Even that Alaskan route probably is loaded with free fliers (mileage) or near free fliers (see next).

I know that my father in Anchorage takes advantage of that flight to use the $50 companion fair offered with the Alaskan Air credit card, so he flies to Hawaii with one paid and one free ticket ($50).

That being said that Alaskan Air credit card $50 companion fair is about the best deal I know of (including Hawaii) - if you are in a market that Alaskan discounts - i.e. not sitting in DCA where Alaskan is the highest price option nearly all the time.

Posted By Iolaire McFadden on January 9, 2009, 11:02 AM

I can understand the airline's point of view on this one. After all, that's how the wife and I "paid" for our honeymoon to Hawaii, too!

Posted By Anthony Falcone on January 9, 2009, 11:29 AM

What expensive flights? I am taking Amtrak from New York to San Francisco for $190 and then flying out of Oakland Airport to Honolulu for $150. That is pretty cheap for 6000 miles of travel.

Posted By Christian on January 10, 2009, 9:56 AM

Congrats, Christian, on finding an amazing deal. What's your secret? I can't find a fare that cheap anywhere online. On metasearch site Kayak.com, I'm seeing roundtrip, multi-stop flights out of Oakland, for weekend to weekend vacations in February, of about $360 to $512.
At FareCompare.com, I'm seeing $433 to $533, or about the same. Southwest and Jetblue don't fly there. Hotwire is listing blind booking fares (where they don't tell you what airline you're flying) that are higher than the fares just mentioned, but it's recommending a flight out of nearby SFO airport for $380.

All in all, none of the above price points are not $150, but the route is still affordable, and truly intrepid travelers like yourself may get the rare special.. My point is not that it's too expensive to get to Hawaii, but that fares haven't dropped significantly and broadly--especially out of airports other than Oakland. Even worse, Farecast.com is predicting that fares are going to rise by about $50 on that Oakland route.

Hope that helps! Happy travels!

Posted By Sean on January 10, 2009, 11:53 AM

Oh, sorry, I should have pointed out I always fly on the magical day of Tuesday.

Maybe people should start to change the day they start their vacations.

:^)

Posted By christian on January 10, 2009, 3:20 PM

** At FareCompare.com, I'm seeing $433 **

On a PPM basis from IAH (my home airport), that's a bargain -- which is why I booked a trip at around that price when it first appeared (after being MUCH higher for quite a long time).

I'm not sure why anyone thinks that's a high price. I don't.

Posted By kevin whited on January 12, 2009, 11:07 AM

Hawaii is expensive. My husband and I went in Dec. of 2007 and the total airfare was $1800. We are going again in 2008 and it is costing us $2100. I could not find a deal anywhere and I am one of those that does not have enough miles to redeem. I donot do packages, because we usually stay on the Big Island, Oahu, and Maui in local places like B&Bs where it usually is only $120-140/night without paying $20/day to park. Also, forget about getting a good deal on rental cars, they cost more than some of the places we stay in. If anyone has tips on saving on airfare or a rental car, I would love to hear about them!

Posted By Mary on January 12, 2009, 2:44 PM

There was a small window for the $150 one way fares from Oakland to Honolulu. I was able to get it for a Saturday in May coming back the following Sunday. I saw the fares last Wednesday and booked Thursday morning. By Thursday afternoon Oakland to Honolulu went up to $276 one way. By Friday afternoon Honolulu to Oakland went up to $276. I also have $48 fares each way from Honolulu to Kauai.

Posted By Jeff on January 12, 2009, 2:53 PM

Mary,

Like yourself, I shy away from packages. Since most packages I have found do not take in to account of the ages of my two small children.

To get discounted car rentals and hotels, I use priceline.com. The trick with priceline is to name my own price. I got a minivan on the Big Island, for $25, and a hotel room at a Hyatt for $100 a night, August 2008.

Posted By Tonya on January 12, 2009, 3:15 PM

I live 12 minutes from Oakland airport and have been looking for months for a cheaper fare. I refuse to pay these high prices. SFO seems to be a cheaper book but even then sky high. I will check again on Wed morning and see if I can find what you are.

Posted By Marie on January 12, 2009, 3:33 PM

"I am taking Amtrak from New York to San Francisco for $190 and then flying out of Oakland Airport to Honolulu for $150. That is pretty cheap for 6000 miles of travel."

Amtrak to save time and money? AMTRAK??? Why don't you just ride your bike across the country, set it down in the sand and start swimming to Hawaii?

Posted By Tino on January 12, 2009, 3:51 PM

I cancelled my 2 week trip to Hawaii -Maui and Kauai next month when I couldn't get tickets below $1,200 each from Columbus, OH and instead booked a Caribbean Cruise out of Ft Lauderdale!

Mary, I had a gotten a great weekly rental rate on a Pontiac G6 at Kahului Airport through Budget for $178 incl all fees! A week at Kauai was $299 through Budget or $224 through hotwire.com although that rate of $224 was non-refundable.
Mike

Posted By Mike on January 12, 2009, 4:23 PM

I just took my extended family of 18 to Hawaii over the holidays using my United miles. They may have not made any money off me on these flights, but they sure did for me to get the 630,000 miles I used for this trip. The islands are really hurting at the moment. The hotels were offering some of the lowest room rates I have seen in 20 years of traveling to Hawaii.

Posted By Mike on January 12, 2009, 4:28 PM

I don't really buy this reasoning. Airlines restrict (rather severely) the number of award seats available on any particular flight. Surely that number is much smaller than "the bulk" of the seats available. It's not like John Doe with 60K miles sitting in his account can just use them on any old flight.

Posted By Glenn on January 12, 2009, 4:33 PM

Hawaiian Air and Northwest fly very reasonably from and to Hawaii from West Coast cities of San Francisco, Oakland, LA, Portland, and Seattle (and maybe Vegas, too). Running $300 or so roundtrip now. I just booked for February.

Posted By Pepi on January 12, 2009, 4:37 PM

I was able to book a Continental flight from Newark to Honolulu recently for $497 r/t (+$38 tax). I'm leaving on Friday, Feb. 13 and returning on Sunday, Feb. 22. Checked the website just now and found the same flight available for $548 r/t. At that price, it's not worth using the miles!

Posted By John on January 12, 2009, 4:59 PM

I'm going this month and I am using miles! Glad I have them to use.

Posted By Brady on January 12, 2009, 5:06 PM

Jeff, I would like to know what airlines you got the $150 fare from Oakland to Honolulu and the $48 from Honolulu to Kauai. Thanks.

Posted By Sue on January 12, 2009, 6:23 PM

I work in reservations for a major low-cost airline. Tuesday flights are ALWAYS less than weekend departures. If you can't find a great fare, then try changing your dates. Also, major travel sites offer great air/hotel combos that can save you substantial amounts. If your dates aren't flexible, go somewhere else and wait til your choice goes on sale. The best fares always go to people who purchase well in advance, do their homework and are a little flexible. Now, go...there's nothing stopping you!

Posted By Ronny K on January 12, 2009, 7:25 PM

start by checking the hawaiianair.com web site weeks in advance for flights from oakland to honolulu. this past week they were $150 each way with about $13 in taxes through the end of january. fly southwest from the midlle of the country to oakland, o/n at the airport and get on the morning flight. prices are also quite reasonable out of SFO. difference is the cost of landing fees the airlines pay at SFO and OAK.

Posted By bastel on January 12, 2009, 7:47 PM

I booked a roundtrip to Honolulu on Dec. 15 departing from Seattle on Jan. 30 & returning Feb. 6 for $299.80 on Hawaiian Airlines.

Posted By florence roberts on January 12, 2009, 8:00 PM

Frequent flier miles are really now a gyp-at least for Hawaii. I have over 60000 miles on Northwest but trying for a Spring trip over a whole month period-with flexibility, they had no Seattle-Hawaii route flights available for less than 75000 miles -EACH WAY!. That's just plain cheating on frequent flier use! Somebody should get these airlines for Frequent flier mileage creep!

Posted By Robert Bentley on January 12, 2009, 8:39 PM

I just got back from the Big Island and the Mokulele Airlines just announced INTER-island fares for $28, which Hawaiian said they would match.
We booked a Jeep for $595 per week from Alamo, which we definitely needed to get to the luscious green sand beach. We stayed in cheap hotels in out of the way places for $55-85 per night. Who wants to fly all that way to stay at an expensive mega-resort that could really feel like you were anywhere tropical?

Posted By Paul N on January 12, 2009, 8:41 PM

Fares between US east coast cities and Honolulu have been relatively low for some time. The below link shows the fares FROM HNL to mainland US airports. The reverse fares are usually the same.

http://air-fare.com/hnl.htm

Posted By Papitas on January 12, 2009, 9:11 PM

For those looking for cheaper rental cars in Hawaii, we used Hawaii Drive-O (if you google that name it will come up). We rented a Jeep Wrangler in Hawaii for 7 days for $250.

It puts you with a major name brand (ours was Thrifty). But, had we gone through any other website we looked at, it would have been over $450 for the week.

Posted By Maggie on January 12, 2009, 10:14 PM

Mary,
This is my tip for affordable car rentals. Buy an Entertainment coupon book for Hawaii at about $25. Use the phone numbers listed on the car rental coupons in the book to make your reservations. You automatically get a cheaper price quoted just by using that phone number. Then, choose the coupon that works best with your car rental needs, and that discount comes off of the Entertainment book member discount! We had great success with Enterprise on Oahu. They didn't have the economy car we reserved when we arrived, so they upgraded us to a convertible for no extra charge. It was heavenly!

Posted By Tamara on January 12, 2009, 10:41 PM

I always hear people say that Hawaii is so expensive. For us here in LA, it's cheap. We got late August tickets for $400 (LAX-KOA, LIH-LAX open-jaw). It's usually at least$300+ to fly coast-to-coast on the mainland. $100/night for a nice condo in Kona, $135/night for the Marriott resort in Lihue. We can barely get that in California. It will most likely be painful if need to go in June, July or Christmas break. Want to go to Honolulu next month? $319 all-in throughout February on Hawaiian.

Posted By Tim on January 13, 2009, 12:19 AM

Mary, Go online to EBay, buy a Entertainment book for Hawaii and you'll fing cheap car rentals and deals throughout the island of all the typical sites you want to see encluding fast food and restraunts. I purchased a entertainment book for more than 1/2 off retail price. Book is aroung 30- 45 in book stores I paid $12.00!!! Plus 2.50 shippipng.!! You do the math!!
Good LUCK!!

Posted By BreaGymMom on January 13, 2009, 12:44 AM

The reason people often don't get the best overall value on their Hawaii vacation (or any vacation) is that they only shop online. The truth is that the online sites frequently mentioned in
Reader Comments don't always the best prices and when they do, they don't always offer the best value. When you book online, you don't know what you don't know. You don't have access to all of the resources available to you on ANY given site. A really good travel agent can often put together a great total vacation that offers a better overall value (an sometimes a better overall price) than the average individual can do on his/her own. That's what we do for a living. I have to confess that I am one of those poor souls and this is one of my biggest frustrations. I personally don't go online to find out how to repair my car engine or transmission. I have better uses for my time and I would rather pay more and have it done right. I would encourage readers to consult a professional travel agent, give them as much info as possible about your planned trip and see what they come up with. I won't say that they will always be able to do it for less, but I think you will usually get better value for your money. If you are booking airfare only without accommodations or a car, the airline websites may be your best bet.

Posted By Rick on January 13, 2009, 1:36 AM

Tino... unless you have tried the Amtrak route heading West don't knock it. Yes it is a two and 1/2 day trip one way across country from Chicago but for those of us who enjoy looking out our window in a very relaxed environment and watching the world go by, it is great way to travel. My husband and I (in our late 40's) have done this trip twice, once with our kids and once without and it was an amazing experience. We saw so much beauty, met many interesting travelers on the train (many of whom were from Europe or Australia) and spent some captive quality time with our children. They are grown now, both love to travel and will tell anyone who asks their train travels were their favorite.

Try the circle tour using the California Zephyer Chicago to San Fran, then the Coast Starlight up to Seattle and finally the Empire Builder across the North back to Chicago where you can connect to head further East. You will see farms with cattle as far as the eye can see, The Rockies at two different latitudes, the beauftiful Cascades, the Dakotas and their unusual landscape, countless rivers, waterfalls, quaint towns etc etc. It is even better when you schedule stops along the way... Glenwood Springs,Colorado and Whitefish, Montana are two I recommend. Again, Don't knock it until you try it!

Posted By K. M. on January 13, 2009, 11:20 AM

We are a family of 4 who have to travel during school breaks (little flexibility on dates). Airlines, hotels and even restaurants seem to see you coming on these dates and it suddenly becomes the "high season" for rates everywhere. Deals seem impossible (the best flights out of Seattle to Kuaui we found so far are $900 each--$3,600 for airfare alone, ouch!). Also, since the adults like to have a little vacation on their own we want a suite to get some privacy--this usually means no hotel or package deals available (since in my experience they generally come with the most basic room). And we find condos may not offer pools or a fitness room--2 must haves for the kids and adults in our family. Finally, while I haven't researched it, dining out in Hawaii (it's not a vacation for my wife if she has to cook) seems to be extremely expensive. Exorbitant airfare, gotcha hotel rates, and high dining prices; it may be 3 strikes and you're out for us in Hawaii.

Any suggestions for the family traveling on school breaks who wants a vacation for everyone? If we can't get a reasonable deal we will back in Mexico Mexico where the lodging is more plentiful and more reasonable and the food (and drinks) are cheap!

Posted By Bryan on January 13, 2009, 11:44 AM

In 1991, My brother and I flew to Honolulu from Miami ($600 each)with a 2 day hotel ($69/night) reservation and then looked in the newspaper for a local travel agent. Through the local agency we got interisland flights for $40 each and hotel/rental car at Kona for $79/night at a hotel that was on "Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous" and at Kahului Maui (Family Hotels) for $69/night.

Can you still get deals through Hawaii travel agents?

Posted By Jack Burrie on January 13, 2009, 1:10 PM

We love going to Hawaii every February, but air prices have been very high until the last couple of weeks. RT SFO or OAK to the Big Island or Kauai was running $650+ each. Now I am seeing non-stop flights for $422. We are about to book.

On hotels, rates are all over the board. I am going to call the hotels directly and see what kind of a deal I can get. Based on other locations, this is where the best deals can be found.

Posted By Meg on January 13, 2009, 2:56 PM

Thanks for the explanation, Sean! I've been watching the amazing deals on hotels, etc, but wondered what was up with the airfares.

Now, if you could explain why Denver seems to be more expensive to fly from, and why there seem to be few "deals" out of this big hub, I'd be very grateful...

Posted By Lisa Bergren on January 13, 2009, 5:27 PM

hey i have a time share in Maui....could not find a fare below $1200,,,waited til the last minute to bank the week, only to find out with Consolidated Resorts i should have banked it 2 months in advance ( now, you tell me they couldn't get someone to use that week in Maui from Dec 13-20). And they did not tell me about that little glitch until after i gave them the week. ( NOW i cannot book the week anywhere until 2 months before i want to use it...good luck..i might get a week on Alcatraz). My husband (deceased) used to take care of all the bookings and keep track of the timeshare use...i am clueless...i would advise any one thinking about purchasing a timeshare that was associated with Consolidated Resorts to think twice..I think I got the shaft

Posted By Susan O on January 13, 2009, 9:59 PM

Aloha, As a resident and vacation condo owner on Maui, I have recently seen a big drop in air prices in the Seattle, Portland & LA markets. I have had guests who recently booked non-stop Maui from those ports at under $300 on Hawaiian Air. Last minute bookings at Christmas got some screaming deals this year. I have better luck going directly to Hawaiian airlines web site to book my trips. They have a monthly calendar that shows daily fares for the month. I am not sure how the Bay area fares have been going. I think they were really hit hard by the loss of two major carriers in their market last year. As someone mentioned earlier, the Hawaii flights are not very profitable. Also, the airlines did not want the old gas hog planes that Aloha and ATA used. I am assuming they don't want to put scarce cash for new fuel efficient planes. Anyway, keep searching and come on over. The weather is gorgeous and the whales are here displaying all their glory.

Posted By julie on January 14, 2009, 11:21 AM

Aloha,
I forgot to mention the best deals I have gotten for cars over here. (Maui) If you belong to Costco, go to their online travel link and look for discounts. You do not have to guarantee with a credit card and you can keep checking and rebook as the prices go down. You also get a second driver for free with Costco. Last summer, when we moved over, I got a rental from Alamo via Costco for 28 days at $600 all inclusive.

Posted By Julie on January 14, 2009, 11:29 AM

Beware of the Online Vacation Center it is just your common bait and switch. I was working with them to get the rate they advertised with Budget Travel for the Pride of America Jan. 31st sail date only to be told they just ran out and tried to be force fed another date. I told the girl (Michelle) I was ready to book if she could confirm the room I wanted was available and she calls back and no longer has the deal after we had been working for 2 days this was the bad news. I declined her good news and booked with NCL directly after being fed up to the breaking point !!!!!

Posted By Donna Langley on January 14, 2009, 10:26 PM

Great post and insight into the high costs of Hawaii travel. It makes sense: the people I know who've visited have used frequent flier miles.

I guess it'll be awhile before I can visit!

Posted By Josh on January 15, 2009, 1:17 PM

Hi Donna,
Thanks for your comment about Online Vacation Center. We always welcome feedback about tour operators!

This is the first complaint we've gotten about this company, which has an excellent Better Business Bureau rating.

The deal you saw on Budget Travel was so popular that it sold out by the time you booked. We regret that you were hassled. The good news for other travelers is that the company has added two more dates at the same price: Feb. 21 and 28. We've updated our article to reflect the change:

http://www.budgettravel.com/bt-dyn/content/article/2009/01/08/AR2009010801893.html

But if you or other readers have additional comments or concerns, please let us know by posting a comment or emailing us at letters @ budgettravel .com

Thanks,
Sean
Senior editor, BudgetTravel.com

Posted By Blog editor on January 15, 2009, 1:37 PM

They told me about those other dates which is why I knew it was a switch. Neither of those other dates would have worked for me anyway. I knew it was too good to be true should not have wasted my time !

Posted By Donna Langley on January 15, 2009, 1:57 PM

this comment is for the Amtrak traveler. Amtrak from NY to CHI takes an overnight trip. That means that you will have to pay for dinner and for breakfast. Then you will have to hope that Amtrak is on time so you won't miss your CHI to Oakland connection. The train will leave in the afternoon and get to Emeryville two days later supposedly in the late afternoon, this usually does not happen in the winter. From Emerville to Oakland you will have to take a bus and from Oakland you will have to take another form of transportation to the airport. It means: 3 breakfasts, lunches and dinners, cab fare, and tremendous luck. And then of course a connection leaving OAK late in the evening. What a deal!

Posted By Uta Howard on January 15, 2009, 2:21 PM

For us here in Hawaii it is frustrating because we see that people sometimes can fly here round trip for great prices, but for us, who I consider a "captive" audience, they rarely have round trips out of Hawaii for any decent price.

Posted By Charlotte Norris on January 15, 2009, 6:42 PM

Fly to the Caribbean, it's MUCH cheaper. For example, i just searched kayak.com, for a flight from Philadelphia to St. Thomas, 4/07/09 to 4/14/09, for $368. And the flight time is much less, this trip is ~7 hrs total (including 1 stop), while hawaii is over 12 hours (if you're lucky enough to only have 1 stop).
The beaches in the caribbean are much nicer than hawaii, and the hotels and resorts have great deals.

Posted By Mike on January 20, 2009, 6:15 AM

Sue

The airline I booked was Hawaiian. As stated above, check the fares for the month. It gives you an idea how much the fares are each day.

Good luck.

Jeff

Posted By Jeff on January 20, 2009, 5:21 PM

To save money on Hawaiian vacations: (I own a small bed & breakfast on Kauai and help visitors find cheap deals all the time.) Check out other options besides hotels for economical accommodations. Use or advertise on Craig's List for B&B's and other short term vacation stays. Use Priceline (you name your own price)or Costco to rent a car. Check out airfarewatchdog.com for flights to and from Hawaii; have the site email you when flights go on sale. Fly in the middle of the week (Tu, Wed, or Thurs.)How about a house trade? There are hostels available (although they are pretty basic) on several of the islands. Hope some of these ideas work for you!

Posted By Yvonne on January 24, 2009, 12:08 AM

Mary, we (4 people) recently went to Hawaii on 2 islands and stayed in 2 beautiful condos plus rental cars and airfare for 5,800 for 15 days.Break that down and that is very good.

Posted By douglas j taylor on January 26, 2009, 9:21 PM

We flew from Seattle to Honolulu in November 2007 for $250 round trip and have a trip in February 2009 from Seattle to Kona for $316 round trip. The best advice I can give on finding these fares is to really watch the internet web sites and try to be flexible with your dates. I am on multiple "fare watcher" systems and as soon as I become aware of a cheap fare I check. Also, I have found that I can sometimes do better on the individual airline websites than on the big travel sites. For instance, for our February trip, I was advised by a fare watcher that NWA had just posted a fare of $360 round trip from Seattle to Kona. When I checked, there were very few seats at this price and the seat maps were showing they were scattered middle seats. By chance, I went to UAL's website and found they were showing the price as $316 and the seating showed wide open. Score!

I've never looked to see what types of deals exist from the mid-west or east coast. I always envy the deals the east coasters get to Europe, so I guess it balances out.

Posted By George E on January 27, 2009, 1:09 AM

We are going to Maui and Kauai in April '09. Staying at the Marriott in Kauai, with rental car and breakfast for 7 days... got a good deal...In Maui staying with Family, but they always get us a rental car from Costco...they said it is the best for deals...check mauihawaii.org..great site for information and great ideas

Posted By Bette on January 27, 2009, 6:51 PM

Charlotte Norris, I feel your pain. I need to attend my grandmother's 90 birthday party in July and can't find r/t fares for under $800 to Augusta, GA.

If anyone knows how we Hawaii residents can get a "fare deal" on airfare (pun intended) to the mainland, please post it!

Posted By Jan on January 29, 2009, 12:42 AM

Hi all!

I get travel deal emails from Kayak.com and Travelzoo, and I got an email about flights from NYC to Honolulu for 300 bucks last August.There was a layover in Chicago, but still- 300 bucks (after tax and charges) to fly to Hawaii is crazy. And I spent my birthday on Waikiki Beach! If you have flexible travel dates, these travel deal emails can definitely be helpful.

Posted By Lauren on January 30, 2009, 9:46 AM

I have been checking out car rentals online, and am shocked to see prices of over $1000 per week for rentals in Kona. What on earth is going on?

Posted By Sandy on February 4, 2009, 9:38 AM

i live on the east coast and the cheapest flights i have found are to fly from vermont to phoenix arizona, then arizona to maui. it was 150 each way on hawaiian air, and 100.00 cheaper than flying to vegas

Posted By lianna on February 17, 2009, 5:59 PM