If you’ve been waiting with bated breath for Southwest to start selling plane tickets to Hawaii, your wait is up! Southwest launched fares to Hawaii March 4th with fares as low as $49!! Read on for information on where they’ll be flying, what details you need to know and why booking from anywhere but Oakland is a little tricky right now.
Where is Southwest Airlines Flying in Hawaii?
Southwest will fly to four Hawaiian islands- Kauai (LIH), Oahu (HNL), Maui (OGG) and the Island of Hawaii (KOA). Southwest tickets to Hawaii are on sale currently for Honolulu, Kahului, and Kahlua-Kona Hawaii. Service for Lihue on Kauai will be released shortly.
Southwest’s special site for Hawaiian flights can be found here.
We have recommendations for these islands below. Our #1 tip though? Book hotels and rental cars immediately. With the influx of Southwest Hawaii ticket sales, prices are sure to go up. Look for items with a cancellation policy and check back in a few weeks to see if the prices you booked went down. Best case scenario, you have peace of mind that a reservation exists for you. Nothing worse than grabbing a cheap flight to Hawaii, then being priced out of places to stay or a car to drive.
Some reading to help you plan
How To Choose the Best Hawaiian Island for Your Vacation
5 Places to Fall in Love with Hawaiian Culture on Oahu
5 Activities on Hawaii for Teens
How Much Will Tickets Be on Southwest to Hawaii?
Tickets will be priced in line with Southwest’s other flights, with fares starting as low as $49.
We hope that these low ticket prices will trigger sales with other airlines. As the frenzy surrounding Southwest’s Hawaii launch builds, it may be prudent to utilize other fare tools such as Kayak.com to compare other airlines’ pricing. Remember to look at the total price; Southwest allows two free bags per person, while other airlines may charge per bag.
What Southwest Flights to Hawaii Are on Sale Now? When Will Other Cities Be Released?
TravelingMom Tip: If you’ve never flown Southwest, you may not know that they release their flights for shorter periods of time. Right now Southwest’s booking calendar is available through October 1st.
Oakland (OAK) Southwest Hawaii Service
Currently, Southwest is selling tickets from Oakland to Honolulu (HNL) and Maui (OGG). Flights to Hawaii Island Kona (KOA) start May 12th.
San Jose (SJC) Southwest Hawaii Service
San Jose (SJC)-Honolulu (HNL) will start on May 5. Service from San Jose (SJC)-Kona (KOA) begins May 12 (via an inter-island connection HNL-KOA). Flights to Maui (OGG) from San Jose (SJC) take off on May 26.
Sacramento (SMF) Southwest Hawaii Service
Southwest flights to Hawaii have not gone up for sale from Sacramento.
San Diego (SAN) Southwest Hawaii Service
San Diego has flights available to Oahu as early as March 24th. We are seeing flights from April 10th on from SAN to Maui. Flights to KOA do not appear to be available yet.
Tip: Super important detail here. Not all connecting flight functionality is working right now. To snag the cheapest tickets, you may want to buy from the originating California airport to your Hawaiian destination and book your flights to California separately. I saw flights from Austin-Honolulu showing as unavailable or with only Saturday return flights, but was able to book the tickets piecemeal this way.
Can I Use My Points or my Companion Pass to Fly Southwest to Hawaii?
Absolutely yes! There was chatter around not being able to use the Companion Pass for Hawaiian flights, but at this time you can use them. I booked a round trip from Oakland to Honolulu for a little over 10,000 points this morning. If you’d like low-point trips, book soon or check back on the next release dates for new service.
What If I Already Have a Trip Booked With Another Airline?
If you already have a trip booked with another airline and can’t change it, don’t fret. Take advantage of Southwest’s inter-island fares, starting as low as $29. Use the opportunity to borrow a few days from an itinerary you already paid for to explore another Hawaiian destination. Southwest Inter-Island Hawaii routes between Honolulu (HNL) and Kona (KOA) begin May 12.
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Don’t miss out on all the great tastes of Hawaii! Aloha.
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