When Southwest Airlines announced plans to fly to
Hawaii
in fall 2017, fans began hoarding Rapid Rewards points with palm trees and mai tais on the brain. As a frequent Southwest flyer who travels often to the Aloha State from my home base in Northern California, I was pretty excited myself.
Southwest’s flights to the Hawaiian islands began in March 2019. My family and I were some of the first people to fly Southwest to Hawaii that month, and we have continued flying the airline to the islands on multiple occasions since. We have yet another trip coming up in late summer 2025.
There have, of course, been substantial developments and changes in Southwest’s Hawaii flights over these years. Flights ground to a halt in 2020. When travel did return, Hawaii had very a very strict regime for visitors for quite some time. And when more normal travel resumed, “revenge travel” drove unprecedented Hawaii travel demand.
During this time, Southwest claimed a place as a major contender in all Hawaii airport markets. It expanded Hawaii service to even more mainland destinations and on interisland routes as well.
Now in 2025, however, the landscape has further shifted.
Southwest is going through a major transition as an airline
. In the past year or so, Hawaii travel demand has softened, and Southwest has cut back some of its routes to the islands in response.
If you are considering taking a flight to paradise aboard Southwest, I’ve compiled all the details you need to know in this complete guide – fully updated to reflect the most current state of affairs. Whether you are looking for the best deals and discounts, wondering what Hawaii routes currently Southwest flies, or are curious about the pros and cons of flying Southwest to the islands compared to other carriers (particularly in this transitional moment), here is everything you need to know about flying Southwest Airlines to Hawaii.
Routes & Destinations: Where Does Southwest Airlines Fly to in Hawaii?
Hawaii Airports Served by Southwest
As of summer 2025, Southwest has flight service into five Hawaii airports, four of which have non-stop service from mainland airports. They are:
- Honolulu (HNL)
- Kauai (LIH)
- Kona on the Big Island (KOA)
- Maui (OGG)
- Hilo on the Big Island (ITO) – interisland only
Related:
Ultimate Guide to Hawaii’s Big Island with Kids
Related:
Best Things to do in Maui with Kids
Mainland Airports with Hawaii Non-Stop Flights
On the mainland, Southwest currently serves 8 gateway cities with non-stop flights: 6 airports in the state of California as well as 2 airports in other western states. The mainland airports with service to one or more islands are:
- Las Vegas (LAS)
- Long Beach (LGB)
- Los Angeles (LAX)
- Oakland (OAK)
- Phoenix (PHX)
- Sacramento (SMF)
- San Diego (SAN)
- San Jose (SJC)
What Non-Stop Routes to the Mainland are Available?
Not every mainland destination has non-stop service to every Hawaii airport. All of Southwest’s 8 gateway cities have flights to HNL (Honolulu). But only 1 of 8 gateway cities – Las Vegas (LAS) – currently has service to all 4 Hawaii destinations – LIH (Kauai), KOA (Kona), OGG (Maui) in addition to HNL. This is actually down from 4 cities a couple of years ago, when Southwest used to fly from OAK, SJC, and LAX to all 4 Hawaii destinations as well.
Airports with non-stop flights to other Hawaii airports (beyond HNL) as of July 2025 are:
-
Las Vegas (LAS)
: OGG, LIH, and KOA (in addition to HNL) -
Los Angeles (LAX)
: LIH, KOA (in addition to HNL) -
Oakland (OAK):
OGG, LIH (in addition to HNL) -
Phoenix (PHX)
: OGG (in addition to HNL) -
Sacramento (SMF)
: OGG, KOA (in addition to HNL) -
San Jose (SJC)
: OGG (in addition to HNL)
San Diego (SAN) and Long Beach (LGB) currently don’t have Southwest service to anywhere else in Hawaii except HNL.
Note that
Southwest’s interactive Hawaii route map
seems to have been frozen in time as of March 2024 and is no longer accurate, so don’t use this to make travel plans! The best way to see the most current routes flown is to go to
Southwest’s main route map
and run a search for non-stop flights from a Hawaii airport using the list view. Here’s what that looks like as of July 2025:
Flight times between Hawaii destinations and California airports are between 5-6 hours non-stop depending on the exact routes flown and the tailwind and headwind situations. Flights to Phoenix and Las Vegas are a bit longer – usually about 6-7 hours. As of spring 2025, Southwest now flies a limited number of
red-eye (overnight) flights
, mostly on the longer routes to Phoenix and Las Vegas.
If you are curious about the competition on these routes, Hawaiian Airlines is the biggest competitor, followed closely by Alaska Airlines – both quality airlines my family has flown and enjoyed as well. A few other airlines fly some of these routes. For example, American Airlines flies from Phoenix to Hawaii. A number of domestic carriers (Delta, United) fly to Hawaii from LAX, with several from SJC and SFO as well (competitors to Southwest’s SJC and OAK routes).
Interisland Southwest Service in Hawaii
Similarly, Southwest doesn’t fly between all of its Hawaii airports with interisland service. All of the airline’s Hawaii airports have interisland service to and from HNL (Honolulu), but some of the smaller airports don’t have non-stop service to the other smaller airports.
Interisland flights are a great way for mainlanders to island hop on a vacation as well as for locals to fly between the Hawaiian islands for work or pleasure. Southwest is competing directly with Hawaiian Airlines (and to a lesser extent Mokulele) for this business. It does not have the flight frequency or the same number of airports served as these two other airlines, but their arrival into this market has helped drive prices down across the board.
The Southwest Hawaii interisland routes that are available include:
- Honolulu (HNL) to/from Maui (OGG)
- Honolulu (HNL) to/from Kona (KOA)
- Honolulu (HNL) to/from Lihue/Kauai (LIH)
- Honolulu (HNL) to/from Hilo (ITO)
- Kona (KOA) to/from Maui (OGG)
- Kauai (LIH) to/from Maui (OGG)
Planning to Island Hop in Hawaii?
If you are planning to visit several Hawaiian Islands in a single trip, this guide can help! Written by a fellow travel blogger who has visited the islands over 40 times, it can help you to make the most of your time on each island and navigate the logistics of island hopping with ease.
Buy the Hawaii Island Hopping Guide Here!
What Is a Hawaii Flight on Southwest Like?
Before booking a flight as long as one to Hawaii, a lot of travelers naturally want to know what the in-flight experience will be like.
Believe it or not, a flight to Hawaii is pretty similar to all other Southwest Airlines domestic flights. The planes go out of the same gates at all the mainland airports Southwest serves, and all of Southwest’s usual policies, rules, and benefits apply. For a full review of a typical Hawaii flight, check out my
Southwest OAK to HNL Flight Review
article.
That said, there are a few minor differences you may note:
Plane Type
Unless you are an aviation geek, you might not know that Southwest has several different subtypes of planes in its all-Boeing-737 fleet. But Southwest can only fly aircraft that have gotten a special certification (ETOPS) on long overwater routes. As a result, you’ll only find Boeing 737-800 and 737-MAX8 planes flying Hawaii routes, as they are the only planes certified to fly.
These planes are newer so cabins feel brighter and fresher. In my experience, they also have have much more comfortable interiors compared to the other plane type in Southwest’s fleet, the Boeing 737-700. The new design slimline seats are just a tad more spacious in both width and in legroom (32-33 inch seat pitch), as are the overhead bins.
Southwest is currently reconfiguring these planes as it transitions to seat assignments in 2026. The new configurations add extra legroom seats to the front of the plane, meaning pitch is shrinking in the remaining seats to the industry-standard 31 inches.
The first planes to be reconfigured are the Boeing 737-800 and 737-MAX8 planes so as more time passes, chances are increasingly high you’ll stumble on them in your Hawaii travels in mid to late 2025 – likely for months before seat assignments go into effect. That means early boarders (pre-boarders, Business Select customers, and others who purchase Upgraded Boarding) will have first dibs on more space during open seating.
Snacks
Southwest usually has a pretty bare bones snack service on most flights – a drink and a bag of pretzel twists are all you get. Because Hawaii flights are some of the longest trips the airline flies, Southwest has always bumped up the snack options a bit on those routes.
For years, the airline served a complimentary snack box (pictured above) with snack mix, crackers or Wheat Thins, spreadable cheese, fruit gummy snacks, and Tic Tacs, followed by a sweet treat later in the flight (originally Brownie Brittle).
The airline revamped its snacks in 2024 fleet-wide and Hawaii snacks changed as well. The new practice is for flight attendants to come by with boxes with three snack choices. Most of the time, they encourage passengers to take one of each. A friend of mine recently flew to the islands and the choices were: Blue Diamond almonds, Bobo’s strawberry stuffed oat bites, and Ritz cheese-filled cracker sandwiches. Later in the flight, Oreos were also offered. I’ll report back soon with what our upcoming Hawaii flight has!
Southwest also has a few extra alcoholic drinks on the menu for Hawaii flights. The airlines also serves a Kula Toasted Coconut Rum ($9) and Kona Brewing Company’s Big Wave Golden Ale ($7). Use Southwest drink coupons if you have them. Originally, the airline also had an extra non-alcoholic tropical juice as well, but it seems unlikely to return to the menu.
Decor, Vibe & Service
This is a very minor difference and also hard to quantify, but one thing I always appreciate on the Hawaii flights I’ve flown on Southwest is that they feel a little extra special. Flight attendants often wear a flower or kukui nut lei around their necks or a flower in their hair. Some add a little extra touch of decor to the galley that helps gets everyone in the island spirit.
The service is usually very warm. After all, the flight attendants are often as happy as the passengers to be headed to Hawaii for an overnight! Hawaii flights are also sought-after routes among crew members, and I have always experienced the best of the best service as a result.
Views
One last difference you may note – the view! You aren’t going to get views on many Southwest Airlines flights like the ones you get arriving and departing the islands. So get your cell phones out and ready for photos and videos.
One of the best views of all is taking off from Honolulu headed back to the mainland (taunting you with what you are leaving behind). You’ll fly over Waikiki and past Diamond Head. But you have to be on the left side of the aircraft (your right as you are boarding the plane) to see it. Choose your seats during open boarding (while it still lasts) carefully!
Related:
First Timer’s Guide to Waikiki
Should You Fly Southwest Airlines to Hawaii? Pros and Cons
If you are a regular reader, you know how much of a fan I have been of
Southwest Airlines for flying with kids
. But I know it’s not for everyone. I especially know the airline is facing an uphill battle in 2025 as it makes major changes like adding seat assignments and the end of checked bags. So I’ll give it to you straight.
Pros of Flying Southwest to Hawaii
Benefits that many travelers may appreciate when flying Southwest to Hawaii include:
-
Reward availability
: Everyone loves a free flight, but a free flight to Hawaii is that much better. Even though there have been
recent Rapid Rewards devaluations
, Southwest Airlines’ Rapid Rewards programs is still one of the most straightforward frequent flyer programs in the business with the most seat availability. So you can actually redeem your miles to Hawaii…even if you are flying at a peak time or even if you are flying with a big family. -
Free checked bags for credit card holders
: Hawaii is a long trip from the mainland, so many visitors come and stay awhile. And that often means needing to check a bag. Southwest no longer lets you check bags for free, but travelers with a Southwest-branded credit card do get 1 free checked bag per person for everyone on the same booking. Southwest’s least expensive credit card has just a $69 annual fee (compared to $99+ for most other airline cards), so it’s still possible to get bags for a little less. Having just one
Southwest credit card
in your household can add up to a lot of savings for families and larger groups. -
Competitive fares
: Southwest isn’t always the low cost leader anymore, but its fares to Hawaii remain quite competitive. There are definitely deals to be had if you know how to look and book (more on that below). Because Southwest flies to Hawaii out of several airports in the same region (Southern California, Northern California), there are sometimes savings by just driving to an alternate airport in the same area. In fact, we’ll be flying out of Sacramento on our upcoming Hawaii travels for just this reason! -
Companion pass
: Speaking of saving money, if you have one or more people in your family with a Southwest Companion Pass, that’s another way to get to Hawaii more cheaply. It requires some effort to earn (either by signing up for and spending on Southwest credit cards strategically, via a promotion, or just by flying a lot – or some combination of the three), but it’s an amazing perk. My husband and I have had at least one between us for the better part of the last decade, so we get 4 tickets for the price of 3 in our Southwest travels. -
Cheap WiFi that works decently + free in-flight entertainment
: You probably aren’t going to choose a flight based on the WiFi, but being able to stay connected is a bonus. Southwest charges $8 per flight for WiFi and in my experience, it works mostly pretty well on Hawaii flights (note that Southwest is finishing up a fleet-wide upgrade of its WiFi too). Plus, the in-flight entertainment options you can access via your own device (TV, movies, etc.) are pretty extensive too.
Cons of Flying Southwest to Hawaii
What should give you pause about booking a Southwest flight to Hawaii?
-
Nothing but economy seats
: All seats on Southwest are economy seats. There is no first class and not even any economy plus or premium economy (at least until the extra legroom seats are all added). So if you are a traveler who needs or wants a little more space or extra service, there still really isn’t a reliable option for you. I know this can be a deal breaker for some flyers, especially on longer distance flights like ones to Hawaii (including my mother, who needs more legroom on planes to accommodate a knee injury). -
Open seating
: A lot of travelers really dislike Southwest’s boarding process and open seating policy. Either you pay a fee for Early Bird Check-In or must remember to check in right at 24 hours before your flight or you can get a pretty bum boarding position and an equally bum seat. The uncertainty is not ideal, especially when you are facing an extra long flight where getting stuck with a middle seat is especially uncomfortable. Note that this will change in 2026 as seat assignments start, so this factor may move into the “pro” column for some travelers soon enough! -
No meals
: As already mentioned above, Southwest only has a handful of packaged snacks aboard. Even if you are willing to pay, there are no meals for purchase. It’s a long flight to Hawaii to have to worry with bringing your own food or finding time to buy in the airport, especially when some of the competition at the very least has heartier options for sale. -
Outlets not guaranteed
: Southwest may have solid WiFi and streaming entertainment, but you need a powered up device to take advantage. And while Southwest has been adding USB ports to its planes of late, there are not always power options on all Southwest planes yet. My family always brings multiple
portable chargers
so this isn’t a deal breaker if you are prepared, but it can catch a lot of infrequent Southwest passengers unaware. -
No non-stops to the East Coast
: If you live east of Arizona, Southwest can’t get you to and from the islands on a single flight. Contrast this with Delta which flies non-stop to Honolulu from Atlanta and New York, United which flies to Maui seasonally from as far as Newark, and American which flies from Dallas and Chicago. And while Southwest does now fly several red-eyes to Hawaii that will connect onward to even more eastern destinations than could be served in the past, they are shorter red-eyes with no lie flat seats. And that can add up to a lot harder overall travel experience.
How Can I Save Money on Southwest’s Hawaii Flights?
So just how much do Southwest’s Hawaii flights cost and how can you score a deal or a discount? Southwest’s prices to the islands fluctuate quite a bit based on seasonality as well as how far in advance you book. I’ve been able to find roundtrips between $300-400 during off-peak times, but I also live within easy driving distance of three of Southwest’s Hawaii gateway airports. For our upcoming trip in summer 2025, we paid about $500 roundtrip per person (in the points equivalent).
Travelers who need to make connections will likely pay a bit more. Flying during high season like the winter holidays, can be quite a bit pricier as well – sometimes now over $1000 roundtrip.
While there are certain times of year when there are never any deals to be had, our family has been able to score some pretty cheap fares to Hawaii on Southwest even when traveling in summer or for spring break trips. Here’s how you can too.
Book Early/When Southwest Flight Schedules are Released
Southwest releases its flight schedules in blocks, usually a few months at a time, on a single day. This date is widely publicized in advance on Southwest’s website. Go to
Southwest’s Flight Booking page
, look for the language on the top right that says “Now accepting reservations through…” and click on the information icon to see when the next set of flights is going to be released.
Although it has been less often the case more recently, sometimes the cheapest deals you will find on certain flight routes is on the morning of this schedule release. I highly recommend setting a calendar reminder to go in to check fares and potentially make a booking.
But even if you can’t plan 6-9 months in advance, you’ll still likely find cheaper fares if you can book farther out. With Southwest ending its policy of fare credits that never expire, more and more fellow passengers are waiting to book flights a little longer until their plans are more firm. That means deals for travelers willing to put their money on the line even earlier.
Remember, if you are booking with Rapid Rewards points, you can always cancel any fare (even Basic fares which are advertised as non-refundable) and have the points fully refunded to your account. So it’s smart to book as early as possible for points bookings to lock in a low fare that is still flexible.
Use Southwest’s Low Fare Calendar
Another way to find good deals is to be flexible on travel days if at all possible. I recommend starting your search for Southwest Hawaii flights on the airline website
Low Fare Calendar
. Put in your city pairs and then look at a month-by-month view that displays the cheapest fare available each day. Traditionally, the cheapest days to fly are going to be mid-week. If you have flexibility to fly on a non-peak day, you’ll pay less.
Watch for Fare Sales
Southwest has a number of fare sales. Several sales a year are bigger ones, with deeper discounts, but some of the smaller ones can have some steals as well.
Often these sales launch on a Tuesday so that’s always a good day to check fares. But it’s even better to be in the know. Make sure you are a member of Southwest’s Rapid Rewards program and opt into marketing emails so sales alerts are delivered to your inbox when they happen.
Get even more of my best tips for
maximizing Southwest Airlines fare sales
.
Get a Southwest Credit Card
If you don’t have a bank of Southwest Rapid Reward points to redeem for free Hawaii travel, start building one up! One of the easiest ways to earn Rapid Rewards points is through the co-branded personal and business Southwest credit cards from Chase. My family regularly has one or two of them in our wallets. Check out the current offers and strategies in my
Southwest credit card comparison guide
.
Transfer or Use Other Credit Card Points
Southwest co-branded credit cards aren’t the only option to get points for Hawaii. Chase Ultimate Rewards points transfer 1:1 to Southwest Rapid Rewards points. So if you get one of the Chase cards that earns these rewards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Chase Sapphire Reserve. Chase points transfer instantaneously to Southwest in my experience, so you can make your moves quickly when you spot a deal.
Check out my recommendations for the
5 best credit cards for family travel
for more details on credit card options that will help you get to Hawaii on Southwest.
Snag a Southwest Companion Pass
The
Southwest Companion Pass
is another way for couples and families to save on Southwest flights – to Hawaii or anywhere else. This pass allows a flyer to take a single companion with them on any and every Southwest flight totally free (plus taxes and fees) for a period of up to 2 years, depending on when it is earned.
As you can probably imagine, it’s pretty valuable for saving money for anyone who flies Southwest often. It is even more valuable if you need to fly on a more expensive route – like Hawaii during a major holiday period!
You have to earn 135,000 Rapid Rewards points in a single year to get a Companion Pass, either from flying or from credit cards or from a few other methods. My word of warning – this method is not exactly for the beginner even though there are blogs that make it sound like a piece of cake. If you are ready to do some research and legwork, it can really pay off. My family has saved thousands and thousands of dollars over the past 7 or 8 years we’ve had a pass.
Southwest also occasionally offers promotions to earn more limited time Companion Passes (that usually last a quarter long). Those are often easier to earn and can be a great value if you have a couple of flights planned during the time the pass would be valid.
A lot of ink has been spilled on the Southwest Companion Pass (including some of my own on other sites) so I’ll spare you more. Here are a few of the more comprehensive guides out there if you think it might be for you and want to learn how to do it.
-
5 Things Families Need to Know About the Southwest Companion Pass
from your truly at The Points Guy -
Southwest Companion Pass E-Book
from Go To Travel Gal -
The Complete Guide to the Southwest Companion Pass
from The Frequent Miler
Book Last Minute
Usually, last minute bookings on many airlines to many destinations are extremely overpriced. And on Southwest generally, you usually need to book 14 or 21 days beforehand for its cheapest Basic fares even to be available.
But Southwest’s Hawaii flights can be one exception to these rules. There aren’t a lot of business travelers booking last minute to Hawaii that the airline can rely on to fill empty seats, so sometimes during lower seasons, there are still last minute deals to be had.
The example above from February 2023 shows that if my life had flexible enough to hop on a flight to Honolulu from my home airport of Oakland within 24-48 hours, I could have gotten there and back for as low as $165 each way. Not too shabby. So if you have flexibility in your travel plans, be aggressive in watching for last minute opportunities.
Additional Tips for Booking & Flying Southwest to Hawaii
Here are a few additional tips for Southwest Hawaii flights that my family and I have picked up from our experience booking and flying these routes the last several years.
Always Check the Competition
I’m almost always inclined to fly Southwest to Hawaii because my family has a Companion Pass most of the time and my home
airport in Oakland
has service to multiple Hawaii airports. But that is not the case for everyone! There are other airlines that may have better prices or better flight times for your travel plans.
Use family boarding if you are eligible
Southwest allows families with kids ages 6 and under to board between groups A and B. That pretty much ensures you can get seating together as a family with young kids (for as long as Southwest offers open seating). If you are eligible, be sure you arrive at the gate early enough to take advantage!
Strongly consider Early Bird
If you aren’t eligible for family boarding, you may want to consider purchasing Southwest’s
Early Bird Check-In
for Hawaii flights. For a flight as long as the ones to Hawaii, these are really not flights you want your family stuck in the C boarding group claiming scattered middle seats. But just be aware that Early Bird on Hawaii flights is usually the most expensive – often $35+ per person. So if it isn’t in the budget, it’s that much more essential not to miss checking in right at 24 hours in advance.
Some of the Southwest credit cards also come with 4 upgraded boarding perks, so if you have those burning a hole in your pocket, Hawaii flights can be a good time to redeem them too.
East Coast flyers may want to consider a stopover
As I mentioned above, Southwest’s limited red-eyes means a lot of East Coasters can’t easily get to and from Hawaii in a single day on the flight connections the airline has available. So you may need to get creative for now if you want to fly Southwest to the islands.
One option some travelers have used is booking itineraries as separate one-ways with an overnight in a gateway city (especially on the return flying eastward). Of course, this adds time and may also add cost. But I also know a lot of travelers use this opportunity to spend a few extra days in a West Coast city they’ve always wanted to visit.
To determine whether your home airport has a connecting flight option at all and whether you might need plan a stopover instead, run a search on Southwest’s booking page using the Low Fare Calendar. If you see results that look like the following, the connections just don’t line up to get you to or from the islands in a single day.
Final Thoughts
It probably goes without saying that the addition of Southwest to the Hawaii market has been a boon for many travelers – especially those based on the West Coast. But these flights have been on a bit of a roller coaster the past few years, and now the entire airline is as well. I’m personally looking ahead with cautious optimism and hope the Southwest Hawaii experiment persists and grows. Bookmark and watch this space for even more updates in the coming months!
Have you flown one of the Southwest Airlines to Hawaii flights? Share your thoughts, travel plans, and experiences in the comments.
Disclosure: I was a paid #SouthwestStorytellers ambassador for the airline in 2018. This article was originally published in October 2017 before I was a brand ambassador and has been updated substantially after the ambassadorship ended. As always, all opinions are my own.
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Flying Southwest Airlines to Hawaii: Everything You Need to Know
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