I was heading out to Kona for a walking video along Ali’i drive and had the opportunity to review Hawaiian Airlines Boeing 717 economy HNL-KOA (Honolulu to Kona) on a clear day.
A simple flight with amazing views of the coastlines along O’ahu, Moloka’i, Lānaʻi, Maui, and Kona.
Booking My Hawaiian Airlines Ticket
I hold no status with Hawaiian Airlines so I usually just keep an eye out for the best deals and fly inter-island when it’s less then $100 round trip.
For this flight there was a fare “war” going on with Southwest who had just announced a 50% off sale, so I knew something juicy would be in the cards. Total for this flight with taxes and fees was $71.26 round trip, a very good deal.
There have been some improvements to the Hawaiian Airlines app recently but I still book via the desktop because the calendar feature is so handy. If you are flexible on dates and time you can save significantly on your inter-island flights.
Honolulu Airport Check-In
24hrs before my flight I did check in on the mobile app and got my boarding pass. The Hawaiian Airlines mobile app now allows you to save the boarding pass to your Apple Wallet and I did so with no problems.
I think this was the first time I didn’t print a physical pass for a flight, it has been engrained in me for so long I guess old habits die hard. Just make sure your batter is fully charge in case of delays.
Terminal 1 checkin was smooth at 6:00am in the morning and the TSA Pre-Check line was dedicated and fast, just like it should be. If you don’t already have TSA Pre-Check I encourage you to get it. It’s good for 5 years and you can renew online for the second 5 making it much easier.
Hawaiian Airlines Plumeria Lounge
Hawaiian Airlines has two lounges at the Honolulu Airport, the Premier Club which is for elite level members and the Plumeria Lounge. The Plumeria lounge is available for:
Business Class guests departing from Honolulu to Japan, Korea, Australia, or New Zealand.
First Class guests departing from Honolulu to New York or Boston.
Pualani Platinums departing from Honolulu to Japan, Korea, Australia, or New Zealand. Platinums may bring one guest.
A day pass is available for purchase at the lounge through an agent.
The Plumeria Lounge Pass (Price Per Person):
General: $40 USD
Pualani Gold: $30 USD
Pualani Platinum: $25 USD
AND for Priority Pass members! It’s interesting because they do not show this on their website, you need to visit the Priority Pass website to see this lounge listed. Maybe they don’t want to promote it to avoid over crowding, well, you and I know 😉
One thing to note, you need your physical Priority Pass membership card, not the digital copy to access.
Boarding and Flight Service
I boarded via gate 19 which is in the older section of Terminal 1 but its only a short walk if you want to visit the newer section which has the only good restaurant in the entire airport. A bit better for plane spotting in this area but Terminal 2 is still your best option.
At 6’2″ I never expect much in economy for leg room but it’s a quick flight to all the islands so never a major issue.
The views were great on this flight today, especially after we broke through the cloud cover.
The usual quick service of juice or water on the 50 minute flight was just as expected and a little thing I always appreciate.
Arrival In Kona
One of my favorite things about arriving in Kona is the open air ramp, I was filming my exit so you will have to watch the video linked up above to see what I mean. Departing the plane this way really puts the adventure back into arriving at a new destination, especially with so many unique things to do in Kona.
Final Thoughts
A standard inter-island flight with nothing out of the ordinary, just the way I like it. I will be reviewing the HNL-ITO (Honolulu to Hilo) flight in about 10 days so be sure to follow along as I try to review all the local flights. I did Honolulu to Kapalua a few months ago on Mokulele and so far that has been the most exciting. Aloha
