Founded in 1929 with a single small flying boat aircraft, Hawaiian Airlines is one of the country’s oldest airlines and the only major passenger carrier based in Hawai’i. Although it was an inter-island, coach-only airline for its first four decades, Hawaiian introduced first class (originally dubbed “Premier Pacific Service”) when it first spread its wings to the South Pacific and later the Continental U.S. in the mid-1980s.
Now with first class in the United States and business class to the Pacific Rim, Hawaiian offers a distinctly Hawaiian — if inconsistent across aircraft types — premium class cabin with amenities that meet the bar set by competitors.
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What to know about flying Hawaiian Airlines first class
When booking first class on Hawaiian Airlines, be sure to pay attention to the aircraft type operating on the route. Hawaiian has four aircraft types and four different first-class seats.
Hawaiian also uses different nomenclature for its premium cabin based on the route. Hawaiian offers first class on domestic flights, including interisland, West Coast, and long-haul flights to the East Coast. On international flights to Asia and the South Pacific (including U.S. territory American Samoa), it offers business class.
The best routes to fly in Hawaiian first class
The state of Hawaiian’s route network is in flux as it determines which Hawai’i-West Coast markets to hand over to Alaska Airlines and which to continue flying.
Flyers seeking Hawaiian’s most up-to-date, comfortable First Class cabin should look for flights operated by the Boeing 787 aircraft, which the airline only consistently operates between Honolulu and Los Angeles. The Boeing 787 aircraft features lie-flat seats in first class, complete with enclosed suites and integrated entertainment systems.
After the 787, Hawaiian’s most comfortable first-class seats are onboard Airbus A330 aircraft, which operate on a wide variety of routes between Hawaii and the Pacific Rim, as well as the U.S. West and East Coasts.
But don’t count out Hawaiian’s first class on interisland flights, either. Although the flights are short, keep in mind that with boarding time, you could be sitting in that seat for around an hour or more, and the extra perks like a wider selection of free cocktails, baggage allowance, and Premier Club access come in handy.
What to expect when flying Hawaiian Airlines first class
Like the rest of its cabins onboard, Hawaiian focuses on offering an experience that reflects the culture of the Hawaiian Islands in first class. Expect island-inspired onboard meals and drinks, as well as a wealth of Hawaii content in the onboard entertainment, and local Hawaii residents providing the onboard service.
Check-in and security clearance
Hawaiian operates separate check-in lines for first and business class (that’s first class on international flights) passengers, and priority security at many airports. First-class passengers are also at the very front of the boarding line.
Luggage allowance
Hawaiian allows first-class passengers to check two bags free of charge on interisland, mainland, and international flights, while Main Cabin passengers generally pay a fee for checked bags unless they have a credit card or elite status level that waives the fees.
Hawaiian still caps the weight of free checked bags for first class at 50 pounds, except for flights to Japan and Korea, where business class passengers can check bags up to 70 pounds free of charge.
Checked bags for first-class passengers are priority tagged and generally delivered first upon arrival.
Lounge access
Hawaiian is one of the few U.S. carriers to give domestic first-class passengers access to a lounge, although lounge access is relatively limited outside of Hawaii.
First class passengers traveling domestically, including interisland, can access Hawaiian’s Premier Clubs at airports in Honolulu, Kahului, Lihue, Kona, and Hilo. These clubs are basic, offering coffee, tea, soft drinks, and pre-packaged snack mix.
In Honolulu, first-class passengers bound for North America also have access to the upgraded Plumeria Lounge, which offers a more substantial selection of food and drinks, roughly on par with the lounges operated by other major U.S. carriers.
When flying out of airports in Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, Hawaiian’s first-class passengers can access the Alaska Lounge. The lounge is available on flights over 2,000 miles, which includes all Hawaiian flights from those cities to Hawaii, but does not include Hawaiian’s seasonal service between Seattle (SEA) and Anchorage (ANC).
At New York-JFK, Hawaiian has contracted The Greenwich Lounge for lounge access. At non-U.S. destinations, business class passengers have access to partner lounges.
Seats
Hawaiian has four types of first/business class seats, which vary by aircraft type:
Boeing 717: Two rows of basic leather recliners in a 2-2 configuration, with better seat pitch than the Main Cabin. Tray tables are in the armrests. These seats are designed without flashy amenities because the flights are so short. It’s also worth noting that the legroom in the first row at the bulkhead isn’t great.
Airbus A321: Four rows of leather recliners in a 2-2 configuration. They’re ever-so-slightly better than the 717, with slightly more recline, adjustable headrest, and a tablet holder built into the tray table. There’s also a USB charging port, necessary for accessing the onboard entertainment using your own device.
Airbus A330: Three rows of lie-flat seats configured in a 2-2-2 layout. Each pair of seats is angled slightly away from each other. Passengers are given tablets pre-loaded with content during the flight, which fit into the retractable holder on the seats. The seat has both AC and USB plugs. Some passengers have reported that when laid flat, the seat feels a bit narrow because of the surrounding partition.
Boeing 787: This is Hawaiian’s first true international-caliber business class, but there are few of these aircraft in the fleet. They feature nine rows of lie-flat suites in a 1-2-1 configuration. Suites have a sliding divider door, and center section seats are angled away from each other, separated by a retractable privacy screen. The seats have integrated personal 18” HD touchscreens, a sconce reading light, and AC and USB charging ports, plus a Qi wireless charging pad (these can charge slowly and be a bit fussy with the positioning of the device).
Food and drink
Hawaiian has partnered with several notable Hawaiian chefs over the years and generally prides itself on offering regional cuisine menus on its flights. Currently in charge of the culinary program at Hawaiian are MW Restaurant Executive Chefs Wade Ueoka and Michelle Karr-Ueoka, along with a rotating cadre of featured chefs providing menus on select routes. That said, our experience has been that this tends to sound better in theory than in practice.
On breakfast or brunch flights between Hawaii and the West Coast, Hawaiian offers two main options: most often an egg dish with a side of meat that can easily be removed to accommodate vegetarian diners, or a fruit, yogurt, and granola option. On flights serving lunch and dinner, the options are one meat dish and one vegetarian dish, with a vegetarian appetizer and dessert.
On longer flights between Hawaii and the East Coast, Hawaiian simply serves both the breakfast and lunch options it offers on West Coast flights: one at the beginning of the flight, and one at the end.
On flights to the South Pacific, including American Samoa, Tahiti, and the Cook Islands, Hawaiian offers the same meal as flights departing Hawaii for the West Coast. On the late-evening return flights to Honolulu, a sandwich snack is served.
On flights to Australia, New Zealand, Korea, and Japan, Hawaiian offers a more substantial choice of entrees. There’s a choice of mains at dinner and breakfast, and all include meat.
On Japan-bound flights, passengers can choose between a Hawaiian fusion menu or a Japanese menu. Meanwhile, on flights to Korea, Australia, and New Zealand, passengers can choose from a pair of entrées or breakfasts tailored to the local market’s tastes.
On most longer flights on which a meal is served, first and business class passengers are typically offered a cookie or chocolate at the end of the flight.
Hawaiian tends to change its menus twice a year, so frequent travelers in first or business class could find the selection rather monotonous.
Boarding often begins with guava mimosas. A number of local-to-Hawaii beverages are on offer, including Guava and Passion-Orange-Guava (POG) blend. Hawaiian also serves a signature (pre-mixed) Mai Tai, along with pre-mixed Old Fashioned, Aviation, and Pineapple Daiquiri cocktails by On The Rocks.
They also offer a selection of local beers and seltzers from Maui Brewing Company, including Bikini Blonde, Da Hawaii Life Lite Lager, Big Swell IPA, and Dragon Fruit Seltzer. The full menu of spirits includes the made-in-Hawaii favorites Ocean Vodka from Maui and Kōloa White Rum from Kauai. Hawaiian has also brewed Hawaii’s own Lion Coffee for decades.
All non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages are complimentary in the first and business class cabins.
Hawaiian also offers far fewer options for dietary or religious meals than its competitors. Vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free meals can be requested 48 hours in advance only on flights to Japan, Korea, Australia, and New Zealand. Hawaiian does not offer special meals on flights to any other destination.
On interisland flights, Hawaiian serves a cookie or snack mix, plus a limited selection of juice, soft drinks, coffee, water, beer, wine, or canned cocktails in first class. In our experience, the aircraft are not always fully stocked between trips, so the first-class galley has often run out of items that are normally available. Flight attendants do their best to offer alternatives and are generally good about offering refills in spite of the incredibly short flight times. We’ve even been handed one last cocktail with the airport in sight on final approach.
Service, amenities, and in-flight entertainment
Hawaiian’s first and business class service is designed to be informal, but elevated. Flight attendants typically address passengers by name and make note of their preferences during the flight.
On long-haul international flights (excluding the South Pacific) and domestic flights to New York and Boston, passengers are provided with amenity kits from Noho Home, which include a toothbrush and toothpaste, earplugs, an eye mask, tissue, hand lotion, and lip balm. Passengers also receive upgraded bedding with a quilt, mattress pad, and larger pillow.
Bedding on shorter International flights and those to the West Coast have more standard bedding amenities, similar to what is available in international economy or domestic first on competing airlines.
Airbus A321 aircraft have bring-your-own-device entertainment using the onboard WiFi, and on A330 aircraft, first class passengers are handed a tablet pre-loaded with content. 787 aircraft have seatback screens.
Free Starlink WiFi is available on A321 and A330 aircraft, and is expected to be installed on 787 aircraft in the near future.
How much it costs to fly first class on Hawaiian Airlines
The cost to fly Hawaiian Airlines first class can vary, based on whether the flight is long or short, from quite low fares on Hawaiian’s shortest flights, to a substantial chunk of cash on the longest long-haul flights. Generally speaking, Hawaiian’s premium cabin fares are in line and sometimes lower than competitors, particularly between Hawaii and the Continental United States.
When paying in cash
Fares start between $1,300 and $2,000 round-trip from the U.S. West Coast, and $2,600-$3,000 round-trip from the U.S. East Coast. Interisland fares can be had for as little as $250 round-trip.
When paying via points in a credit card portal
Many points programs, including Chase Bank, Citi, Capital One, and American Express, also allow members to book in the bank’s travel portal using points instead of transferring them to an airline’s loyalty program to redeem directly.
These programs generally offer a value of 1 to 1.5 cents per dollar, meaning they’re not the best value for redemption compared to transferring points to loyalty programs, but they have their benefits. They work best when you have a lot of points to burn, want to book flights that don’t have award space, or if you need to book in a hurry and can’t depend on the points to transfer in time (although many programs are getting much quicker with transfers). At 1-1.5 cents per point, you can expect to spend at least 60,000 points for a one-way flight from the West Coast to Hawaii in first class.
It’s also worth noting that Hawaiian is in the process of ending its partnerships with its credit card transfer partners, so redeeming directly from their portals may be the only option moving forward.
When booking using miles
Booking first class using HawaiianMiles requires 40,000 miles one-way from both the East and West Coast. Hawaiian capacity controls awards at several tiers, so awards can cost up to 250,000 miles each way. Interisland First Class awards start at 15,000 each way.
When booking via partner airlines
Hawaiian’s loyalty program is currently in flux following its acquisition by Alaska Airlines. Partnerships with airlines that are not Oneworld members are being sunsetted. Alaska Mileage Plan members can book first class from 30,000 miles each way from the West Coast.
Alaska and Hawaiian will remain separate brands, but will launch a combined loyalty program in the coming years.
Qantas just recently added redemption ability for its frequent flyer members, from 90,000 miles each way for Business Class between Sydney and Honolulu.
How much it costs to upgrade to business class on Hawaiian
Without paying a fare difference, Hawaiian allows fixed-price cash upgrades at one location: the airport, and only with an agent. Upgrades can also be processed in advance by bidding through BidUp or redeeming HawaiianMiles, but availability can be limited.
When paying in cash after booking
Before the day of departure, the fare difference applies to upgrades to first or business class on Hawaiian. On the day of departure, passengers can upgrade only directly with an agent. Upgrades are available from $50 Interisland; from $399 between Hawaii and Long Beach, Oakland, Ontario, Portland, San Jose, or Sacramento; from $489 between Hawaii to and Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Diego, Seattle/Tacoma, and San Francisco; and from $1,049 from New York or Boston.
Upgrades to the South Pacific (Cook Islands, Tahiti, American Samoa) start at $449 (or $319 for Pualani Platinum members), and upgrades to other international cities range from $480 to $800, generally depending on the length of the flight.
When upgrading using miles
Interisland upgrades start at 7,500 HawaiianMiles each way; North American upgrades start at 25,000 HawaiianMiles; Samoa/Tahiti/Cook Islands upgrades start at 30,000 HawaiianMiles, and all other International destinations start at 45,000 HawaiianMiles.
Alaska Airlines has retired the option to upgrade paid tickets using miles, and it is unlikely that functionality will return once a new, combined mileage program launches.
How to save on Hawaiian Airlines first-class tickets
Hawaiian often runs fare sales between the Continental U.S. and Hawai’i, but generally doesn’t include first class in the sale fares, or run dedicated sales for their premium cabins. Generally speaking, Hawaii demand peaks on the weekends and enters a trough period midweek, so the best way to find lower fares can be to travel on weekdays. Hawaii also has slight demand dips in May, September, and the first two weeks of December, which can sometimes bring lower premium cabin fares.
How to book Hawaiian Airlines first class with points
Hawaiian flights can be booked with either HawaiianMiles or Alaska Mileage Plan miles, and points can be transferred between programs through June 30, 2025.
Hawaiian has limited transfer partners, and their list of airline partners is in flux as they work through their acquisition by Alaska Airlines and the future rollout of a combined mileage program. Their partnership with Bilt ended in May, American Express ends in June, leaving Marriott their only partner as of July, 2025, but that may change soon.
How to book Hawaiian first class using your credit card portal
Hawaiian first class seats can be booked using credit card points such as Chase or American Express Membership Rewards. Points are worth 1-1.5 cents each when booked through the portal, which isn’t the greatest redemption value.
However, if you have a lot of points and don’t want to worry about blackout dates, it can be a good way to book. Because the redemptions are tied directly to the amount of the fare, there are no availability restrictions — if there’s a seat for sale, it can be booked.
Which credit card points transfer to HawaiianMiles?
American Express Membership Rewards is the only credit card points program that allows transfers directly to HawaiianMiles at a 1:1 ratio through June 30, 2025. You can also transfer Marriott points to Hawaiian at a 3:1 ratio, with a 5,000-mile bonus for every 60,000 points transferred.
How to book Hawaiian Airlines first class using miles
Hawaiian is frustratingly one of the last U.S. carriers to require HawaiianMiles members to be signed into their account to search award availability.
Once you’re in your account, select “Book travel” under “My account”.
From there, enter your search criteria, being sure to select “miles” under “show fare as”:
Click Search Flights to get availability.
Since not all of Hawaiian’s first-class seats are the same, the airline provides a clear indicator for whether the flight will be operated by an aircraft with lie-flat or recliner seats:
The lowest Main Cabin fares will be displayed in red, but all premium cabin fares will display in black (unless by some fluke they’re the lowest fare on the page).
Complete the booking process, providing a credit card for the amount of applicable taxes.
What other loyalty programs can you use to book Hawaiian first class?
While some loyalty programs allow redemptions on Hawaiian Airlines, not many of them allow redemptions in first class. Alaska Airlines and Qantas do.
Once Hawaiian becomes a full member of the Oneworld Alliance, Oneworld member carriers should also allow award redemption on Hawaiian’s first class.
How to book Hawaiian Airlines first class using points from a partner airline
We found that Alaska and Hawaiian appear to have already harmonized availability and redemption levels. A recent search found the same redemption amounts for individual flights, whether searching for flights on either Alaska or Hawaiian. but searches on Alaska’s website yielded redemption options for both Alaska and Hawaiian flights, and searches on Hawaiian’s website found only options for Hawaiian flights. We also noticed that a redemption for Main Cabin on Hawaiian’s site was 250 miles cheaper, but First Class redemption rates were identical.
On American’s site, we also found first class availability for the same evening flight that Alaska and Hawaiian were asking 40,000 miles for. On American, the price was 55,000 AAdvantage miles:
The best way to book Hawaiian first class with points
Right now, the better value for searching award space appears to be on Alaska Airlines, since both Hawaiian and Alaska flights can be compared together (only Hawaiian flights appear when searching on Hawaiian’s site). Redemption amounts are the same between programs.
Miles can be transferred between linked Alaska and Hawaiian accounts on a 1:1 basis for free.
American Airlines points can also be redeemed for First Class on Hawaiian, but availability can be limited, and redemption levels are higher (because American’s points are valued differently).
Tips for finding business class award availability on Hawaiian
There’s no particular trick to finding award availability, and there are several different award redemption levels, so it can be advantageous to book seats when you need them and keep checking back periodically. Sometimes, award amounts go down for the flight you’ve booked, or for other flights on the same day.
There are no penalties for canceling and rebooking HawaiianMiles award bookings, so they can be moved around pretty easily if the redemption levels drop after booking.
Should you book Hawaiian Airlines first class?
Whether you’re booking first class on a short interisland flight or a ten-hour long-haul, the extra space alone can often justify the expense. Hawaiian is also one of the only airlines offering lounge access to most first or business-class passengers departing from select cities (although passengers departing from West Coast airports outside of the four airports with Alaska Lounges are out of luck).
Hawaiian’s first-class product is about on par with competitors, but it does offer a regional flair with generally gracious Hawaiian service that certainly makes it a nice treat.
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