Originally Posted by
WebTraveler
No, fares have traditionally been higher. This is why Hawaiian only serves Maui from Portland and Seattle; all other cities on the west coast get Honolulu only. The reason is that historically they could charge a premium for this and people paid it. I have relatives in Hawaii and all over California. We often compared fares. Fares from Oakland and LAX have always been lower.
Again, as I've pointed out in my post, my statement was based on
my own experiences and observations--not yours. I have in the past 10 years traveled a number of times to SEA and PDX to get to destinations like LAS and SFO because those fares priced out lower (including the connection) than connecting in LAX or a non-stop to SFO. It's been my experience that loads are generally higher on the ex-LAX flights whereas PDX/SEA generally had lower loads, thus probably the explanation for the lower fares out of the Pac-NW. This was usually in peak travel periods.