Hawaii-based Airlines - HA Inflight Services Pages Updated

FYI...HA updated (finally, although some parts are still a work in progress) their inflight services pages on their website:
http://www.hawaiianair.com/Services/in-flight-services/

Much easier to navigate and get info including:
Full dining menu for Y and F class and upgrades.
Entertainment info including full details and costs for the A330 IFE systems and the 767 DigEPlayers.

All I can say is...'bout time.

What I would like to see HA do is give Pualani elites and Premier Club members free access to the A330 IFE and maybe even comp the upgraded meals. Are you listening HA? This can be easily done on the A330 since the Pualani Platinum and Gold member cards have the magnetic card swipe on the back (not sure for the Premier Club cards). You could easily swipe the member card on the seatback IFE unit. Wishful thinking...

Right on! Thank you for posting that. I sometimes feel that i am the only one trying to get HA's attention to basic status pax courtesy. 10 + years ago...A then small airline Frontier airline took care of it's customer and did this very thing (IFE comps and meal comps). The majors currently comp this and more to include F seats when vacant. None of this seems to be on HA's radar. Why is that? You should have that basic comp bestowed upon you for the very reasons you state. You are right...the card in your wallet makes this an extremely easy implementation. HA does not learn from the precedent set before it by others in the business;-(

Keep posting...hopefully a change will come.

I pay for Premier Club and have no HA status, but I disagree with the posts above.

Every mainstream carrier in the USA is an economic basket-case, because they give away First Class to their elites whereas more successful and higher quality carriers overseas do not comp it, they just allow elites priority to using large amounts of points for upgrades.

It is economic insanity to comp your product with the highest profit-margin. Let elites have free baggage, priority check-in and priority boarding. But if anyone wants First they should have to buy a ticket or burn a lot of miles.

I think it's great that Hawaiian allows you to pay into a service like premier club that allows you free baggage. I'm sure it saves you some money, especially if you are traveling with companions on the same reservation. You can get further perks such as priority boarding by paying for a bulk head or exit row seat upon check in. Do you not think that those of us who earn the status by actual "butt in seat" loyalty should be further compensated over those that buy into airline compensation? I average nearly 10k expenditure with HA annually.

I do appreciate your comment regarding airlines being fiscally responsible. However, if the seat is vacant and unsold prior to departure...don't you think it would be acceptable to give it to a loyal customer? At that point the revenue would be a loss anyway.

Do you not think that those of us who earn the status by actual "butt in seat" loyalty should be further compensated over those that buy into airline compensation? I average nearly 10k expenditure with HA annually.

I do appreciate your comment regarding airlines being fiscally responsible. However, if the seat is vacant and unsold prior to departure...don't you think it would be acceptable to give it to a loyal customer? At that point the revenue would be a loss anyway.

I'm sorry, but no, I don't agree, because that actually encourages frequent travellers with US airlines to buy coach tickets in the strong hope that they will be upgraded. I'm a top tier elite with Air New Zealand and I know that the only way I will sit in the pointy end is if I buy a Business class ticket or burn hundreds or even thousands of dollars worth of miles.

A significant reason why many of us in Australia and New Zealand buy Qantas or Air New Zealand Premium Economy tickets - which cost roughly double discounted coach, but include upgraded meals, AVOD and 38 inch seat pitch - is because it is a separate, higher service class, and as such we only have to burn half as many points for upgrades up further into Business class compared with if we'd bought coach tickets.

One fundamental problem with Hawaiian and most US airlines is that First Class flights earn far too few points compared with discounted economy, whereas in other countries you tend to find that First Class earns roughly four times as many miles as Coach.

Overall, airlines in the USA incentivise their frequent flyers to buy economy tickets and hope for upgrades, and that's a risky business model.

Overall, airlines in the USA incentivise their frequent flyers to buy economy tickets and hope for upgrades, and that's a risky business model.

I always like the business model of AA and the old UA, where upgrades were much more rare, but actually earned. The loose upgrades were started by Continental, Northwest, and America West back when they had poor products and poor reputations. Unfortunately, the loose upgrades have become the norm for US airlines.

That said, HA might be able to benefit by removing one row of seats and creating an Economy Plus section, which sells at a premium price, free premium Y meals, free IFE, and, say, two free tropical drinks.