Surf's up, fares are down: Summer flights to the Aloha State are on sale now via several major airlines.
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The cheapest ticket prices begin at $139 one-way or $312 round-trip to Maui for the first week of June, departing from many West Coast cities, including San Francisco, Oakland, San Diego, San Jose and Los Angeles. However, rates like these are available all the way through 2020 as of now, so don't limit your search. According to Google, these fares are at least $300 cheaper than usual on some routes — summer fares to Hawaii often average between $600-800 per person — so this is a great time to lock in your peak-season vacation at budget pricing.
Among the airlines offering these rates is family-friendly Southwest. Lowest cash prices begin at $312 round-trip from Oakland direct to Honolulu.
Related: Here's how to get your money back when a Southwest fare goes down in price
The only drawback is that many of these fares begin in basic economy. Basic economy means different things to different airlines but you may not have free use of the overhead bins for a carry-on bag and you probably won't be able to select your seat, get an upgrade, or earn PQM/PQS/PQDs. However, it’s possible to defeat many of basic economy’s negative aspects by having elite status or a cobranded credit card.
To find a deal, head to Google Flights and enter your origin and destination cities. Scroll through the calendar function to find dates and prices that work for you. Finally, click through to book directly with the airline or an OTA like Orbitz or Expedia.
Airline: Alaska, Hawaiian, American, Southwest, United, Delta, Sun Country Airlines
Routes: LAX/OAK/SEA/AUS/DFW/PDX and more to HNL/OGG/KOA/LIH/ITO
Cost: $312+ round trip
Dates: May-August 2020
Pay With: The Platinum Card® from American Express (5x on airfare booked directly with the airline), Citi Prestige® Card (5x on airfare), Citi Premier® Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve (3x on airfare), American Express® Gold Card (3x on airfare when booked directly with the airline) or Chase Sapphire Preferred Card (2x on travel)
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.
Here are some examples of specific flights that are available:
Oakland (OAK) to Honolulu (HNL) for $312 round-trip on Southwest in early June:
Los Angeles (LAX) to Maui (OGG) for $338 round-trip nonstop on United basic economy in June:
Los Angeles (LAX) to Honolulu (HNL) for $368 round-trip nonstop on Sun Country Airlines in July:
Seattle (SEA) to Maui (OGG) for $395 round-trip on United basic economy in July:
Portland (PDX) to Kauai (LIH) for $369 round-trip on Delta in basic economy in July:
Austin (AUS) to Kauai (LIH) for $463 round-trip on Alaska in August:
Dallas (DFW) to Kauai (LIH) for $520 round-trip on American basic economy in July:
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, American Express® Gold Card, Citi Premier® Card, Citi Prestige Card (5x on airfare) or the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card (2x on all travel purchases). Check out this guide for more on maximizing airfare purchases.
