Hawaiian Airlines has finally opened up ticket sales for flights on its highly anticipated Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.
Travelers planning to visit the pacific island in Q2 2024 can take advantage of the new service via San Francisco and Los Angeles from April and May 2024 respectively. The schedule is as follows:
| Route | Service Dates/Info | Launch Flight Finder |
| Between Honolulu (HNL) and San Francisco (SFO) | Daily service starting April 15, 2024 through May 14, 2024 | HA12 (HNL-SFO) – Find Flight HA11 (SFO-HNL) – Find Flight |
| Between Honolulu (HNL) and Los Angeles (LAX) | Select service from May 14, 2024 onward | HA2 (HNL-LAX) – Find Flight HA3 (LAX-HNL) – Find Flight |
| Between Maui (OGG) and Los Angeles (LAX) | Select service from May 15, 2024 onward | HA34 (OGG-LAX) – Find Flight HA33 (LAX-OGG) – Find Flight |
“Our 787’s uniquely Hawaiian design and comfort, paired with the award-winning hospitality of our crew, will create an unparalleled experience for our guests on their travel to the islands,” said Avi Mannis, chief marketing officer at Hawaiian Airlines.
Hawaiian’s predominantly teal cabin “celebrates navigators who have sailed the Pacific by observing the stars, sun, winds, waves and wildlife. The airline worked with design consultant Teague to realize Hawaiian’s vision of honoring Pacific exploration in a modern aircraft.”
Business class travelers can choose from one of the 34 new business class seats called the Leihōkū Suites. Split in a 1-2-1 configuration, the customized full lie-flat Adient Aerospace Ascent seats include the usual line-up of features such as an 18 inch in-flight entertainment display, wired (AC/DC/USB) and wireless charging access points and privacy screens.
Customers in business class have much more privacy as every seat has direct aisle access, compared to the airline’s Airbus A330s which are set up in a 2-2-2 configuration. This might actually be a downside depending on who you ask.
Given that Hawaii sees a lot of leisure traffic, especially couples going on vacation, the middle business class facing away from each other might end up providing a counter intuitive experience. That’s going to be a lot of neck turning.
The remaining 266 seats Collins Aerospace Aspire light-weight economy seats configured in a 3-3-3 layout. Each feature 12-inch display with USB-A and USB-C charging ports.
While Hawaiian does not have a separate Premium Economy cabin, there are 79 Extra Comfort seats which offer additional legroom and AC power. Many were not pleased that the airline added in that extra seat per row (versus 2-4-2 on the A330), but unfortunately that is the norm with many airlines these days.
It would have been nice to add a proper Premium Economy cabin, even if it were just a few rows especially for those long flights from the U.S. east coast and APAC region.
Even though it was announced that Hawaiian’s 787s will receive Starlink Wi-Fi treatment, the site does not explicitly mention it as a feature. However in a chat with one of the airline’s agents, they said that Wi-Fi will be introduced in 2024 and will be available from launch on its 787 flights.
Launch fares are quite reasonable, with a Main Cabin economy one way ticket going for $284. Business class fares are slightly inflated because of the launch date demand, coming in close to $1,200, but drop to $830 the next day.
However it’s expected that these fares will increase over time given the demand and interest for the new product. I would have liked to cover the launch day, and a return leg to review both business and economy classes, but logistically it’s not feasible for me, so you can expect a 787 business class trip report along with a review of their older A330 economy class cabin.
[Featured Photo: Hawaiian Airlines ]
