Deal Alert: Mainland Cities to Hawaii From $333 Round-Trip
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
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Airfare deals are typically only available on limited dates. We recommend you use Google Flights to find dates to fly, then book through an online travel agency such as Orbitz or Expedia, which allows you to cancel flights without penalty by 11pm Eastern Time within one day of booking. However, if you’re using The Platinum Card® from American Express, you’ll need to book directly with the airline or through the Amex Travel portal to get 5x MR points. Remember: Fares may disappear quickly, so book right away and take advantage of Orbitz or Expedia’s courtesy cancellation if you’re unable to get the time away from work or family.
Aloha from Hawaii! My wife Katie and I are currently here because of a past flight deal from Atlanta. If you're looking to check out the 50th state for yourself, you're in luck — there are a number of great flight deals from coast-to-coast that'll let you do just that. You can fly from San Diego (SAN), Portland (PDX), San Francisco (SFO), Phoenix (PHX), Seattle (SEA), Houston (IAH), Denver (DEN) and Newark (EWR) to Lihue (LIH), Kona (KOA), Kahului (OGG) and Honolulu with fares starting from $333 round-trip.
No need to worry about the volcano eruption ruining your trip. Fortunately, the eruption has slowed notably. There's a reason that they call the island of Hawaii the "Big Island" — even when the eruption was happening, the air quality wasn't bad in the resort area of Kona. Current air quality in Kona bests most places on the mainland:
There are no tricks to find these fares. Use Google Flights to search for your preferred departure and destination and then book through Orbitz, Expedia or directly with the airline. If you want to make sure that your ticket includes a carry-on bag, you can use Google Flights’ newest feature, which allows you to filter out no-carry-on fares.
Airlines: Hawaiian, American, Alaska, United
Routes: SAN/PDX/SFO/PHX/SEA/IAH/DEN/EWR to LIH/KOA/OGG/HNL
Cost: $333+ round-trip in economy
Dates: September-June 2019, depending on the route
Booking Link: Orbitz, Expedia or directly with the airline
Pay With: The Platinum Card® from American Express (5x on airfare), Chase Sapphire Reserve, Citi Premier, Citi Prestige (5x on airfare plus excellent trip delay insurance) or Chase Sapphire Preferred Card (2x on travel)
Here are a few examples of what you can book:
San Diego (SAN) to Lihue (LIH) in September for $333 round-trip on Hawaiian:
Portland (PDX) to Kona (KOA) in October for $333 round-trip on Hawaiian:
San Francisco (SFO) to Kona (KOA) in March for $353 round-trip on Hawaiian:
Phoenix (PHX) to Kahului (OGG) in November for $355 round-trip nonstop on American:
Seattle (SEA) to Lihue (LIH) in September for $363 round-trip nonstop on Alaska:
San Francisco (SFO) to Kahului (OGG) in September for $377 round-trip nonstop on United:
Houston (IAH) to Lihue (LIH) in October for $394 round-trip on American:
Denver (DEN) to Lihue (LIH) in September for $394 round-trip on American:
Newark (EWR) to Honolulu (HNL) in September for $414 round-trip on American:
Maximize Your Purchase
Don’t forget to use a credit card that earns additional points on airfare purchases, such as The Platinum Card® from American Express (5x on flights booked directly with airlines or American Express Travel), Chase Sapphire Reserve, Citi Premier, Citi Prestige (5x on airfare) or the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card (2x on all travel purchases). Check out this post for more on maximizing airfare purchases.
Featured image by James R.D. Scott / Getty Images.
