I do this route a lot, and though I've yet to fly in F (hoping that I have to fly a few 767s next year and would rather use stickers on widebody ACs), I just about always get to snag 9D (best Y seat on the plane, IMO), which means I'm directly facing the jump seat for the #2 FA up front (purser jump seat is way up front). I've gotten to know a good number of them and I tell ya- they're fantastic. In general, I've found HNL crews to be some of the best in AA, even back in Y, but I'm always impressed at how well the FAs in F balance professionalism/experience with friendliness/casualness, which is especially key for a tourist-heavy route like LAX-HNL. On each of my 4 LAX-HNL or HNL-LAX segments in the last month, the FA in the jump seat directly in front of me would come back to check on me a few times throughout the flight, when the PAX in F would take their naps. So I can't tell you about the food quality and stuff, but I CAN tell you that this year, I have yet to have anything less than fantastic FAs on this route. I think the seniority helps? They're past that disillusioned phase, and they're not uptight like some of the newbies. Plus they tend to enjoy the PAX since we're generally laid back and relaxed locals or excited tourists. It also can't hurt that their destination is HNL and that they get near 24 hours before the turn-around (compare South America flights which often only have 10 hours).

All in all, even though I find the aircraft and the IFE to be crap, the FAs (and for me, the legroom of 9D) make this quite the pleasant flight.