If you want to fly Southwest Airlines to Hawaii, book now and think later. Southwest has added new nonstop flights to Hawaii from Sacramento (SMF) and new flights from the Bay Area to Lihue, Kauai (LIH) and Kona (KOA). In addition, Southwest has added new interisland flights and added a new Hawaiian city Hilo (ITO) to its route map. Intro fares are as low as $29 one-way for interisland service and new service from the mainland to Hawaii starts at $99 one-way or $198 roundtrip.
UPDATE 12:00 noon PDT: The $99 one-way intro fares from Sacramento to Honolulu sold out around 10:30 am PDT, and $99 intro fares from Oakland and San Jose to Kona and Lihue sold out shortly after. Fares are still decent at $238 - $358 roundtrip. These fares are selling out quickly!
Southwest Adds New Flights to Hawaii from Sacramento and Bay Area
Daily nonstop service begins on January 19, 2020, on the following routes:
- Sacramento (SMF) to Honolulu (HNL)
- Honolulu (HNL) to Hilo (ITO)
- Honolulu (HNL) to Lihue (LIH)
- Kona (KOA) to Maui (OGG)
Sunday / Monday / Wednesday / Friday service begins on January 19, 2020, on the following routes:
- Oakland (OAK) to Kona (KOA)
- San Jose (SJC) to Lihue (LIH)
Tuesday / Thursday / Saturday service begins on January 21, 2020, on the following routes:
- Oakland (OAK) to Lihue (LIH)
- San Jose (SJC) to Kona (KOA)
Connecting service and low intro fares are also available to the new destinations in Hawaii from a few cities in the Western United States and also on interisland flights within Hawaii. Existing connecting flights have low fares once again with the schedule extension.
Related: Which SF Bay Area Airport is Best: SFO, OAK, or SJC?
Travel Availability
New service begins on January 19, 2020. Low fares on existing service start to pop-up the second week of January through early March.
The lowest fares are valid for travel on Tuesdays and Wednesdays for the new routes. Existing routes have low fares for travel on Mondays and Thursdays as well.
Inter-island fares are only $10 more each way or the same price for travel on other days of the week.
Sale Period
Intro fares on the new routes from the mainland to Hawaii are valid for purchase TODAY ONLY! Tickets must be booked by 11:59 pm PDT, August 15, 2019, or while supplies last. Some fares have already sold out.
New interisland fares are valid for purchase through 11:59 pm PDT, on August 22, 2019.
New low fares on existing routes are unadvertised and can jump in price at any time. Since Southwest has limited flights, these prices will likely not last very long. Book now and take advantage of Southwest's flexible refund policy to confirm your plans. If plans change, get a cash refund within 24 hours of booking or a travel credit any time after this time period.
Related: How to Get a Refund When Your Flight Price Drops After You Buy
Sample Fares
Please note, these fares are only available on Southwest.com. Other carriers regularly match these sale fares, so be sure to compare to find the best deal.
New Southwest Service to Hawaii Starting January 19 or 21, 2020
Sacramento to Honolulu $198 roundtrip Sold Out! Now $358 RT nonstop
Oakland to Lihue $198 roundtrip Sold Out! Now $238 RT nonstop
Oakland to Kona $198 roundtrip Sold Out! Now $278 RT nonstop
San Jose to Lihue $198 roundtrip Sold Out! Now $258 RT nonstop
San Jose to Kona $198 roundtrip Sold Out! Now $238 RT nonstop
Los Angeles to Lihue $276 roundtrip Sold Out! Now $316 RT
Los Angeles to Kona $276 roundtrip Sold Out! Now $316 RT
Seattle to Lihue $276 roundtrip Sold Out! Now $376 RT
Seattle to Kona $276 roundtrip Sold Out! Now $336 RT
Oakland to Hilo $286 roundtrip Sold Out! Now $326 RT
San Jose to Hilo $326 roundtrip
Sacramento to Maui $346 roundtrip Sold Out! Now $386 RT
Sacramento to Lihue $346 roundtrip Sold Out! Now $386 RT
New Interisland Hawaii Flights on Southwest Starting January 19, 2020
Honolulu to Hilo $58 roundtrip, nonstop
Honolulu to Lihue $58 roundtrip, nonstop
Kona to Maui $58 roundtrip, nonstop
Existing Southwest Service to Hawaii with New Low Fares Starting in January 2020
Kona to Honolulu $58 roundtrip, nonstop
Honolulu to Maui $58 roundtrip, nonstop
Oakland to Honolulu $298 roundtrip Sold Out! Now $318 RT nonstop
San Jose to Maui $298 roundtrip, nonstop
Oakland to Maui $318 roundtrip, nonstop
San Jose to Honolulu $318 roundtrip, nonstop
Boise to Honolulu $351 roundtrip
Albuquerque to Honolulu $356 roundtrip
Burbank to Honolulu $356 roundtrip
Spokane to Honolulu $356 roundtrip
Long Beach to Honolulu $356 roundtrip
Ontario to Honolulu $356 roundtrip
Reno to Honolulu $356 roundtrip
Seattle to Honolulu $356 roundtrip
Orange County to Honolulu $356 roundtrip
Long Beach to Maui $356 roundtrip
Seattle to Maui $356 roundtrip
Orange County to Maui $356 roundtrip
San Diego to Maui $366 roundtrip
Los Angeles to Maui $371 roundtrip
San Diego to Honolulu $376 roundtrip
Denver to Honolulu $376 roundtrip
Los Angeles to Honolulu $376 roundtrip
Portland to Honolulu $376 roundtrip
Phoenix to Honolulu $391 roundtrip
Las Vegas to Maui $396 roundtrip
Salt Lake City to Maui $400 roundtrip
Houston to Maui $476 roundtrip
Houston to Honolulu $480 roundtrip
Minneapolis to Honolulu $526 roundtrip
Minneapolis to Maui $526 roundtrip
All fares also work in the reverse direction.
These prices aren't quite as low as the $98 roundtrip flights that were for sale this spring when Southwest first started selling tickets to Hawaii, but you may want to book these quickly if you want to travel on Southwest to Hawaii this winter. Ever since those super cheap spring fares sold out, Southwest fares to Hawaii have been extraordinarily high.
Related: How to Fly Southwest Airlines (And Get the Seat You Want)
Baggage
These fares include a carry-on bag, a personal item, and two free checked bags up to 50lbs/23kg each.
Seat Assignments
Southwest has an open seating policy, which means there are no assigned seats and you'll get to choose your seat during boarding. The order of boarding is determined by the time of check-in so check-in exactly 24 hours before departure or pay for priority boarding for a better choice of seat.
Alternate Fares
Other airlines may start to match prices in some markets, but all other airlines charge for checked bags—some even charge for carry-on bags. Southwest has the advantage of two free checked bags and no change fees.
If you want to fly into one island and back from another, you can purchase one-way flights for about half the roundtrip price and combine with $29-$39 interisland Southwest flights.
And if you're looking for flights from further east, you'll have to wait until Southwest begins flying overnight (red-eye) flights. Until then, it is not possible to make an onward connection flying from Hawaii to points east on Southwest. You may be able to book a one-way flight from the Midwest or East Coast to Hawaii on one itinerary, but the return flight would require two separate tickets and an overnight stop on the West Coast.
For a complete list of deals to Hawaii, have a look at all of our fares on all airlines to Honolulu (HNL), Maui (OGG), Kauai (LIH), and Kona (KOA).
And make sure to sign up for FREE airfare alerts to find out when prices drop. New routes usually spur fare wars.
Related: Open Jaw Tickets: Save Money and Time with this Booking Tip
Example Booking
Searching Southwest's website, I found a flight departing Sacramento SMF on Wednesday, January 28, with a return flight from Honolulu HNL on Tuesday, February 4, for $198 roundtrip.
Note: This price was active at the time of original posting, but has since sold out.
