Originally Posted by
WrightHI
People loved to complain about Hawaiian’s prices, but as best I could tell they always compared pretty favorably to prices for short hauls elsewhere. There are always markets where carriers are battling it out and fares are cheap, but those are the exception, not the rule. Interisland fares in the $150-250 range RT close in just weren’t particularly out of line IMO.
Edited to add: took a quick look at Google Flights for same-day IND-ORD over the next few weeks. Cheapest $168, lots of $228, lots more $300-400+.
A factor, however, is that flying IND-ORD is a luxury, and flying KOA-HNL is a necessity for there are no other options.