Southwest Airlines flights to Hawaii: An update on what we know so far Fliers, FAA, competing airlines, keep close eye on details

Southwest is growing at San Jose, shrinking at San Francisco International. Southwest is growing at San Jose, shrinking at San Francisco International. Photo: Jim Glab Photo: Jim Glab Image 1 of / 15 Caption Close Southwest Airlines flights to Hawaii: An update on what we know so far 1 / 15 Back to Gallery

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When it comes to Southwest Airlines flights to Hawaii, there are still so many questions, so few answers. One of the most highly anticipated announcements along the west coast this year is exactly when Southwest Airlines will begin flying to Hawaii.

Given the legions of loyal Southwest fliers in Northern California, many are seeking specifics on when they'll be able to fly the airline to the islands — a favorite vacation spot for California travelers. (We hear you, folks!)

Competing airlines, too, are keeping a close watch, because Southwest's entry into the market is already upending fares, and could affect routes, schedules — everything. Fare watchers will be monitoring all these factors to see if the carrier will bring its "Southwest effect" phenomenon to the market. If you've been following our weekly fare alerts, you know that fares are already falling.

From the Bay Area, United, Hawaiian and Alaska Airlines all offer multiple flights to the islands.

News has come in dribs and drabs, and we expect an announcement about inaugural flight dates, routes and fares, to be announced in the coming weeks, if not sooner. We've heard Southwest Airlines leadership throw out a wide time frame for when flights will actually begin: either in late-2018 or early-2019.

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We've also heard that Southwest employees are on the ground in Hawaii, meeting and greeting the local travel industry, shooting TV ads, planning inaugural festivities and generally ready to go-- and that the airline is simply awaiting permission from the FAA to begin flying. We contacted the FAA about this, and it is equally mum, stating that information about Southwest's ETOPS proving runs is proprietary information.

Here's what we do know about Southwest's plans:

> Four cities on the mainland, four cities on the islands: Southwest announced in May it intends to offer flights from four California cities: Oakland, San Jose, Sacramento and San Diego In Hawaii, Southwest will serve: Honolulu on Oahu, Kahului on Maui, Lihue on Kauai, and Kona on the Big Island. The precise pairings have not yet been announced.

> Inter-island flights: Southwest said it intends to operate flights between the islands, giving passengers a chance to island-hop on its jets. Again, the routes have not been announced, but we anticipate these inter-island flights will also give Southwest the added flexibility of moving its airplanes in between the different airports. The inter-island market is currently dominated by Hawaiian Airlines, which operates a robust schedule of Boeing 717s that connect all the major airports in the state. (When we were last in Hawaii, the carriers broad intra-island service was likened to the freeway system in the mainland.)

> FAA approval: Flying across an ocean for long periods of time requires a special level of certification from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. Southwest said it is working with the FAA to certify its fleet of overwater Boeing 737s for ETOPS (Extended Twin Engine Operating Performance) flying. Southwest needs to demonstrate that in the event of an engine failure, its jets can safely fly on just one-engine for an extended amount of time. So-called "proving runs" — flights across the Pacific with FAA personnel on-board — is the next step to gain ETOPS certification. (More on what ETOPS is here.)

> Equipment? Boeing 737s of course: The airline said it will operate its all-economy class Boeing 737-800 jets to Hawaii at first, with newer 737 MAX 8 jets (which have greater range and better fuel efficiency) to pick-up some of the Hawaii flying in the future. The range of the MAX 8 and the MAX 7, a smaller-variant which Southwest has ordered 30 of, could open up other non-stop markets to Hawaii for Southwest, including parts of the U.S. Mountain West, like Denver and Salt Lake City. Alaska Airlines also flies 737s to Hawaii- but with first and economy sections.

> Honolulu home: We've learned Southwest plans to set up a pretty sizable operation with several gates at Honolulu International Airport's Diamond Head Concourse. According to Beat of Hawaii, Southwest will move into an area that was supposed to be the future home of Island Air before that carrier went belly up. There will be no jetways, so Southwest will use air stairs to board its flights (just like Presidents do it, and just like how it's done at Burbank Airport).

> Will bags still fly free? Yes — nothing we've heard from Southwest indicates it will begin charging for checked luggage on the Hawaii flights. Each Southwest flier should expect to be able to fly with two free checked bags, as they do now on the rest of the network. We also fully expect Southwest will extend its no change fee policy to cover these flights too.

> Rapid Rewards? Companion Pass? The airline has not revealed how much fares will be or the Rapid Rewards point costs for flights, but those who have earned a companion pass should be able to use it on Hawaii flights. With the Southwest Companion Pass, you'll only need to pay taxes and fees for a second seat on any given flight.Southwest's Rapid Rewards program is dollar-based, so awards vary based on the price of your ticket. You can get started on that trip to Hawaii by signing up for Southwest's new Priority credit card and earning a nice bonus. More on that here.

Just a month or so ago, Alaska Air lowered the entry point to use miles to Hawaii to just 15,000 each way (sometimes as low as 12,500) – meaning roundtrips for just 30,000 miles from mainland cities.

> On-board food. With flight times of five hours or more, Beat of Hawaii blog also reports Southwest plans to offer food to customers - meals that are heartier than the current offering of pretzels, cookies and crackers. But it might be tough for Southwest to compete with Hawaiian Airlines, which prides itself as the only US airline to offer hot meals to economy class customers, since Southwest jets do not have ovens.

Will you fly Southwest to Hawaii or stick with Alaska, Hawaiian, United or another carrier? Please leave your thoughts in the comments!

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Chris McGinnis is the founder of TravelSkills.com. The author is solely responsible for the content above, and it is used here by permission. You can reach Chris at chris@travelskills.com or on Twitter @cjmcginnis.