![]() During the latter, Wi-Fi wasn't even an option until we were within 15 minutes of landing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). In my test, it didn't work perfectly the whole flight to Hawaii, but it worked at least half the time, which was more than I could say for my return trip home on United. If you want or need to stay connected during your flight to Hawaii, Southwest has a major edge over many competitors with its $8 gate-to-gate Wi-Fi. So, if you or your kids will need a more substantial meal than a snack pack, you'll want to buy it at the airport or bring something from home.įrankly, I vastly prefer this approach and think overnighting on the West Coast is superior to a red-eye flight back from Hawaii in an economy seat. Just know that there are no hot meals available on Southwest - even if you are willing to pay. It included a 1.75-ounce pack of Wheat Thins, a small dip for the crackers, a pack of Sunkist fruit chews and the usual Southwest snack mix. On flights to Hawaii, Southwest offers a free snack pack, which was totally sufficient. Related: How to snag the best seats on Southwest Airlines There's no hot food, but there is Hawaiian beer If you have the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card or the Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Card, know that it comes with four A1 to A15 boarding positions per year, so if you're planning on flying Southwest to Hawaii, one of these cards could be a option to enroll in. Not wanting to chance what things would look like in the B boarding group for the long segment, my husband snagged A10 for $50 from Las Vegas to Kauai, which was money well spent, as it meant he could grab the seat on the plane with the most legroom. The price to snag an even better A1 to A15 upgraded boarding position (which is space-available within 24 hours of your flight if some of those spots remain unsold on Business Select fares or similar) was $70 from Houston to Las Vegas and $50 from Las Vegas to Lihue. My husband, however, did not pay for EarlyBird Check-In, so when he checked in right at the 24-hour mark for the same flights, he was assigned the B27 and B17 positions on those segments, respectively. By paying extra for this perk, I received an A30 boarding position on the Houston-to-Las Vegas segment and a B8 spot on the Las Vegas-to-Lihue segment. While the prices now vary by flight, it cost $25 to purchase EarlyBird Check-In for our flight. Doing so made it so Southwest automatically checked me in ahead of the standard 24-hour mark, thus assigning me a better boarding position than I could grab on my own since Southwest assigns them in order of check-in. To increase our chances of sitting somewhere decent, I ponied up for EarlyBird Check-In. However, it would be a bit stressful to have a later boarding position for a flight as long as this one. Normally, I'm not greatly bothered by Southwest's unique approach to boarding, where you don't know where you will sit until you line up and pick a seat after boarding. If there's ever a time to pay to give yourself a greater pick of seats on the plane, it is when you're flying some of their longest routes to Hawaii. However, those with little ones will get on the flight earlier in the boarding process thanks to the airline's family boarding policy. If flying with kids, note that they can't sit in the emergency exit row until they turn 15, so this tip isn't for young families. Additionally, row 15 has only two seats on each side of the aisle, making it possible for you and your travel buddy to avoid having a third person in your row. If you can't get one of those seats, several in other exit rows also have a bit more legroom than normal. In case you're considering doing the same, here's what you should know before flying Southwest Airlines to Hawaii. Want more airline-specific news? Sign up for TPG's free biweekly Aviation newsletter. I packed up my backup power banks, purchased the EarlyBird service to try and get on the plane sooner to have a better pick of seats and strapped in for 10 hours of flying from Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) to Las Vegas' Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) to Kauai's Lihue Airport (LIH). Recently, I decided to put the airline to the test. I'd flown Southwest between Hawaiian Islands before, but what about using the carrier for the full multihour trek to the Hawaiian Islands? It's one thing to fly Southwest a couple of hours to Orlando or Las Vegas, but what is it like flying over six hours to an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean on an airline without advance seat assignments, hot meals and more? Southwest Airlines has been flying to Hawaii since 2019, but it's sometimes easy to forget that this no-frills airline can be flown all the way to the 50th state, especially since those flight options won't necessarily display when searching on Google Flights.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |