A friend and I spent the long weekend in Hawaii. It was the first time either of us have gone so I was pretty excited. I envisioned relaxing beaches, plenty of sunshine and loco moco.
I flew Hawaiian because it offered the cheapest roundtrip, plus I was curious to fly the namesake airline. The flight was about 5.5 hours.
When I stepped on board, I noticed the seats were arranged so the ones by the window came in pairs with about 4 seats in the middle. I loved this! I was lucky enough to get an aisle seat close to the front and the man sitting next to the window seat was quiet and didn't bother me, which is perfect.
The seats themselves were made of fabric so they were not too comfortable, but I noticed I could recline further than on Delta. There were individual screens, but all entertainment were available through purchase and I wasn't in the mood to cough up $7.99 for a movie.
I settled in to read my beach novel --- I find flights a great place to read. No distractions, and if you sit next to someone quiet, no interruptions.
Shortly after take off, the crew came out with beverage service. I read on the back of Hana Hou that beverages include Passion-Orange-Guava juice and pineapple juice! Score!
I had the Passion-Orange-Guava juice to start, it was delicious, very "tropically" and a great way to start my vacation. I took a brief nap (planes make me very sleepy) and when I woke, meal service started.
I was pretty impressed Hawaiian offered a meal at no extra charge. And I was more impressed to find the meal was very good. Fresh cut fruit (honeydew, cantaloupe, watermelon, pineapple and grapes) with cheese and crackers and chocolate covered macadamia nuts. It was light and healthy. I was happy to find they served all natural cheddar and all natural Pepperidge Farm crackers.
I continued to read for a while, flipped through the magazine and used the lavatory. The lavatory had coconut soap, which I liked. I later found out that there is A LOT of coconut and A LOT of pineapple in Hawaii.
I was getting hungry after a few more hours so I went to purchase a snack. The downside of Hawaiian is you cannot purchase meals. On other major airlines, you can purchase meals since there is no complimentary meal service. However, Hawaiian airlines sell a wide array of snacks like cookies and chips.
Again, loving the Hawaiian flavors. When I went to the gallery to purchase some chips, I realized the snacks all came in "family size" not "individual packets". The steward was kind enough to tell me they would be starting another snack service in about an hour with individual bags of chips so I saved my money and returned to my seat.
Surely enough, an hour later came the snack service. The crew was also serving complimentary cocktails in the economy cabin, which I thought was a nice welcoming gesture. I didn't have a cocktail, but I think it was coconut rum and guava juice.
All in all, a pleasant flight. I would probably choose Hawaiian again if it was the cheapest, but I am not sure if I would necessarily pick it over another airline if it came to comfort. The biggest plus was the meal service. The seats were not super comfortable though. I hope they upgrade to leather or some version of a smoother covering.
The other thing is I had to travel to a way off terminal to catch the Hawaiian flight. When I landed in Honolulu, I had to take a shuttle to reach the main baggage claim area which took about 15 minutes waiting time. I wonder if other airlines might have better landing spots.
On the return flight, the meal was a hot plate with a bun stuffed with chicken (like an Asian style bao), salad and shortbread cookie.
A word of advice: my friend and I booked the Speedi Shuttle to our hotels and back when we bought our tickets. I think the shuttle service has some sort of agreement with the airline, but it takes FOREVER. I arrived at the hotel two hours after landing even though the hotel is 9 miles from the airport.
They also insist on picking you up three hours before your departing flight and was not flexible to change the pick up time. I had no checked baggage and wanted to depart only 2 hours before my departure flight, but Speedi Shuttle would not consider my request. So I found myself waiting AT my gate more than 2 hours before departure because it took me about 45 minutes to get from my hotel to the airport (this time it was a direct drive) and through security. I wouldn't use Speedi Shuttle again, probably try a different shuttle service or even take a cab.
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