NJTeacher

We just qualified for a companion pass and would like to take our family to Hawaii during the holidays. I realize that those tickets are not on sale yet, but I want to get myself prepared for when they do go on sale. We have never been to Hawaii and need some advice...

1) We'll be traveling from BWI or PHL and ultimately need to get ourselves to Maui. Is it preferred to stop on the west coast for the night and then make the remainder of the journey? Anyone do it all in a day?

2) Is it better to book the entire trip, lets say BWI to OGG or segments...BWI-PHX, PHX-OGG? Is there a cost savings either way?

3) I see there are more flights going to HNL from the mainland than OGG. Is it worth looking for flights to HNL from the mainland and then flying to OGG?

4) Lastly, is there a way to find a list of airports SWA flies to Hawaii from? I have seen PHX, LAS, and SJC. Anything else I should be checking?

Thank you so much!

dmbolp

All of your questions can be answered now, on southwest.com. Look at flights that are currently available. Look at the route map and select non-stops to/from OGG. For example, you can fly BWI-OGG tomorrow with a plane change at LAS and get there by 4pm for $250. Individual segments could help if you're looking to earn status.

joshua362

I've never done it so can't comment on the long day of travel but coming back will most likely require an overnight out west using WN

dmbolp

We did OGG-ATL in mid-JAN in a single day; left OGG at 7:45a, landed at ATL (thru LAS) at 11pm, wasn't terrible. Looks like BWI would get you home after midnight.

Cledaybuck

Maybe not. I know friends that did OGG-CMH in one day last year. OGG-BWI will almost certainly be doable. Whether that is preferable is a different question.

pgh234

It is impossible to answer any of those questions with certainty until the schedule is released. For example, I can make the trip in one day from PIT to & from OGG or KOA (with one stop in LAS) about 3-5 months per year from PIT when the schedules of our LAS flight align. Other times require an overnight (typically coming home) when those LAS flights don't align. PHX/LAS will be your most likely connection points from the East Coast (possibly OAK/SMF/SAN/LAX too with a double connection). Breaking up the fares typically doesn't save me any money, but obviously YMMV in that one.
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CA1900

Just depends how much you can handle. BWI-LAS-OGG, with a 2+20 stop in Vegas, will take around 14 hours. Going the other way takes about 11.5, again with a ~2-hour stop in LAS. It's doable, but it'll be an all-day affair, and there won't be many itinerary options because of that. But it does look like it's bookable!

Generally the whole one-way itinerary will be significantly less expensive than separate ones with stops. For example, tomorrow, that BWI-LAS-OGG itinerary is $250 one-way. BWI-LAS and LAS-OGG, separately, are $496 and $332, total of $828. So more than triple the price booked separately.

I wouldn't add another leg unless there's no other option. Coming from the east coast, you'll still have to to stop somewhere before getting to HNL. It might be an option if there's a misconnect or something, but otherwise, I'd go straight to Maui if that's your ultimate destination.

The only way I see to do it is the interactive Route List: https://www.southwest.com/route-map-...?clk=RTMAPLIST

Click the "Nonstop" button on top, then click on each Hawaii city (Lihue, Kahului, Honolulu, Kona, and Hilo) and it'll list on the right what destinations each airport has.

Enjoy the trip! It's a beautiful place.

pitflyer

A somewhat related non stop question... Is there any way to tell when southwest offers non stops when it's seasonal or limited days? Example is Pit to Cancun which ends in early April and till then is only Saturday only. Found this by clicking through the calendar by having difficulty finding other non stop routes like Myrtle Beach which apparently is seasonal and may be only certain days a week.

I Normally would use Google Flights calendar view filtered on non stops on an airline but apparently Southwest doesn't appear on this view and Southwest own website I don't see how to calendar view only on non stops.

jerryfreak

as a west coaster who frequents maui i advise you to take some time to research how much more expensive maui stays have gotten in the last two years. lodging has nearly doubled in price. if i was on teh east coast id check out caribbean options first

chessman

You can do a weekly search in the timetable and it lists which days the nonstop flights are on.

https://www.southwest.com/air/flight-schedules/

Cledaybuck

The Caribbean isn't Maui.

cebee

It's important to book multi city reservations instead of separate one ways.

We've broken it up and spent the night in California or Vegas on the way to Hawaii. On the way back, on our most recent trip, we left on an early morning flight and connected in Vegas to make it home by 10 pm. A long day but I preferred it to a previous red eye on American.

ftnoob

Interesting, but...where do you see any PIT-CUN non-stops on WN?

chessman

Saturdays in March.

https://www.southwest.com/air/flight...eOfDay=ALL_DAY

djp98374

how much have you flown? I would seriously consider slitting the flights up.


Q1—
there are 3 windows for leaving hawaii
1. 6am-9am
2. noon-4 pm
3. 10pm- midnight redeye ( southwest do not do these)

I dislike early am flights. You need to return a car et all.Out of Hawaii you also need to do a state agriculture inspection

i usually book an afternoon flight to a west coast city that leaves 12-4 pm or so to a west coast city. Next day or a day later I book a separate flight. You can also get cheap fares. Like flying to LAX for the night, thrn next day do a different flight.

since southwest limits on 1 connection and 1 stop or 2 stops it limits your flight options and thus likely pay more.

BWI is a hub so you can get direct or 1 stop flights to cities that have direct yo hawaii service.

directs come from Phoenix, vegas, oakland which operste as “ hub” citues with southwest. Thry also have directs to califotnia cities like San Diego, LS, Long Beach, San Jose, and SAcramento. These routes can chsngr or modify. The cities in hawsii or LIH on Kauai , HNL Honolulu, OGG on Maui, and KOA on the big island . Some cities might have service to all 4 Hawaii cities while some might only fly into 1 where you thrn need to connect like through Honolulu to other islands.

as mentioned above you have directs from bwi to LAS ot PHX. PHL might have directs to those cities but it might not be e ery day or there us a stop with no plane change at denver or other Midwest “ hub” cities of Midway, nashville, St. Louis, KC, Dallas, Houston, or Austin.


Q2 you likely have cheaper fares doing split bookings. Where on day 1 you book the cheapest flight to LAS, LAX, PHX, OAK, thrn next day book the cheapest to hawaii destination either as a direct, or as a change planes in Honolulu. Early am flights from the western cities usually do not have much east coast feeders that depart before 11am.

similarly a late day departing at 3 pm to LAX is bringing local travelers because it has no/ little connects after landing after 9 pm on west coast.

Q3 HNL flights are going to have more feeders so prices will go up. You would have flights from all western cities into HNL feeding even if the People are not connecting to another island.

Q4 as I mentioned, from east/ central time zone airports the routes are likely going through LAS or PHX because many markets have directs but those fares are going to be higher to hawaii due to feeders.

with southwest fares hry are usually high to start when published. If it’s not filling, prices stsrt to drop, thrn under 22 days it starts to increase. Since hawaiiis a place many want to go there will be a lot of bookings right when it comes out.