First Class Experience with Hawaiian Airlines
Every time we fly to Hawaii as a family, I INSIST we fly with Hawaiian Airlines because they do hospitality right. From the very beginning of the boarding process, you are greeted, no matter which seat you occupy, with the traditional Hawaiian dancing and singing. For me, it creates this experience of relaxation and gives the true definition of “island time” before even leaving the ground.
This was my 3rd visit to the islands – one previous flight that wasn’t with Hawaiian Airlines – and the experience (at least the flight) was one I don’t remember.
But the first time we flew with Leila to the islands in 2014, I can tell you exactly where we sat on the plane and how the experience was so incredible even sitting in a coach class seat. Here are a couple of photos from that trip.
Before we go too much further, I should state that these opinions and review are my personal experience and were not approved or endorsed by Hawaiian Airlines. So what I’m telling you is this was a genuine experience and we paid for our flights and seats just like everyone else on the plane. This review is approved by me otherwise I would tell you differently.
So this time, Steve and I decided to treat ourselves and check out what those lay flat seats and pods are all about. And, it was just the two of us this trip, and a 6 hour flight is any excuse to give yourself extra comfort, right?!
And let me tell you, they don’t skimp on the experience in First Class either!
The first class cabin is set up in a 2-2-2 configuration, so if you are traveling in parties of 2 it works best. There are a total of 18 seats in the first class cabin.
I always struggle with putting my things in the overhead bin, and I think the ones up there are even higher, so I had Steve help me. I usually just put my carry on under the seat, but the pods have a foot rest and a tiny little place to put your bag. There are several pockets, trays, compartments and such to make up (in my opinion) for the loss of the under the seat storage.
The second we sat down, the flight attendants came around to give us a drink.
Now, if you’ve never flown First Class (this was only my 2nd time ever) you may be a bit caught off guard that you don’t have to wait to get a drink until reaching 30,000 feet. But most airlines offer a drink complementary to First Class guests prior to the flight even taking off as a way to say thank you for purchasing those seats … I guess … and to make you comfortable while the Main Cabin boards the plane.
We had 3 options of drinks – Passionfruit Mango Guava Juice, Mai Tai (which in my opinion there’s none better than the Hawaiian’s make!), or Champagne. The drink package was part of their amenity kit that doesn’t stop at the first offering.
Steve and I both chose the Juice as we don’t really drink anymore.
As all of the First Class guests had been served, the Flight Attendants returned with a menu for the 3 course meal we would be served during the flight.
I took the opportunity to snap a few shots and try out my new 360 degree camera to try to figure it out. – not an easy task …
Right before we got ready to take off, the Flight Attendants took our breakfast orders and picked up our drinks for take off.
Oh! I forgot to mention that all the glassware, no matter which airline you fly, for first class is always glass. Like real glasses on a plane y’all! I was shocked and felt instantly special when I first saw this, so that’s another reason to fly first class if you can. And also Hawaiian has their logos etched into their glassware, super cool and branded.
And trying to take a picture of etched glass with liquid in it and empty are equally as hard, so you will have to use your imagination for this one, or go try it out yourself to see IRL 🙂
Once we got in the air and it was a bit safer for the Flight Attendants to move around, they first brought us a beverage of our choice (again, if you wanted any of the open bar selections as shown in a photo of the back of the menu above, you could get it for the whole flight… for free) and I chose green tea with a bit of coconut milk for the creamer. I don’t know why, but it sounded (and tasted) amazing.
Along with the beverage, we were given Mauna Loa Macadamia Nuts that were lightly salted, on real plates. Like heavy, good plates. Another reason to fly first class. And the tray table comes up much easier out of the arm rest and has a separate bar for the tv screen.
Unlike many airlines who offer free or purchasable wifi, Hawaiian Airlines does not offer this service. What they offer is complementary entertainment via these monstrous iPads that are at minimum 15 inches. (Steve thinks they are like 32 inches but I don’t so much agree.. And in the main cabin, these can be purchased for the duration of the flight.
There are no movies shown on the flight, just the movies, tv shows, and music available on the iPad.
After finishing our Macadamia Nuts, the main course was brought out.
A real tray, napkin, individual salt and pepper shakers, real silverware, and again, nice plates presented a croissant, bowl of fruit, a few pieces of sausage, and the egg bake with salsa on it. On the side had butter and a container of jam should you like it.
During the entire flight, the Flight Attendants were asking if you needed any refills on your drinks or if you would like water. I don’t think there was a time that I needed something that they didn’t already have coming to me. It was very nice and made the experience even more enjoyable.
I chose to not eat the sausage as I don’t eat that type of meat but everything else was delicious! Steve enjoyed his as well even though he’s not much of a breakfast eater, he ate it all.
Once we were finished, they brought out my favorite part of the meal. Dessert.
I know what you’re thinking, dessert with breakfast?!
It was so good though! And I think I may start making it part of my daily routine to have dessert with breakfast..
I’m mostly kidding, mostly. Mostly because I need to find someone who could make me this delicious thing, or something very similar that I could have ever morning.
And that blanket y’all. The plane is cold! Like most of them, so this was a total lifesaver for the whole flight. I believe a blanket and pillow are pretty standard on long or overnight flights, but don’t quote me on that. When we flew overnight and 8 hours to Tahiti we had a blanket and a pillow too.
Near the very end of our flight, they brought around these amazing Sweet Onion chips for us along with some water if we wanted it.
And let me tell y’all about these chips. They are legit the best onion chips I’ve ever tasted! I had them for the first time when we flew to Hawaii with Hawaiian Airlines in 2014 and I couldn’t get enough. As a kid, I used to eat the cheapest of the cheap Sour Cream and Onion Potato chips and then upgraded to the Lay’s/Ruffles Sour Cream and Onion and thought those were like gold. Well, those are NO comparison to these sweet and salty deliciousness. They are super crunchy, almost like a kettle chip but better.
Now, I’m not gonna lie, I believe the plane, and my breath probably smelled the same from all the onion consumption, but I didn’t care, and Steve liked them, so he didn’t either 🙂
If you find these in a store, (I’ve seen them at Costco before) do yourself a favor and get them! I believe the make a variety pack, but this is my favorite flavor. They are sold all over the islands and one day, we are going to go tour the plant and soak up the sweet onion goodness!
PS – these aren’t gluten free, so I had to ration myself this time so my body didn’t have a reaction, but it was so worth it!
About 20 minutes before landing at the Honolulu Airport, the Flight Attendants came around and picked up the iPads and our final drinks and trash.
Once we landed and pulled up to the gate, an announcement was made to let the first class passengers deplane first, so that was comforting knowing that we still got to get off right away as we had a connecting flight to the Big Island and I was ready to stretch my legs and see if we could call the kiddos since we left our house at 3:30 am and they were still snoozing in their beds.
After catching the shuttle bus outside, we made our way to our next flight, called the girls, and just enjoyed being in Hawaii before our short 45 minute flight that was also with Hawaiian Airlines.
It was a much smaller plane, and we sat near the back of the plane which wasn’t a big deal since it was so short. Most of these flights don’t offer a premium cabin. It’s simply a plane to get from point A to point B. Many of the inter island flights only serve a small juice container of the Passion Orange Guava juice and not really snacks as the flight is so quick. They do play Hawaiian music on these flights, which continues to get you in the Hawaiian mood.
Because we booked a round trip flight with Hawaiian Airlines, the return flight was also a first class experience.
Sometimes, if you didn’t book a round trip First Class experience, you can upgrade if available for either leg of your trip. When we travel, we sometimes will try to upgrade for the return leg of the trip so we can relax and extend our vacation so to speak before we hit the ground running again.
This time, we were First Class the entire way.
I took a few shots of the Kona Airport and from my window seat of the islands from above.
Our flight back was very much the same as the flight there, except we sat in the very front right of the plane, making it easier for bathroom breaks.
I watched the new Will Smith movie, Collateral Beauty, and let me tell you, I bawled my eyes out. Probably not the best movie to watch on an airplane, but DANG it’s so good.
It was one of those that I knew my hubby wouldn’t want to see in theatres even though we love Will Smith – it’s very much a sad but great story. And the other actors/actresses are incredible too!
Again, there were 4 courses for the meal served, and you had an option of what you wanted.
We opted for the Passion Guava juice while the Main Cabin was boarding.
We then received the Mauna Loa Macadamia Nuts with a drink of our choice (I chose green tea again sans milk as they didn’t have any alternative milks this time.)
Then the first course was a choice of Grilled Mediterranean Chicken, Quinoa Tabbouleh and Tzatziki Salad or Nicoise Salad with Ogo Calamansi Vinaigrette and I chose the Grilled Chicken choice.
Next the main course was a choice of Soy Braised Beef Short Ribs with Bok Choy and Wasabi Mashed Potatoes or Okinawan Sweet Potato, Kabocha, Mushroom, Quinoa and Provolone Cheese Burger.
Steve chose the Beef Short Ribs and I totally LOVED the Cheese Burger that was filled with veggies and yummy goodness!
For dessert we each had a Chilled Mini Orange Cream Pie made by the Hawaiian Pie Company and it was just as delicious as it looks!
Along the way, they kept our drinks filled and offered water if we wanted.
Because it was a night flight, it was a bit easier for me to lay down and sleep for a bit on this flight unlike the flight to the islands. These lay flat seats inside each pod make it so much better than trying to recline back in the Main Cabin seats on any other flight.
And after watching that tear jerker movie, my eyes were a bit more interested in sleeping than reading a book or working.
Sometimes you gotta just roll with it and take a nap when you need it.
So there you have it! Our entire First Class experience through our lens without actually having to shell out the $$ to try it yourself and going through the airport/security/boarding/etc.
For a domestic flight that’s over 4 hours, we honestly believe First Class is the only way to go. If we flew into or out of Los Angeles airport, we’d probably need to do so for our sanity! And the lounge access would be needed as well!
Based on our experience, do you think you’d consider a First Class flight with Hawaiian Airlines if you went to the islands?
Leave me a comment and let me know your thoughts.
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