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Surge in bookings leads to Hawaiian Airlines site crash, swamped phone lines: Here's how to avoid long hold times

May 15, 2021
•
3 min read
Hawaiian A321neo
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Hawaii rolled out its first iteration of vaccine passports this past week: Through the Safe Travels program, Hawaii residents who received their vaccine within the state can start interisland travel by uploading their proof of vaccination. This vaccine passport will allow eligible travelers to skip quarantine and testing requirements altogether.

While there’s no news just yet for what vaccine passports will look like for out-of-state travelers, Hawaii has offered a pre-testing option to help individuals avoid quarantine since mid-October.

With the news of this vaccine passport, Hawaiian Airlines has seen a surge in demand, unable to adequately assist customers booking reservations. Their website crashed on Friday due to this influx of attempted reservations. Likewise, their call center is “experiencing unusually heavy call volumes,” with gruesomely long expected wait times.

If you’re looking to book travel to Hawaii soon, here’s what you can do to work around these long phone wait times.

Contact Hawaiian Airlines via live chat

According to the Hawaiian Airlines website, agents are available through the online chat function 24 hours a day.

(Screenshot courtesy of Hawaiian Airlines)

Even if that’s the case, I couldn’t find a way to reach an agent on a Saturday morning. If you want to go this route, your best bet is to refresh the page until the chat function is available again.

Text Hawaiian Airlines customer service

(Screenshot courtesy of Hawaiian Airlines)

If you don’t want to be stuck on hold for hours, another great option is to text Hawaiian’s customer service at 38-285. Note that agents are only available for assistance from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. HST, which is the equivalent of 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET.

You should receive an automated text that you’re being transferred to a representative. Someone will be there to assist you with your reservation when it’s your turn.

Reach out to Hawaiian Airlines via Facebook or Twitter

(Screenshot courtesy of Hawaiian Airlines)

Another option is to reach out to Hawaiian Airlines’ social media accounts. To speed up your process, you’ll want to directly message their Facebook or Twitter accounts with your full name, confirmation number, email address and flight number ready to go.

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Bottom line

Hawaii will continue to become an increasingly popular destination with the recent vaccine passport rollout that will hopefully soon be available to all vaccinated travelers. With the uptick in the number of people hitting the road comes a potential headache: Contacting airline customer service. Be prepared to face long wait times when reaching out to customer support, and to try new avenues to make contact.

Featured image by HAWAIIAN AIRLINES
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.

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  • Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
  • Solid welcome bonus

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  • Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
  • You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
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  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
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  • $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
  • $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
  • Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
  • No Foreign Transaction Fees.
  • Annual Fee is $325.
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