11 Things You Need to Know About Southwest Hawaii Flights; San Diego Flights Available to Book NOW

Now that Southwest has officially started flights to Hawaii, if you’re planning a Hawaiian vacation on the airline anytime soon, there are some things you should know.

We’ve compiled a list of top things to know about Southwest Hawaii flights, including the latest news from Southwest about the addition of San Diego as a mainland departure city to reach the Hawaiian islands on Southwest.

You can book flights from San Diego — all of a sudden — NOW! And there’s a fare sale with prices from $129 per way. Yea! We’ve been waiting for this one, as San Diego is one of our favorite cities to visit. Here’s why…

11 Things You Need to Know About Southwest Hawaii Flights

 

1. Southwest Flies to 5 Hawaiian Airports

You can currently fly to four Hawaiian destinations on Southwest from the mainland:

• Honolulu – Oahu (HNL)
• Lihue – Kauai (LIH)
• Kahului – Maui (OGG)
• Kona – Island of Hawaii (KOA)

Interisland flights are also available to all airports listed above as well as:

• Hilo – Island of Hawaii (ITO)

 

2. Fly Nonstop From 4 West Coast Airports, Including SAN DIEGO!

As of October 30, you can fly from San Diego to Hawaii! And Southwest is celebrating with a fare sale starting at $129 per way. Currently, I only see those fares in April and May 2020.

You can also fly nonstop from Oakland, San Jose and Sacramento Airports in California. New routes from San Diego will be starting soon! Here is when those flights will “take off”:

• San Diego to Maui (OGG) – April 14, 2020
• San Diego to Oaho (HNL) – April 20, 2020

 

3. Nonstop Flights Are About 5 1/2 Hours Long

To fly to Hawaii from the West Coast, you’re looking at about 5 hours and 40 minutes, according to the Southwest website.

 

4. Fly to Hawaii From Most Other Cities Stopping on the West Coast

You can also book flights from most of Southwest’s other destinations, but you’ll be stopping in California on the way there. It looks like they are slowly adding these flights for booking.

There’s also a bit of a hiccup if you’re flying to/from the East coast. You may need to separately book your flights to the California city and then from the California city on to Hawaii.

This is because, especially returning, because of the time difference, you may not be able to get back to the East Coast before day’s end, and Southwest does not fly “red eye”/overnight flights. This requires you to stay the night in your Cali city and then book a separate flight on to your home destination the next day.

 

5. Fares Started at $49 or 1,950 Points Per Way

Amazingly, fares originally started from the West Coast as low as $49 per way — to Hawaii!! CRAZY!! The cheapest you are likely to find currently are around $180 per way.

 

6. Use Your Southwest Companion Pass and Bring Someone FREE

If you are blessed to hold the Southwest Companion Pass, you can bring someone to Hawaii with you FREE. You’ll only pay the mandatory security fees. Oh, and you can bring them ANYWHERE you fly for however long you hold the pass, not just on this one trip…

Can you imagine paying less than $100 roundtrip for 2 people to fly to Hawaii or better yet, only 3,900 points? I could sneeze and earn 3,900 Southwest points!!

Find out 10 things you MUST know in order to earn your Companion Pass by downloading my freebie below:

 

7. Fly Interisland on Southwest Starting at $29 Per Way

Southwest now flies from Honolulu to Lihue – Kauai (LIH), Kahului – Maui (OGG), Kona – Island of Hawaii (KOA) and Hilo – Island of Hawaii (ITO), from Maui to Honolulu and Kona, from Kauai to Honolulu, from Kona to Maui and Honolulu and from Hilo to Honolulu. From Fares start at $29 per way, but are usually closer to $39-$49 per way, especially during Southwest sales.

 

8. Get a Bigger Snack on Your Hawaii Flight

The airline serves flyers Hawaiian Islands-inspired drinks and snacks on Southwest Hawaii flights, including “a snack bag full of tasty goodies.”

Sip on a free Minute Maid Pineapple Orange Juice Blend, or you can choose from alcoholic drinks like:

• Kona Longboard Island Lager
• Blue Chair Bay Coconut Spiced Rum

Did you know there are ways to get free Southwest drink coupons for alcoholic drinks? Here’s how!

 

9. You’ll Fly a 737-800 With 32 Inches Legroom

Southwest says they are an industry leader with 32 inches of legroom. So far, you’ll be flying the 737-800 on Southwest to Hawaii.

Currently, the Boeing MAX 8 (Southwest’s newest aircraft) is grounded with an unknown date for it to return to service.

 

10. Sorry, But Your Dog (or Cat!) Can’t Fly to Hawaii With You

Southwest says that they will not transport pets to and from Hawaii, but “only service dogs assisting Customers with disabilities and emotional support dogs and cats are permitted.”

 

11. It’ll Cost You $75 to Bring Your Surfboard, But Bring Scuba Gear FREE

Unfortunately, surfboards are not included in the two free checked items you can bring to Hawaii (or any flight) on Southwest. You’ll need to pay $75 per way, as well as remove the keels and fins.

But be sure to bring your snorkel gear and just pack it, and they will accept scuba gear with empty air tanks as one of your two free checked items per person. Here are the full details.

Get the latest updates about Southwest Hawaii Flights here or at Southwest.com/Hawaii.

Aloha!!

Read More: 

• 6 Awesome Hawaii Hotels You Can Book Using Points
• How My Family is Planning a Trip to Hawaii on Southwest 
• 10 Hacks to Save BIG Money in Hawaii
• What’s It Like to Fly to Hawaii on Southwest Airlines
• 19 Incredible Not-to-Miss Things to do in Hawaii