Hawaiian Airlines 787 Service Coming To New York This Summer

Hawaiian Airlines is finally expanding its Boeing 787 Dreamliner service to New York.

Starting on April 22, 2025, Hawaiian will operate their flagship aircraft between Honolulu (HNL) and New York (JFK) for roughly four months, temporarily swapping out their older Airbus A330-200s. The newer aircraft will service the route until August 20, 2025.

In a statement, the airline said:

“We are excited to bring our Dreamliner to New York and welcome our guests with unparalleled comfort and the warm Hawaiian hospitality of our crew.”

Their 787s seat 300 passengers, with 34 in business class and 266 in economy. Business class migrates from the A330’s 2-2-2 layout, to a much more spacious and private 1-2-1 configuration. They use a customized version of the Adient Aerospace Ascent seats, similar to those featured on Qatar’s 787s, and soon to come to American Airlines.

Credit: Bradley Wint/Gate Checked

Economy class is split in a 3-3-3 configuration, moving away from the 2-4-2 layout on their A330s. This has been one of the more contentious design changes as some couples and families may be split apart due to the odd seating arrangement. While it might be fine for most airlines, Hawaiian typically focuses on the leisure market, with the bulk of its passengers comprising of families and couples.

It’s not the end of the world though as the aircraft is much more comfortable to fly on with a lowered cabin altitude, mood lighting, new seats and an upgraded in-flight entertainment system.

Credit: Bradley Wint/Gate Checked

On the other hand, one legitimate downside is the lack of Starlink Wi-Fi. Their Airbus A321neos and A330s are both outfitted to provide free high-speed internet access on board, but surprisingly their 787s have yet to receive the same treatment. However their IFE system has a pretty wide choice of movies and TV shows, enough to keep you occupied for the 10 hour journey.

For the moment, the airline has limited their service to various west coast cities, as it only has two 787-9s in the fleet. You can get an idea what to expect from my review posted in April 2024.

Featured image: Bradley Wint/Gate Checked

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