Book round-trip flights to Hawaii for as little as $197

Bask in the sunny skies and picturesque beaches this year — round-trip flights to Hawaii cost as low as $197 from multiple U.S. cities.

With this deal, you can fly to the Hawaiian destinations of Kahului, Kailua-Kona, Lihue and Honolulu at a discounted rate for trips taking place between January and May.

Flying to Hawaii can be a pricey ordeal, so these tickets are worth booking while they’re still available.

Deal basics

Airlines: Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Hawaiian Airlines and United Airlines.
Routes: From Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, Houston, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington and other cities to multiple destinations in Hawaii.
How to book: Use Google Flights to find your best dates and then book directly with the airline of your choice.
Travel dates: January to May.
Book by: The next one to two days.

Big thanks to Scott’s Cheap Flights for finding this deal. At $49 per year, the site’s Premium membership provides discounts of up to 90% and includes a 14-day free trial. The Elite membership also flags premium, business-class and first-class deals.

Sample flights

Flights from the East Coast to Hawaii can be expensive, but with these deals, you can find fares from cities like New York and Boston for less than $400. In particular, some of the cheapest deals are on flights to Kahului.

Here are some flights that stood out to us:

• Alaska, American, Hawaiian and United: San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to Kahului Airport (OGG), starting at $197.
• Delta and Hawaiian: Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Kona International Airport (KOA), starting at $259.
• Alaska, Delta and Hawaiian: Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) to Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL), starting at $318.
• Hawaiian: John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Lihue Airport (LIH), starting at $333.
• American and Delta: Denver International Airport (DEN) to OGG, starting at $358 (includes a layover in Los Angeles).
• United: Dulles International Airport (IAD) to KOA, starting at $534 (includes a layover in San Francisco).

We suggest using Google Flights to determine availability and then booking your flights on the airline’s website. Direct airline bookings are more dependable if your flight faces a delay, cancellation or booking change.

If you want to visit Kahului from San Francisco, you have many options. United offers two flights priced at $197; Hawaiian and Alaska also have flights for the same sticker price.

If you want to fly United on your return flight, the Chicago-based carrier offers three different flights at the same price point. So, not only are you getting a good deal on airfare, but you also have a lot of flexibility with timing.

Keep in mind that these deals only extend to basic economy. United’s basic economy fare has restrictions; for example, passengers cannot bring a carry-on bag and seat selection has additional fees. Passengers cannot make flight changes and are not eligible for upgrades.

United offers different bundles you can add to your flight for some extra perks such as United Club access, seat selection and a standard checked bag. These bundles cost anywhere from an additional $41 to $84.

Economy seats can cost anywhere from $15 to $21, whereas Preferred seats range from $35 to $51. United’s Preferred seats are somewhat similar to a standard economy seat, except for the fact that passengers can earn Premier qualifying points with these seats. The Preferred seats are also closer to the front and center of the aircraft, rather than the back.

Maximize your purchase

When purchasing flights, we recommend using a card that earns bonus points on airfare purchases, like The Platinum Card® from American Express (5 points per dollar on airfare booked directly with the airline or through American Express Travel, on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year), Citi Prestige® Card (5 points per dollar on airfare), Citi Premier® Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve (3 points per dollar on airfare), American Express® Gold Card (3 points per dollar on airfare when booked directly with the airline or through Amex Travel) or the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card (2 points per dollar on travel). Check out this post for more on maximizing airfare purchases.

The information for the Citi Prestige Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Bottom line

This is an incredible deal to Hawaii — it’s not often that fares to the Aloha State are this low. Even though basic economy has its limitations, it’s definitely worth it if you’ve been wanting to visit Hawaii, but don’t want to deal with the otherwise expensive airfare.

Plus, the travel dates for some of the available routes fall during the winter months, which is arguably one of the best times to visit Hawaii. You can escape the cold for warmer waters.