I guess this is a good time to try international business class seats on a domestic flight while there is still not much international travel. Still I would only use this for flights longer than 4 hours to actually enjoy this. As Hawaii has opened up to tourists, many airlines have slowly resumed their flights to the island. There are a number of ways to book cheap flight deals to Hawaii through 2021, whether it's by flying from a particular destination or using your airline miles.
While it's most affordable to fly from the West Coast across the board, you can find considerable deals from cities such as Dallas, St. Louis and New York City. It's worth checking multiple airports around your area, as flight prices can vary by hundreds of dollars. Also note that while all of these carriers except Alaska offer flat bed seats in business class on certain routes, it is extremely rare to find saver level awards on those flights. Instead, you're much more likely to find first class award space with standard domestic first class.
In other words, you'll get a bigger seat and better service than in coach, but don't expect luxury. If you are interested in flying on a flat bed to Hawaii, start looking for flights on these airlines and routes but double check the airline's seat map and seatguru.com . AA and United make it much harder to find lie flat seats compared to Delta and Hawaiian. Unfortunately, Saver award availability will be hard to find so you might have to use more miles for a standard award. The really good thing about these aircraft is that there are many more business class seats. Round-trip flights to Hawaii from the continental U.S. range from as low as $250 to more than $2,000, with prices varying due to time of year, airport, airline and booking service.
In economy class, round-trip tickets between most U.S. cities and Honolulu cost between $500 and $800. The best way to save on tickets is to travel off-peak and to book your trip two to three months in advance. When booking flights on American Airlines with British Airways, you won't see a seat map in the search results, but you can quickly check the aircraft type. If you see any aircraft other than an A330, 777, or 767, you'll know that the business class cabin does not have lie-flat seats.
Fortunately, United Airlines offers quite a few flights with lie-flat business class seats. While business class award space to Hawaii is tough regardless of airline, United gives you a bit better chance. Here, we'll dive into the different economy and domestic first class award booking options you have. For those who want a lie-flat seat that you would find in an international business class cabin layout, we'll talk about those options, too. Unfortunately, flying first class won't necessarily get you a break on change fees.
The airlines I've been talking about charge $200 to change or cancel a flight, a fee you'll pay even with first-class tickets. Some airlines like American offer a refundable first-class fare, but it can cost a lot more than an extra $200. Applying for a travel rewards credit card, however, could yield some money-saving perks, including priority boarding, free checked flights and a fee credit toward Global Entry or TSA PreCheck.
Note that when Southwest Airlines starts flying to Hawaii it will only offer economy class seats. Meals are served hot and fresh in business class, and you have options to choose from. The food is much higher quality than the food served in economy class. Drinks are free and there are many different kinds to select from. Some airlines offer on board lounge bars, where you can take a seat, have a drink, and socialize with fellow passengers. Business class still allows you to enjoy airport lounge access before boarding your flight.
You can enjoy a good meal, free drinks, a comfortable place to relax or work, and various forms of entertainment. The lie flat seats look pretty nice, with air travel ramping back up it would be nice to see some other west coast routes added for these type of planes. Would love to see some deals for Phoenix, AZ. Can't wait to fly again soon.
Delta.com is not a reliable option for finding saver award space bookable with partner miles. The best option (even though it's buggy) is to search for awards through Air France's website. If Air France finds any available award flights, they'll show a calendar of award prices. If you have a ridiculously long flight to endure, then maybe splurging on a first class ticket would be appropriate.
As far as regular to lengthy flights go, business class is just as accommodating, minus a few small details. If you decide to fly first class, contact Business Class Experts. We have access to prices far lower than those advertised on DIY online searches. Many airlines today offer business class seats with surprisingly comparable perks for a considerably smaller price. Some airlines are even re-configuring their planes without the large, first class cabins since many people do not want to dish out the money for a ticket. I have stopped booking domestic flights based on the aircraft type in 2020 after several aircraft changes after booking tickets due to COVID-19.
Basically, I would book a route with a lie-flat seat, and they the plane would get changed to a smaller aircraft with no lie-flat premium cabin later. IMHO, It is not worth spending a lot of money to book mainly a first or business class seat in order to fly domestically in the US. That only makes sense for coast to coast flights, the ones which last at least 5 hours. If you want to fly to Hawaii in style, a lie-flat business class seat is the way to go.
However, finding flights that have an international business class cabin layout isn't always easy, so we're going to simplify that process. When I first started researching award flights to Hawaii, I was determined to book a first class flight with fully lie-flat seats. Many first class flights between the mainland United States and Hawaii have first class cabins with either recliner seats or angled lie-flat seats rather than fully flat beds. Some airlines clearly state when a flight has a flat bed but some do not. Fortunately in the last couple of years airlines are adding flat beds to more routes to Hawaii. Fares to Hawaii fluctuate quite a lot, but you'll find that the flight into Honolulu is by far cheaper than flights to the other Hawaiian Islands.
If you fly to Honolulu and don't continue to other islands, you can still expect to have a wonderful time on Oahu. Visit Diamond Head, and go around to the opposite side of the island to explore the cultures of Polynesia at the Polynesian Cultural Center. Major hotels all feature dazzling luaus complete with fire dancers and roasted pig, and you can take surfing lessons on Waikiki Beach. When you're in Honolulu, you can also pay tribute to history with a tour into Pearl Harbor to see the sunken U.S.S. Arizona.
It's always nice to get to try out a premium seat when flying domestically. However, the extra space and privacy is especially valuable as we all get used to packing onto an airplane with others as the pandemic continues. If you're traveling this month, look out for these internationally-configured aircraft when booking flights. And make sure to consider all of the ways — miles, points, and cash — that you can use book these tickets. There has finally been a half-way decent BA deal to Hawaii and this time direct from the UK. For those that took advantage, this review may be helpful or if you are thinking of any US domestic medium haul flight.
If you do a oneworld flight to Hawaii the chances are you may end up on American Airlines from Los Angeles to Honolulu. There are surprisingly few places you can fly on a flatbed to Hawaii from, despite the flights being around 5 hours long from the US west coast. You can fly with American from Dallas on their B767 or one of the daily flights from Phoenix on an A330 to get a flat bad but that's about it. That would be fine if you wanted to do London-Dallas-Hawaii but if you wanted to add in JFK then you would end up with equally bad seats on JFK to Dallas which is also a fairly long flight.
Jarrod first became fascinated with the world of points and miles as the perfect way to visit dream destinations without breaking the bank. On his first major award trip, he spent 3 months traveling through Europe, financed nearly entirely with points; while flying in premium cabins and staying in 5-star hotels along the way. Now, he is on a mission to help others realize their travel goals and upgrade their travel experiences. Jarrod has been writing about credit cards and travel loyalty programs for 4 years, and his work has been featured by Travel and Leisure, Matador Network, Yahoo Finance, and U.S.
Maybe you're off on a business trip and the boss is footing the bill—or you need extra comfort for an older relative's flight. Or perhaps you're celebrating a special occasion and flying first class will make it even more special. Whatever the reason for flying first class, you know you'll pay—and pay big—for the superior service, free food, and roomy seats in first class. American business class on the 777Note that for all of these domestic routes, AAdvantage elite members don't get lounge access, but rather this is purely based on the class of service you're traveling in. Here is a list of all airlines and routes that I found with fully lie-flat seats between the mainland and Hawaii. Please note that for some routes, not every flight will have a flat bed seat so it is a good idea to double check the seat map before you book an award ticket.
The number of miles needed to upgrade to first class on Hawaiian Airlines depends on the length of your flight. These upgrades start at 7,500 miles for short flights between the islands and go up to 90,000 for a "saver" upgrade for long-haul international flights in business class. If you have a stash of Hawaiian Airlines miles, you can find first class seats from either coast for 40,000 miles each way, or you can spend 25,000 to upgrade from economy to first class. At times when flights are in high demand ("First Class 2"), a seat will cost you 80,000 from a western departure city or 130,000 from New York or Boston. Many airlines offer amazing perks for flying first class.
There are a variety of exclusive amenities, but they come with a price. It is debatable whether or not the extra money for first class, when compared to business class, is really worth it. The most important part of the answer to this question is how many stops you need to get to your final destination on Hawaii. Every stop typically adds a few hours of waiting time to your trip.
There are precious few direct flights from the east coast (if you live in New York you are lucky!), and most itineraries include a stop at one of the west coast airports. Flights from the west coast are obviously less expensive than from other cities. Depending on your preferred air carrier, it issometimescheaper to book your trip in two segments.
Research the cost of flying into Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, or other west coast airports first, then booking a separate flight from the west coast to the Big Island. My advice is to try to break your trip up overnight if possible. I would strongly advise against doing London-Honolulu in one day unless you are able to sleep on a non-flatbed seat. The timings of the flights normally mean you are on the American Airlines domestic flight just as you are most tired. Remember you can put in a stopover on itineraries for free providing it is less than 24 hours. Another thing to remember is that Domestic First on AA only gets business class tier points so either 40 or 140 one way depending on the length of flight.
The exception are the 3 class transcontinental flights which get 210 in First class. If you're hoping to book a business class award to Hawaii, we suggest using 25,000 Turkish Miles&Smiles miles to fly with United, or 15,000 miles in economy class . From Zone 1, you can book a nonstop economy class flight from California, Oregon, or Washington for only 24,000 KrisFlyer miles round-trip.
This is one of the cheapest round-trip awards to Hawaii, and you can even book a one-way award for half the cost at 12,000 miles. As best I recall, having the lie flat seat show up on the Kona-LA return was a surprise. Keep in mind we were a captive audience for this trip in that we used miles and very specifically wanted the nonstop LA-Kona route to avoid the change in Honolulu. The type of first class seat was irrelevant for us on this trip. Then there's the final issue about deciding is first class to Hawaii worth it. If it's a question of using miles and it's not that much more, or if it's one of those last minute offers at check-in for not that much money, well, even the worst first class seats aren't that bad.
But, if it's a large number of miles, or a lot of money, then it might be worth saving for an international, or even cross-country ticket. While the seats were extremely comfortable for sleeping, the blanket and pillow issued were not much different than what you would get on a long-haul international flight. Apparently, Hawaiian only offers premium bedding on international flights. There was also no amenity kit, which isn't unusual for domestic flights but for a long flight to Hawaii, it would be a nice touch.
While there are plenty of other options to fly to Hawaii, especially from the West Coast, Hawaiian is naturally the most authentic, with every bit of the experience tied to the traditions of the island. Hawaiian is also the last domestic airline that still includes a meal with every flight. And it's one domestic airline that still offers passengers the chance to bid on an upgrade to First Class. Whether on a family vacation or a romantic getaway, flying first class to Hawaii offers an exceptional level of comfort and relaxation. Many airlines allow first class passengers to access an exclusive lounge area with free full-course meals and beverages, WiFi connectivity, and most importantly, opportunity to avoid crowds. Yes, Hawaiian Airlines offers a first class cabin, with lie-flat seats and other premium amenities.
This cabin is offered as business class when flying internationally and first class when flying domestically. Find cheap first class plane tickets to Honolulu from anywhere in United States. KAYAK searches hundreds of travel sites to help you find cheap first class cabin airfare and book the flight that suits you best. Their first class flights to Honolulu offer an array of benefits, including Wi-Fi connection and other in-flight entertainment options. The seats come with built-in outlets, so you can charge your devices and stay connected. Their comfortable wide seats come with a blanket, a pillow, and earbuds for rest.
Find cheap first class plane tickets to anywhere in Hawaii from anywhere in United States. There are many perks that come along with the price of first class tickets. Lounges offer wifi, TVs, newspapers, comfortable resting areas, free drinks and food, and other things that economy passengers never get to experience.
Some lounges offer over-the-top amenities such as spas, with pre-flight massages and other services for ultimate relaxation before departing for your destination. In this review, we look at what to expect from the seat comfort, privacy, customer service, food, drinks and onboard entertainment. Plus, we cover which routes feature lie-flat seats, and how to book a flight using frequent flyer points. An excellent ground experience will also maximize ease of travel and movement, even during long-haul international flights. I still prefer the log haul flights of the Asian carriers for business class seats especially Cathay Pacific or Singapore Airlines.
It's a good idea to start your search with American Airlines. AAdvantage uses dynamic award pricing for American Airlines flights. So, you may be able to book some of these flights for pretty cheap using AAdvantage miles. However, AA may charge a premium for nonstop flights — particularly on these nice aircraft.
With that said, American Airlines has offered some quite reasonable award rates on lie-flat awards to Hawaii recently. In the US on domestic flights there is no business class as such. All airlines call it First but it is just like our short haul European business class on most routes. For the take-off drinks we got bottles of water one way and a full drink service the other. After take-off another drink order was taken with the meal order. There is no choice of starter but you do get a choice of main.