 717-200 features 120 economy class seats, arranged in a 2-3 manner and eight first class seats.
Overhead storage was plentiful across all classes and I had no issues finding space to store my items even with the flight mostly full. Note the storage on the two-abreast side of the plane is smaller.
Overhead bins on a Hawaiian Airlines Boeing 717-200. Image: Benjamin Schmidt.
There is one lavatory on the aircraft, but given the flight length, I did not need to utilize it. The cabin lighting was simple.
Passenger service unit on Hawaiian Airlines Boeing 717-200. Image: Benjamin Schmidt
Each seat features a free-positioning swivel jet nozzle and a reading light. Also at the seat were two pieces of literature, a bespoke safety brochure and Hawaiian Airline’s inflight magazine, Hana Hou! (meaning “do it again” in Hawaiian). The magazine contains a mix of short form and long form stories on all sorts of topics, ranging from sustainability and Island history to Hawaiian recipes and interesting personalities. I flipped through it and found myself reading a few stories all the way through.
One extremely specific critique is that the aircraft exterior was not clean. The windows were streaked with dirty traces of rain droplets. Really, its unavoidable: weather in Hawaii relentlessly oscillates between rain and sun almost daily. But it was a small detail that might be worth noting if you want to snap idyllic birds-eye photos.
Hawaiian Airlines safety booklet and in-flight magazine, hana hou! Image: Benjamin Schmidt
Crew Experience and Meal Service in Hawaiian Airlines Economy Class Neighbor Island Flight
The crew was friendly and female flight attendants wore a flower in the corner of their ear, an iconic symbol of Hawaiian culture (and featured in Hawaiian'‘s logo). Given the brief nature of the flight, there was no food service. However, passengers could enjoy a complimentary guava juice or cup of water. All announcements were made in English. The safety demonstration was extremely forgettable.
View from Hawaiian Airlines Economy Class Seat. Image: Benjamin Schmidt
Guava Juice on a Hawaiian Airlines flight. Image: Benjamin Schmidt
Tech, WiFi AND IFE in Hawaiian Airlines Economy Class Neighbor Island Flight
This aircraft had no power to the seats. The aircraft had no WiFi and there is no IFE. The magazine was just enough entertainment. Perhaps in the spirit of the island life, I broke a longstanding personal rule of mine and enjoyed a thoughtful chat with the couple seated next to me, flying in from San Diego for a holiday.
Sleep and Comfort in Hawaiian Airlines Economy Class Neighbor Island Flight
Given the very brief nature of the flight, I didn’t sleep but comfort was acceptable. The seat is a common slim-style seat (often seen on Spirit Airlines and other low-cost options). For Hawaiian Airlines, this style of seat is appropriate for the route. From experience, this type of seat becomes uncomfortable after about four hours.
Landing and Conclusion Hawaiian Airlines Neighbor Island Flight
Deplaning at Kona International Airport. Image: Benjamin Schmidt
There was minimal turbulence on this flight and the landing was relatively smooth. We deplaned via a ramp that put us on the apron, before being corraled into the deconstructed airport that is KOA.
View of a Hawaiian Airlines Boeing 717-200 at Kona (KOA). Image: Benjamin Schmidt.
If you found Honolulu’s airport to be uniquely outdoorsy, Kona’s collection of window-free pavilions and covered walkways will amuse and charm.
Atmosphere at Kona International Airport. Image: Benjamin Schmidt.
You move through open air to reach the baggage claim, which is also completely outdoors.
Baggage claim at Kona International Airport. Image: Benjamin Schmidt.
Our luggage arrived to the carousel about 15 minutes after we deplaned. In many ways, Hawaiian Airlines is your only option in getting around Hawaii. But thankfully, it is a pleasant one.
‘Apapane, the Boeing 717 owned and operated by Hawaiian Airlines. Image: Benjamin Schmidt.
