Everyone wants to go to Hawaii, and that means there's high demand for flights to the picture-perfect islands. Lately, that sky-high demand hasn't resulted in sky-high prices – just the opposite.
Just in time for booking your fall and winter trips, flight prices to Hawaii have been tumbling. Just a few days ago, we sent our Thrifty Traveler Premium members an alert for some of the lowest fares we've ever seen from all across the country to Hawaii and back: under $296 roundtrip!
This was just the latest in a phenomenal run of Hawaii flight deals lately, including:
- Nationwide fares under $299 roundtrip
- Nonstop Delta flights to Hawaii for as few as 54,000 points
- And rare opportunities to fly lie-flat business class to Hawaii using points, too!
So put a Hawaii trip back on your list for 2024 or 2025, because you might just as soon cross it off with a flight deal like one of these.
Booked a cheap flight to Hawaii? Check out these tips to save on your lodging, too!
How & Where to Find Hawaii Flight Deals
Getting a cheap flight to Hawaii is never a sure thing. Paying $600 to more than $1,000 or more per ticket can be the norm, and travelers can go months without seeing even a halfway decent deal to the islands.
But that has changed in a big way: Fare wars are heating up as airlines compete for passengers to fill all their seats flying to the Hawaiian islands by slashing prices, leading to a ton of good flight deals lately. In the last few weeks alone, we've found and sent Thrifty Traveler Premium members alerts for cheap flights from airports nationwide, all for under $300 roundtrip … and often far less!
Exhibit A: This widespread flight deal for all four major Hawaiian islands through the fall and winter that we sent our subscribers just last week.
Get cheap flights to Hawaii like this one in your inbox with Thrifty Traveler Premium!
San Francisco (SFO) to Maui (OGG) was the lowest fare on this deal, but even travelers in cities like Minneapolis (MSP) and St. Louis (STL) benefitted.
But flight prices kept dropping just a few days later. This week, Southwest ran one of its semi-regular sales, and when Southwest cuts fares to Hawaii, other airlines have to follow suit to compete. That's results in fares like this!
That list included a record-low fare from Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) to Hawaii: Just $249 … roundtrip!
But for our lucky subscribers on the West Coast, cheap flights to Hawaii mean something different: Less than $200 roundtrip!
These sizzling fares started many a Hawaii trip for our subscribers in California.
Your flights to Hawaii shouldn't be the most expensive part of your trip. We can help make that a reality. All you have to do is pick the best island to visit in Hawaii for your cheap trip!
Use Points & Miles to Get to Hawaii
Why pay cash when you can use your points and miles to get to Hawaii instead? You've been earning and saving up those points and Hawaii is the perfect way to use them.
On top of cheap cash flights, we've also been finding some exceptional award deals to these islands and instantly alerting our Thrifty Traveler Premium members about them.
Delta SkyMiles rates can be astronomically high for Hawaii flights … but there's another way to book Delta with miles.
The key is to transfer your credit card points to Air France/KLM Flying Blue. The European carriers are partners with Delta, meaning you can book Delta flights using Flying Blue miles – and often at far, far lower rates than what Delta itself would charge you.
Whether you're earning American Express, Capital One, Chase, or Citi points or even Wells Fargo or Bilt points, you could transfer them to Flying Blue to get the miles you need to book these flights to Hawaii and back.
If you have some points stacked up anywhere, there's probably a comfortable and convenient way for you to fly to paradise this year.
Read more: 5 Ways to Book Flights to Hawaii with Points & Miles
Lie-Flat to Hawaii for Less
There's a single-best way to fly to Hawaii. It's in Hawaiian Airlines' new business class suites.
This fancy new Hawaiian Airlines suite is lie-flat and has fully enclosed doors. After Hawaiian put it on sale, it also made it bookable through Virgin Atlantic and the airline itself.
You don't need to have flown Hawaiian a ton to have enough Hawaiian miles to take advantage of this deal: You can transfer points from American Express to the airline to book these seats. If you have credit card points from Amex as well as nearly any of the other major banks like Capital One, Chase, or Citi, you can also transfer them to Virgin Atlantic. This is a spectacular use of points and miles that few travelers know about.
Make your (or someone you love's) day by booking this suite ride to Hawaii in 2024 or 2025 using some points. If you don't have Virgin points or a way to transfer them in, you can also book these fares with cash sometimes.
And while it's ultra-rare, sometimes, other business class opportunities come up when you fly to Hawaii or back. Earlier this year, Delta swapped one of its regular Boeing 737s to a big, wide-body aircraft called the A330-900neo that features Delta's fancy Delta One Suites … but it looks like Delta forgot to swap out their prices to Delta One!
These flights could also be booked one-way for $582 at the time. We haven't seen this happen since last spring and we can't guarantee it'll happen again, but we'll be watching in case Delta pull something similar this year or next.
Bottom Line
Hawaii flights don't have to be expensive.
Airlines are slashing flight prices to Hawaii for 2024, just as the winter cold envelopes much of North America.
So feel confident booking one of these Thrifty Traveler Premium flight deals. It's the difference between paying $800-plus for your next trip to Hawaii … or less than half that.
FAQs About Finding Cheap Flights to Hawaii
The pandemic triggered a flood of lower prices for flights to Hawaii, but many of them have stuck around for years now. This guide is all about those recent deals.
But when it comes to finding cheap flights, it won't always be this easy. While you might find that airlines are currently slashing prices, there are some general tips and tricks to keep in mind when it comes time to book the cheapest flights to Hawaii down the line.
How do I find cheap flights to Hawaii?
We'll update this post with new deals and updates about cheap flights to Hawaii. It's a hotspot for travelers, and we're constantly on the hunt.
But if you always want to be up to date on flight deals for Hawaii and other bucket list destinations the moment they pop up, we highly recommend signing up for Thrifty Traveler Premium! Premium members get all the best flight deals to Hawaii – you'll only see a fraction of them here on Thriftytraveler.com and other flight deal websites.
What is the cheapest airline to fly to Hawaii?
Looking for the best airline to fly to Hawaii on a budget? We regularly see affordable prices with direct flights to Hawaii on Hawaiian Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines, and WestJet – if you live in Canada, of course.
When is the best time to book a flight to Hawaii?
We always recommend booking your flights at least three to six months before you plan to travel – especially if your travel dates are flexible.
But as with all things in finding cheap flights, the key to getting a great deal on flights to Hawaii is simple: You may need to wait for a great price to come to you, then book on the cheapest dates. Flexibility is the key to getting discounted tickets.
What is the cheapest time of year to fly to Hawaii?
It depends: A great flight to Hawaii can pop up for a trip at any time of the year.
But many find that it's cheapest to fly to Hawaii in January, February, April, and September through November. During the holidays and the peak travel months of June and December, you're far more likely to encounter higher prices, so it could be worth avoiding a trip over those times.
When is the best time to visit Hawaii?
If getting the cheapest flight possible to get to Hawaii is your end goal, then you might not be worrying too much about the best time to visit Hawaii – it's Hawaii, after all. However, if you're evaluating various options based on the cheapest flights to Hawaii that you've found, here are some factors to keep in mind:
- Hawaii is the warmest during the summer months, and the sunny weather is accompanied by calmer waves during this time of the year if activities on the beach are the main focus of your trip.
- For those looking to avoid crowds, aim to book a visit in January, February, September, October, or early November – all of which tend to be slower tourist seasons on the islands.
- Planning to do some whale watching? Prime viewing of these beautiful mammals occurs from February to early March.