I am flying a mixed domestic & international itinerary on HA from PHX-HNL-PPT (Tahiti) this summer, in F. HA baggage weight restrictions are 50 pounds for a domestic flight but 70 pounds for an international flight, and normally, if we were connecting to the second leg the same day, we'd be allowed the 70 pound allowance. The problem is that we are doing a one-night stopover in HNL before connecting to the HNL-PPT flight the next day... but we are on the same itinerary for both flights, and our fare was based on a PHX-PPT ticket with a "free" stopover in HNL.

Last year, I contacted HA to verify that we would be allowed 70 pounds because we are ongoing international pax, and received this "policy statement":

"The checked baggage weight allowance for passengers who are ticketed for international travel to/from or via the U.S. regardless of fare breaks or
stopover at any point in the itinerary, will be 70 lbs/32 KG with no
additional charge."

This written statement saved us a lot of hassles at the PHX airport, where they insisted we were only entitled to 50 pounds, but because of the written statement, allowed us more. When attempting to get another policy letter this year from HA, I received the following response:

"The restrictions of the bags will change as you travel from a domestic flight to international destination. So the 70lbs will be ok for the PPT flight and still 50lbs for the transpacific flight."

This makes no sense! Almost all of the international pax flying from HNL-PPT are coming from somewhere else in the US on a domestic flight! Unless they purchase 20 pounds worth of stuff in HNL, what good is the 70 pound allowance?

We will be in Tahiti for two full months, and need every ounce of allowable weight. We also bring lots of gifts for local friends -- 50 pounds will not be enough!

Does anyone have access to a written Hawaiian policy that would verify (or contradict) this limitation? Thx!