Why Southwest is Finally Flying Cheap Flights to Hawaii
Jennifer Billock October 16, 2017
Southwest Airlines is finally going to start taking travelers to island life on Hawaii, by 2019.
After a multitude of requests from both travelers and employees alike, Southwest Airlines is finally bringing on a new desired route – to Hawaii. And not only that, but the airline says prices to get to the islands will become cheaper.
“We see prices higher than they need to be and we anticipate lowering fares,” Southwest’s Chief Revenue Officer Andrew Watterson told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
The airline will begin flying the route either in 2018 or 2019. It’s partially thanks to Boeing as well – the airplane manufacturer recently upgraded the 737 to the 737 Max, which can tackle longer routes and offers more fuel efficiency. Southwest is the first airline in North America to fly this new jet.
“For us, it’s the perfect fit for Hawaii,” Watterson told the Post-Dispatch. “The Max has got 14 percent better range and 14 percent better fuel burn.”
There’s also a new reservation system that’s helping Southwest offer these flights, which welcomes overnight flights and complicated bookings.
But first, Southwest has to get federal approval to fly its planes over the ocean – and that process can take up to 18 months. Tickets go on sale next year.
But some analysts don’t see the Hawaii flights working out for Southwest.
“We don’t see Southwest having success in Hawaii due to an inferior product and an already crowded marketplace,” said Hunter Keay, a Wolfe Research analyst, in a note to clients reported on by the Post-Dispatch. “We expect Southwest will bleed margins here for a couple years before scaling back or exiting outright.”
[Image: Wikimedia Commons]
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The seats on SWA have more pitch and legroom than the seats on UA economy and thus make for a more comfortable ride. I was on a UA 738 this week in economy and was very uncomfortable on a 3.5 hour flight with such small amount of seat pitch, and with the seatback screen as close as it was in front of me, it was literally useless anyway. The 10-across economy seats on AA 772 that I took to LHR recently are so narrow that it is very uncomfortable as well. I would pick SWA any day - their friendliness is something the other airlines seem to completely lack.
SWA has been great at setting expectations low. You get what you pay for. They are not the cheapest as their marketing department would have you believe.
Competition is always good, the consumer will choose based on mostly fare first. We love to vent on forums, FB etc., but we vote with our wallet when it comes time to buy for the most part.
Well, I just flew over the Atlantic on a major US carrier with no seat power, so flying over the Pacific to Hawaii would not be a problem. Especially with two free bags.
Another way Southwest is inferior: There is no way for taller people to guarantee an extra legroom seat at ANY cost, like they can with Main Cabin Extra on AA or Economy Plus on UA, for example. That's because of Southwest's open seating policy. While in theory Early Bird Check-In (EBCI) or checking in at EXACTLY 24 hours or buying Business Plus should help with that, the problem is that Southwest flies planes point-to-point-to-point-to-point, so if you are not on the first leg of the plane, then the passengers on the leg in front of you tend to change seats before you board and take the precious few extra legroom seats. People have paid extra for Business Plus (who board even before EBCI or 24-hour check in), and still found all their preferred seats taken by "through" passengers already. so it depends in part on your height (and your willingness to pay a bit extra for an extra legroom seat) as to whether you might think Southwest is inferior or not!