The Guide to Southwest Airlines Hawaii Flights - NerdWallet (2024)

Does Southwest fly to Hawaii? Yes — true to its name, Southwest will fly you to the most southwestern state in the U.S.

The low-cost air carrier launched flights to Hawaii from the West Coast in 2019, and service to the tropical island state has only expanded since then, including new routes from Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Phoenix and San Diego as of December 2021.

Whether you’re a snowbird seeking Hawaii’s seemingly eternal summer, or the kids are out of school and you need vacation plans, you’re in luck: Southwest flies to Hawaii year-round.

Here’s what you need to know about Southwest Airlines' Hawaii flights.

Southwest serves five airports in Hawaii:

Getting to Hawaii from the U.S. mainland on Southwest

Southwest has direct flights to Hawaii out of the following California airports:

Outside of California, Southwest also offers flights to Hawaii from:

Flight times vary based on the route, but tend to run between five and six hours.

Southwest interisland flights in Hawaii

You don’t need to pick just one island to fly to; Southwest offers interisland flights, so you can easily skip from the quaint town of Hilo to the bustling nightlife of Honolulu in under an hour.

Here are some sample Southwest interisland routes, and their average flight times:

Since the five-to-six-hour flight to Hawaii is more than double the average Southwest flight length, expect some changes to service.

In-flight refreshments

Drinks: A typical Southwest flight includes a complimentary nonalcoholic drink. On flights to Hawaii, you’ll also have the choice to sip Minute Maid Pineapple Orange Juice Blend. Alcoholic beverages are also available for purchase. In addition to the usual beers, wines and spirits, Southwest brings the tropical vibes with the option to purchase a Kona Longboard Island Lager or a Blue Chair Bay Coconut Spiced Rum for $7 each.

Snacks: The snacks get a slightly-tropical boost too. Many of us are familiar with the small bag of snacks (think pretzels, a snack mix or Brownie Brittle) typical of Southwest flights. Flights to Hawaii usually feature a full snack box consisting of all of the aforementioned prepackaged items, as well as additional items such as tropical fruit snacks and spreadable cheese.

In-flight entertainment

On all Southwest flights movies and TV shows are free to stream, and there are even some live TV channels — just bring your own device. There aren’t any seatback screens, so you’ll have to stream movies and shows from your own phone, tablet or laptop. Annoyingly, there isn't even a handy spot built into the seat to mount your phone or laptop, but a water bottle as a backstop might do the trick.

To access entertainment from your device, open www.southwestwifi.com and navigate to the Inflight Entertainment & Connectivity tab to start streaming.

In-flight Wi-Fi

Southwest-provided entertainment is free to stream online. But pretty much everything else you want to access via Wi-Fi will cost you — albeit not very much. All other internet access can be purchased for $8 a flight per device on Wi-Fi-enabled aircraft.

Southwest flights generally don’t appear in third-party travel agencies and flight aggregators like Expedia, Orbitz or Google Flights. So if you’re using those tools to search for flights to Hawaii, don’t be dismayed if no Southwest flights show up. Instead, go directly to Southwest’s website to book.

Figuring out how to book Southwest flights to Hawaii is easy if you're already familiar with the platform. As usual, you can book your flights using cash or Rapid Rewards points.

No matter which currency you use to book, Southwest fares to Hawaii can vary based on where you're departing from, what island you're traveling to and your travel dates. Here are some tips for ensuring you get the best deal on your flight.

Be flexible about travel dates using the Southwest Low Fare Calendar

Even the same flight one day apart could be a massively different price. Use the Southwest Low Fare Calendar on the desktop site to see a monthly view of all airfares. If you can be flexible about when you travel, you could sometimes save hundreds of dollars.

In this example, you could save nearly $200 per ticket (each way) by flying out just a few days apart.

Looking at the departing flights, say you intended to depart on Sunday, June 8. Airfare is a whopping $351 one way. But it’s just $199 the same day of the week, but just one week prior. If you can adjust your trip dates by a week, you might save hundreds of dollars.

Earn the Southwest Companion Pass

The Southwest Companion Pass is essentially a buy-one-get-one-free pass that enables you to fly a companion of your choice for nearly free whenever you fly. Just pay the taxes and fees (often only $5.60 each way for domestic flights) and add your companion to your itinerary, and they will join you to Hawaii.

Especially if you find yourself having to book one of those $400 one-way flights, holding the Companion Pass could theoretically save you $800 on your Hawaii trip alone, depending on the original airfare.

While earning the Southwest Companion Pass can be a challenge (unless it's included with a sign-up bonus), it might be worth pursuing if you know a Hawaii trip is on your travel horizon. To qualify for a traditional Companion Pass, you'll need to do one of the following:

Look beyond Southwest

Outside of Southwest, fares from the West Coast to Oahu could easily run $600 round trip. But as low-cost competitor Southwest entered the market, other airlines lowered their prices to remain competitive. Use tools to shop for flights (we recommend Google Flights). While Southwest airfare prices don’t appear in Google Flights, many other major airlines do. You may check Southwest airfares first, but check what the competition has for sale too.

In fact, shortly after Southwest announced service to Hawaii, Hawaiian Airlines began offering low-cost main cabin basic fares. But unlike Hawaiian’s basic fare, Southwest flights include perks that could still net more in savings, such as up to two free checked bags, no change fees and more.

Southwest credit cards can help you quickly rack up Rapid Rewards points for your spending; plus, if you meet the welcome offer requirements, you can get a huge windfall of points at once.

Southwest offers several ways to help you rack up points toward free flights on purchases. Credit card options include:

Beyond earning points to use toward more flights, Southwest credit cards come with other benefits that will improve any flight — but especially one to Hawaii. Here are a few standouts:

4 upgraded boardings per year with the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card

Hold the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card, and you’ll receive four upgraded boardings per year, when available.

First off, given how long the flight to Hawaii is, you don’t want to get stuck in the middle seat for five hours. But secondly, even if you check in early enough to nab a B group over the dreaded C, you still could end up with a middle seat. That’s because the Southwest boarding process allows families with a child age 6 or younger to board as part of family boarding, which occurs before the B group.

Given Hawaii’s popularity as a family vacation destination, there likely will be more families boarding than your average Southwest flight. Even if those people were assigned C group, they’ll board ahead of you with a tot in tow, leaving you with the middle seat in front of the bathroom.

Don’t tempt fate on this one; pull out your Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card and use your upgraded boarding credit. You don't even have to wait in line at the gate to upgrade — you can now upgrade your boarding position online via Southwest's upgraded boarding page.

Free Wi-Fi with the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card

Maybe you’re headed to Hawaii to take advantage of remote work or you just need to be connected during your flight. Don’t miss a minute, even on the plane, thanks to Southwest's in-flight Wi-Fi. It normally costs $8 per flight, per device, but is free for A-List Preferred Members. If you don’t have Southwest elite status, you can also get free Wi-Fi if you hold the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card, which offers 365 $8 credits per year.

On flights to Hawaii, most of the usual policies still apply, though there are some minor changes specific to Hawaii.

Change policy: As is the case with all Southwest flights, tickets to Hawaii can be changed with no fees. That said, if you’re changing to a more expensive flight, then the fare difference may apply.

Pet restrictions: As far as animals go, only fully trained service dogs assisting customers with disabilities are permitted on flights between the U.S. mainland and Hawaii. Even still, those animals must comply with Hawaii’s import requirements, such as proof of a current rabies vaccination. They’re also subject to any State of Hawaii Quarantine Program fees.

Additionally, plan on flying into Honolulu International Airport if you’re bringing a service animal on your Hawaii trip, as that airport is the only point of entry for dogs entering Hawaii unless a valid Neighbor Island Inspection Permit has been issued by the Hawaii Department of Agriculture.

Luggage restrictions: Not only can you not bring your pet, but you probably can’t bring your pet plant. Per U.S. Department of Agriculture regulations, certain plants, plant products, animals and animal products are not permitted on flights to Hawaii. That’s the U.S. government’s rule — not Southwest’s.

Upon your return, there are some souvenirs you can’t take along with you back to California, or wherever your final destination may be. The USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service prohibits or restricts bringing many types of agricultural products from Hawaii to the U.S. mainland, including most fresh fruits and vegetables and certain types of plants and flowers.

Here are some common items from Hawaii not allowed into the U.S. mainland or Alaska:

However, here are some common items from Hawaii that are allowed into the U.S. mainland or Alaska:

So you’re ready to jump on a Southwest flight to Hawaii — but now you’re struggling to pick an island destination. Each Hawaiian island is unique, so pick one that suits your vacation style. All of the islands offer beautiful beaches, excellent snorkeling and breathtaking hikes.

There are a total of eight main islands in the Hawaiian archipelago, though only six are accessible to tourists. Of those, Southwest flies to four islands. Here are some differences: