Flights to Hawaii are on sale — and some are 50% off
Quick summary
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
A variety of one-stop and nonstop flights to Hawaii are available for less than $500 round-trip. Travelers primarily from West Coast cities can visit Honolulu, Lihue, Kona and Kahului, with the lowest-priced fares starting at $230-$300.
There are also some discounted flights from major East Coast hubs (New York City, Miami, etc.), as well as a few Midwestern cities (St. Louis, Chicago, etc.).
Deal basics
Airlines: Hawaiian, American, Alaska and United.
Routes: Austin; St. Louis; Newark; New York; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Long Beach, California; Oakland, California; Palm Springs, California; Denver; San Diego; Seattle; Chicago; Salt Lake City and others to Kahului, Kona, Lihue and Honolulu.
How to book: Search via Google Flights and then book directly through the airline.
Travel dates: September 2022 for flights to Honolulu; May 2022-March 2023 for flights to Kahului, Kona and Lihue. Exact dates depend on the route.
Book by: One to two days.
This deal was originally sent out from Scott's Cheap Flights, which sends deals up to 90% off via its Premium membership, which users can try for free for 14 days and then $49 per year. You can also upgrade to the Elite tier for $199 per year and receive all the Premium deals plus premium economy, business-class and first-class alerts.
Read more: 29 hotels in Maui, Hawaii, you can book with points
Sample routes
To search this deal, decide on your Hawaiian destination of choice as this deal features round-trip flights to four Hawaiian islands, including:
- San Jose International Airport (SJC) to Kahului Airport (OGG), starting at $238.
- Sacramento International Airport (SMF) to Lihue Airport (LIH) and San Diego International Airport (SAN) to Kona International Airport (KOA), starting at $257.
- Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) and Oakland International Airport (OAK) to OGG, starting at $282.
- Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) to OGG, starting at $295.
- SAN to HNL and LAX to LIH, starting at $317.
- LAX/OAK to KOA, starting at $318.
- Portland International Airport (PDX) to KOA, starting at $327.
- SEA to HNL, starting at $335.
- St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL) to KOA and OGG, starting at $423.
- Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to LIH, starting at $433.
- Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)/John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to OGG, starting at $497.
For example, you could book a flight from LAX-LIH for $317, which is more than half off its normal price of $744.
Most of the routes included in this deal are for the carrier's economy fare type, including this one in American Airlines' Main Cabin. It's a step up from their basic economy since it includes free seat selection, fare changes and a full-size carry-on.
Related: Be warned: You may now need advance reservations for Hawaii activities
Be sure to check the fare terms for each carrier. The equivalent economy fares on the other carriers (Alaska Airlines' saver fare, Hawaiian Airlines' main cabin and United Airlines' economy) also include full-size carry-on luggage while all three airlines charge between $60 and $70 for your first checked bag.
Maximize your purchase
Don't forget to use a card that earns bonus points on airfare purchases, such as 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 (see rates and fees), 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
Although this deal features relatively common routes, the price tags — which are more than 50% off the normal price — make this a good deal.
Related: The best ways to get to Hawaii using points and miles