Skip to content

Maui on sale: $161 flights from the West Coast — and under $400 cross-country

Aug. 11, 2022
6 min read
surfboards lined up on Maui beach
This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit this page.

It's pretty much always a good time to travel to Hawaii, but sometimes flight deals make it even better.

New flight deals to Maui's Kahului Airport (OGG) from American Airlines and United Airlines for this winter are reasons to pull that Hawaiian shirt out of the back of the closet and start dreaming of gentle waves and warm waters.

United's best new flight deals to Maui depart from San Franciso International Airport (SFO) and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), with $161 round-trip specials that are too good to pass up.

American's new budget offerings take off from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) and Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH). The rates, beginning at $373 and $313 respectively, are significantly below regular fares.

Read below to find out the details and the limitations of these flight deals.

For more TPG news and deals delivered each morning to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.

Deal basics

Black sand beach at Waianapanapa State Park in Hana, Maui. (Photo by Laszlo Podor/Getty Images)

Airlines: American, United.
Routes: Atlanta, Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco to Kahului Airport.
How to book: Google Flights or directly through American and United.
Travel dates: November through February.
Book by: While discounted tickets are available.

Related: 29 hotels in Maui you can book with points

Sample flights

All routes included with these discounted fares arrive at Maui's Kahului Airport (OGG). The West Coast flights are nonstop, and the flights from Atlanta and Houston involve stopovers.

Sign up for our daily newsletter

On United

The United fares are on its bare-bones Basic Economy class tickets, which cost extra for carry-on bags, seat assignments and checked bags. They also do not allow flight changes or upgrades. Still, if you're just packing a couple of swimsuits and a change of clothes in a small backpack that can fit under the seat in front of you, you can make this fare work for you.

Round-trip flights from both Los Angeles and San Francisco to Maui begin at just $161. This is nearly half off the typical fares from these cities and $60 lower than the best deal on Southwest flying out of Oakland during this time period.

Decent flight departure times are actually still available on most days, so there's no need to wake up before sunrise (or even noon) to catch your flights.

A sample United flight in December from San Francisco shows the additional costs for flying this route on regular Economy (+$61) and Economy Plus (+$600).

(Screenshot from google.com/flights)

A sample Los Angeles flight on United during the same early December time period costs an identical $161 for a round-trip ticket.

(Screenshot from google.com/flights)

On American

Amerian Airlines is offering airfare deals from selected cities to Maui in the late November to February timeframe. Two departure cities with notable deals are Houston and Atlanta. Both cities require connections to get to Maui on these fares.

Before you book a ticket, be sure to review the layover times to determine if they might be too long to be palatable, or potentially too short to switch planes if needed. The layover times and even stopover cities vary depending on the day, and can also dramatically affect the cost of the ticket, so shop wisely.

The cheapest sample flight from Houston to Maui is just $313, more than half off the typical fares on this route. This February date has one of the better overall travel times, but a number of choices are available beginning in late November.

(Screenshot from google.com/flights)

American is also offering good deals on flights from Atlanta to Maui. The $373 fare reverts back to prices above $1,000 in March, so if you're thinking about taking a trip to Hawaii from Atlanta, this winter would be a great time to do so. Of course, the fares are not available during peak holiday periods, but can still be purchased for a variety of dates.

(Screenshot from google.com/flights)

Related: You may need advance reservations for some Hawaii attractions

Maximize your purchase

Don’t forget to use a card that earns bonus points on airfare purchases. Airline cards can always be a good call for earning status and rewards specific to those airlines, like the United Explorer Card or the Citi® AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®.

For more flexibility on how you can use the points, The Platinum Card® from American Express earns 5 points per dollar spent on airfare booked directly with the airline or through American Express Travel, for up to $500,000 of these purchases per calendar year.

The Citi Premier® Card and the Chase Sapphire Reserve earn 3 points per dollar spent on airfare, while the American Express® Gold Card earns 3 points per dollar spent on airfare when booked directly with the airline or through Amex Travel. The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card earns 2 points per dollar spent on travel. Read this post for more on maximizing airfare purchases.

Bottom line

Some terrific deals on flights to Maui this winter from select airports are now available. The ticket deals run for travel from late November to early February.

Round-trip fares at $161 from Los Angeles and San Francisco are about as good as you're going to see, so book quickly before the discounted tickets are sold out. Just be aware that these are for United's Basic Economy class, which doesn't allow for free regular-sized carry-on bags. So if you want to pack even a small rollaboard, you'll be paying an additional $60 for the round trip.

American's fares from Houston and Atlanta are also great deals in the $300 range, far below regular fares. Because of variable layover times on the tickets, look carefully at the itinerary before purchasing, or you may be spending 10 hours at LAX or hustling through the terminal to try to make a 40-minute connection.

Featured image by Getty Images
Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

Top offers from our partners

How we chose these cards

Our points-obsessed staff uses a plethora of credit cards on a daily basis. If anyone on our team wouldn’t recommend it to a friend or a family member, we wouldn’t recommend it on The Points Guy either. Our opinions are our own, and have not been reviewed, approved, or endorsed by our advertising partners.
See all best card offers

TPG featured card

OFFER ENDS 5/3/23
TPG Editor‘s Rating
Card Rating is based on the opinion of TPG‘s editors and is not influenced by the card issuer.
3 / 5
Go to review

Rewards

2 - 6X points
6X6x Marriott Bonvoy Points on each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy® program.
4X4x points for purchases made at restaurants worldwide, at U.S. gas stations, on wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers and on U.S. purchases for shipping.
2X2x points on all other eligible purchases.

Intro offer

Earn 125,000 points75,000 points
Limited Time Offer: Earn 125,000 Bonus Marriott Bonvoy Points after you use your new Card to make $5,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 5/3/23.

Annual Fee

$125

Recommended Credit

670-850
Excellent/Good
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO© Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.

Why We Chose It

The Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex is a stacked card with a rewards rate that will help you earn bonus points on everyday and business-related purchases. You'll earn 15 elite night credits each calendar year, and receive automatic Gold elite status. Finally, the free night award certificate with a redemption level of 35,000 points or less can get you hundreds of dollars in potential value each year.

Pros

  • 6 points per dollar on eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program
  • 4 points per dollar at restaurants worldwide, U.S. gas stations, wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers and U.S. shipping
  • 2 points per dollar on all other eligible purchases
  • Earn a free-night award each card renewal month (up to 35,000 points)
  • Receive 15 elite night credits to jump-start status
  • Transfer Marriott points to 40+ airlines

Cons

  • Airline points transfer ratios are poor
  • Must spend $60,000 in a year for second free-night award
  • Limited Time Offer: Earn 125,000 Bonus Marriott Bonvoy Points after you use your new Card to make $5,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 5/3/23.
  • Receive a 7% discount off standard rates for reservations of standard guest rooms at hotels that participate in the Marriott Bonvoy program when you book directly. Terms and Conditions Apply.
  • 6x Marriott Bonvoy Points on each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy® program.
  • 4x points for purchases made at restaurants worldwide, at U.S. gas stations, on wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers and on U.S. purchases for shipping.
  • 2x points on all other eligible purchases.
  • Receive 1 Free Night Award every year after your Card renewal month. Plus, earn an additional Free Night Award after you spend $60K in purchases on your Card in a calendar year. Awards can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 35,000 Marriott Bonvoy® points) at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®. Certain hotels have resort fees.
  • Enjoy Complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite Status with your Card.
  • Terms apply.
Apply for Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card
at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees
TPG Editor‘s Rating
Card Rating is based on the opinion of TPG‘s editors and is not influenced by the card issuer.
3 / 5
Go to review

Rewards Rate

6X6x Marriott Bonvoy Points on each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy® program.
4X4x points for purchases made at restaurants worldwide, at U.S. gas stations, on wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers and on U.S. purchases for shipping.
2X2x points on all other eligible purchases.
  • Intro Offer
    Limited Time Offer: Earn 125,000 Bonus Marriott Bonvoy Points after you use your new Card to make $5,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 5/3/23.

    Earn 125,000 points
    75,000 points
  • Annual Fee

    $125
  • Recommended Credit
    Credit ranges are a variation of FICO© Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.

    670-850
    Excellent/Good

Why We Chose It

The Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex is a stacked card with a rewards rate that will help you earn bonus points on everyday and business-related purchases. You'll earn 15 elite night credits each calendar year, and receive automatic Gold elite status. Finally, the free night award certificate with a redemption level of 35,000 points or less can get you hundreds of dollars in potential value each year.

Pros

  • 6 points per dollar on eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program
  • 4 points per dollar at restaurants worldwide, U.S. gas stations, wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers and U.S. shipping
  • 2 points per dollar on all other eligible purchases
  • Earn a free-night award each card renewal month (up to 35,000 points)
  • Receive 15 elite night credits to jump-start status
  • Transfer Marriott points to 40+ airlines

Cons

  • Airline points transfer ratios are poor
  • Must spend $60,000 in a year for second free-night award
  • Limited Time Offer: Earn 125,000 Bonus Marriott Bonvoy Points after you use your new Card to make $5,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 5/3/23.
  • Receive a 7% discount off standard rates for reservations of standard guest rooms at hotels that participate in the Marriott Bonvoy program when you book directly. Terms and Conditions Apply.
  • 6x Marriott Bonvoy Points on each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy® program.
  • 4x points for purchases made at restaurants worldwide, at U.S. gas stations, on wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers and on U.S. purchases for shipping.
  • 2x points on all other eligible purchases.
  • Receive 1 Free Night Award every year after your Card renewal month. Plus, earn an additional Free Night Award after you spend $60K in purchases on your Card in a calendar year. Awards can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 35,000 Marriott Bonvoy® points) at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®. Certain hotels have resort fees.
  • Enjoy Complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite Status with your Card.
  • Terms apply.