Flying the aloha skies with Hawaiian Airlines

(Editor’s note:  Westfair luxury travel writers Debbi K. and William D. Kickham continue their series on travel to Maui, part of which was devastated by wildfires last August : )  

Flying to Maui on Hawaiian Airlines – the flagship carrier of Hawaiian travel – is a great choice, for a number of reasons.  For starters, consumer surveys by Condé Nast Traveler and TripAdvisor have placed Hawaiian Airlines among the best of all domestic airlines serving Hawaii. The carrier was named Hawaii’s best employer by Forbes in 2022 and has topped Travel + Leisure’s World’s Best list as the No. 1 U.S. airline for the past two years. Those distinguished facts are plenty of reason to book your Maui trip with Hawaiian Airlines.  

There are two more distinctive reasons worth factoring into your decision to go with Hawaiian. Since the wildfires in Lahaina, Hawaiian Airlines has undertaken to help the island of Maui  recover from the disaster. In particular, the carrier’s Mālama Maui Desk has been a pillar in the airline’s ongoing response, helping manage a consistent stream of calls for kōkua (help).   

The airline established the Mālama Maui Desk on Aug. 15 as part of its  second phase of support for Maui, alongside significant volunteer commitments and donations for local nonprofits. Since its inception, the program has assisted more than 230 individuals and organizations with urgent requests for support related to travel, cargo shipping, baggage waivers, volunteers, sponsorships and more. This has included delivering nearly 19,000 pounds of donations to West Maui. 

These efforts overlapped an already-existing Hawaiian Airlines program to encourage responsible tourism in Hawaii, “Travel Pono,” to preserve Hawaii’s natural resources, cultures and communities.  Special videos to this effect are played on the seatback video screens on the takeoff and landing of every Hawaiian Airlines flight.  They encourage “voluntourism” activities such as cleaning up beaches, planting seedlings for new trees and vegetation, clearing out invasive/destructive species at Haleakala National Park and packing goods at Maui Food Bank.  

On Tuesday, April 16, Hawaiian Airlines launched the first in its fleet of 12 new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners. The 300-seat Dreamliner is designed to offer a new class of premium service with 34 Leihōkū Suites that feature fully lie-flat seating, an 18-inch in-flight entertainment screen, personal outlets, wireless charging and direct aisle access. Set in a 1-2-1 configuration with doors, the suites can offer privacy or a shared experience, with combined double seats allowing couples to fall asleep while gazing at a starlit ceiling, as leihōkū means “garland of stars.” In developing its Leihōkū Suites, Hawaiian became the first airline to partner with Adient Aerospace – a joint venture between the Boeing Co. and Adient, a world leader in automotive seats.  

However, no sooner was the fleet launched than a whistleblower, Boeing engineer Sam Salehpour, testified before the Senate on Wednesday, April 17, that fuselage flaws could cause the plane to fall apart at the joints. For its part, Boeing, which has been plagued with safety concerns and leadership issues since a door plug blew out on an Alaska Airlines 787 Max 9 in January, told The New York Times and Reuters that “claims about the structural integrity of the 787 are inaccurate and do not represent the comprehensive work Boeing has done to ensure the quality and long-term safety of the aircraft.” 

As for us, we traveled back from Maui to Los Angeles on another Hawaiian Airlines plane as part of our recent reporting on recovery efforts on the island.  While we didn’t have the opportunity to review Hawaiian’s premium class service, we did book seats in the Extra Comfort class.  Most airlines offer this “more comfortable” option above basic Economy, and almost all carriers disappoint:  Perhaps one inch more of back-seat pitch and an approximately equal addition (one inch or so) in seat width.  To be honest, we expected the same or similarly meager changes with our selection. We are happy to report we were wrong:  Hawaiian’s Extra Comfort offered a significantly wider seat (perhaps 2 ½-inches wider than basic Economy), plus a seat-back pitch of at least the same. Additional legroom was an equal surprise and, overall, our experience was a pleasure – far superior to most domestic air carriers’ version of “improved” customer service.   

So no matter if you simply lie back – or completely lie down – you’re sure to luxuriate and have a great flight.  

And did we mention the wonderful pineapple-orange-guava juice that Hawaiian Airlines always serves? It’s a heavenly highlight up in the skies. 

There are a wealth of different “voluntourism” opportunities in Hawaii, and they are all  easily outlined at Hawaiian Airlines’ special website page.  https://www.hawaiianairlines.com/travelpono 

For more on Debbi, follow her on Instagram @Debbi Kickham.