Travelling to Hawaii? There’s lots to see in Honolulu and the island of Oahu, but Hawaii’s other beautiful islands are just a short flight away!
If you’re flying around the Hawaiian Islands, chances are you’ll be flying with Hawaiian Airlines. And as Hawaiian is a partner of Virgin Australia, you can earn Virgin Velocity points and status credits.
Hawaiian Airlines offers both Economy and First class on inter-island flights. Now, you may not ordinarily consider buying a First class ticket. But Hawaiian Airlines First class is a surprisingly good value way to earn extra Virgin status credits while also saving on baggage fees.
There are two main reasons to book Hawaiian Airlines First class for inter-island hops. Firstly, if you’re a Velocity Frequent Flyer member, you’ll earn First class status credits for you flight. Hawaiian First class flights within the Hawaiian Islands earn 40 Velocity status credits, compared to 10 status credits for Economy. This makes Hawaiian inter-island First class a surprisingly useful Virgin Australia status run!
Another reason to book First class is the included baggage allowance. Hawaiian Airlines First class fares include up to two checked bags. If you’ve bought an Economy ticket, one checked bag will cost an extra USD25. Two checked bags cost USD60.
Yet, the fare difference between Economy and First class can be as little as USD50 and is rarely more than around USD70. In this example, booking First class from Kahului to Honolulu would only cost an extra USD66 ($83):
Flying Hawaiian Airlines First class also comes with benefits including lounge access and priority check-in. On board, you’ll enjoy a larger seat and complimentary snacks and drinks. Admittedly, Hawaiian Airlines’ domestic lounges are nothing special and you won’t get a full meal on board. After all, most inter-island flights barely last half an hour! But this is certainly a comfortable way to fly given the price.
Having discovered this trick, one AFF member recently enjoyed a very pleasant trip in Hawaiian Airlines First class…
Just a note on SC earning with HA (Hawaiian Airlines). I booked a RT between two of the Hawaiian Islands. Economy for the times I wanted was $190 USD (poor times were as low as $129 USD). But F was only $265 USD.
All HA economy fares earn as discount economy. So for this route, the extra $75 USD earned 80 SC for the trip instead of 20. A pretty good value for SC runs. If you ever find yourself in Hawaii, take a scenic flight in F and earn some SC.
Join the discussion on the Australian Frequent Flyer forum: Earning SC on HA Inter-island flights
