LAX

Not sure if anyone would find this info helpful, but I have noticed that HA has issued a travel waiver on all itineraries between March 1 and April 30 that were booked prior to March 9. I have been monitoring this because my elderly parent is scheduled to travel later this month. See additional details at https://www.hawaiianairlines.com/coronavirus.

LAX

747FC

Mahalo for posting this. I've got a reservation for which I need to use that waiver.

pqw123

Talking about the travel waivers, it is total ridiculous. In my experience, after patiently waited for almost 5 hours, finally received response from customer services via text, I requested to change my original flight ticket to another date due to COVID-19. Before contacting the customer services, I have already done all the research online. According to the results shown on the official Hawaiian Airlines website, the new ticket’s fare is lower than my original one. So, I assume that I do not need to pay for any extra fee on this change. However, Hawaiian demanded me to pay for the fare difference which I am not able to find it. They said the fare we can see right now does not applicable to my case...

First, I am not able to justify the additional fare difference Hawaiian requested me to pay. Second, I am not able to get my credit refund for my further management. (All airlines able to do so, but Hawaiian does not.) I feel very unfair to pay for the extra fare difference. And I feel like they are trying to push me to settle the payment rather than resolve me problems. I am extremely disappointed on Hawaiian airlines.

Most importantly! I don’t feel like this new launched travel waiver policies assist customers who need to change their travel plan due to the evolving COVID-19, BUT requesting me to pay for more extra fees and totally waste of time!

Alex909

pqw123, yes! Fare differences and the way they are calculated have been a long standing issue, even before Coronavirus. HA call center agents often cannot really explain differences in fare they are quoting you for a given date and route. (When asked to justify they are typically unable, blaming their IT system, it being not transparent enough. I almost believe them.)

I’ve had to use Korea and Japan waivers in the last 2 weeks and I, too, found that even now in this crisis HA have not really taken care of those pesky fare differences for us. Especially if you are trying to modify the return leg of an existing, older ticket where just the second leg falls into Covid waiver timeframe. Or, if you need to change your route because your original destination develops a hot cluster of coronavirus cases and HA is too slow to recognize and respond to it. Also, be aware that you can apply a given HA waiver only once to change your ticket.

Wake up, Hawai’i based airlines! Covid waiver rules need to become more generous if you seriously want to get us travelers to feel safe and consider booking again under these very special circumstances. New outbreak areas appear every other day and governments are imposing new bans under us every other day, we need to be able to adapt our itineraries, and levying fare differences on things like route changes or repeat applications makes that next to impossible. (To illustrate, after already forced to change my latest ticket due to Korea outbreak, I was finally happily booked all the way from Kona via Tokyo to Germany. Or, I thought so... But after latest POTUS announcement I find myself spending hours on HA and JAL call centers all over again, scrambling to do the waiver process all over, this time with very limited success.)

LAX

Are you saying some of the lower fares available online cannot be booked over the phone, which result in a higher fare difference? That's not right. While I was able to finally persuade HA to cancel a flight I originally booked through Orbitz (couldn't get through at all for 2 days), I guess I will need to deal with this shenanigan in the future.

By the way, if I were to book another flight that is actually less than the value on the original COVID 19-related ticket, does anyone know if HA would issue the difference in a new voucher that would be good for another 12 months?

LAX

747FC

Has anyone cancelled a flight under the waiver rules without immediately making a new reservation? I.E., is it possible to just "bank" the value of the ticker?

LAX

I did. At least I thought I did when I finally got through to HA on the phone. My reservation was complicated by the fact that it was initially booked through Orbitz and HA had repeatedly refused to touch the reservation up until just past the 24 hours prior to departure mark. I told the agent that I had been trying for 2 days to talk to someone at Orbitz, but could not. I guess I will find out if it was actually canceled when I am ready to rebook, which probable won't be for a while.

LAX

747FC

Thanks. This morning, I got an email from HA suggesting that if I wanted to just cancel (without immediate rebooking), to click a link. The link went to this form, which is available on the website:
https://www.hawaiianairlines.com/con.../email/request

Tpa-flyer

Does anyone know if a person has a confirmed award redemption ticket if HA will allow a cancellation and redeposit of the miles with a waiver of the redeposit fees given the covid-19 situation?

747FC

I don't know, but you can ask: https://www.hawaiianairlines.com/con.../email/request Use the first item on the first pull-down menu.

Please let us know what you find out.

JIMCHI

We still don't have a clear answer to this question. Without calling HA, can we just cancel online and still have those funds available in the confirmation number to be used before 12/31/20 ?? Do we have to call HA to get the res. cancelled and the funds preserved?

giporlos

The HA webpage offers confusing information on waivers, refunds, and "the form" you can use to do this. Two experiences below, both purchased online through HA directly.

I had one ticket I purchased 7 March hoping to make a trip.... that didn't pan out and when I went to do my free waiver change and deposit the dollars to my Hawaiian account, I had to call. When I called and asked for funds to be deposited to HA account I was asked "what is the reason?"... When I didn't say the words "corona virus" I was told there would be a fee to change and/or deposit (???). When I said "yeah, it's because of the corona virus", then they said "OK you can get the credit to your account". I thought should be automatic since I purchased under the new waiver free offer.

Another ticket from Brisbane to Honolulu 30 May. Flight cancelled, was non-refundable and extra comfort to boot. Tried to do online, but it wasn't clear if I was cancelling AND getting a refund... so I toughed it out and called... once through... full refund to credit card.

Painful as it is... I would call. I wish their website was more robust and not so confusing... but every time I've gotten through via phone they have been polite and helpful.

mtofell

Thanks for the info - yeah, the website is pretty much worthless. In contrast, last night I watched my wife cancel and get credit for her Alaska Airlines trip to Hawaii within minutes from their website. Not sure why HA has to be such PITA with this.

franzose

Will Extra Comfort Seats be refunded under this COVID-19 policy?

mtofell

This might help someone (or maybe I'm just a travel rookie and should have figured this out sooner): I made my HA airlines reservation through Chase rewards which I believe is a part of Expedia. Since I was getting nowhere going to HA website directly, I went to Chase and there is a cancellation form that is for people with travel from 8-14 days out. There is the usual disclaimer about all your money (points, I assume) may not be refunded but at least this seems to be where to go if you booked through Expedia/Chase and wish to cancel. I'm still weighing options for travel as there seems to be no benefit to applying for a refund with more than 8 days to go.