Southwest Airlines extended its schedule today and has a slew of new routes with the new schedule extension. The most exciting news is new nonstop service between Sacramento (SMF) and Maui (OGG) and the earlier November start of Southwest's nonstop flights between Sacramento and Honolulu (HNL). With more flights to Hawaii, fares on Southwest are low from several cities once again. Book quickly because these low fares sell out in a flash! Fares from the mainland to Hawaii are as low as $99-$178 one-way or $198-$356+ roundtrip.
Southwest Adds New Flight to Maui from Sacramento and Starts Honolulu Service Early
Southwest is also beefing up its new flights from Oakland (OAK) and San Jose (SJC) to Lihue, Kauai (LIH) and Kona (KOA). Nonstop service, which begins in late January, will switch from 3-4 days/week to daily service on March 7, 2020. The switch to daily service means that there are now more connecting flight options to these Hawaiian islands from other cities on the mainland.
And similar to Southwest's decision to start Sacramento - Honolulu service in November, interisland flights between Honolulu (HNL) and Lihue, Kauai (LIH) will now also start November 10, 2020. Along with the announcement, Southwest is selling tickets as low as $29 one-way or $58 roundtrip for all nonstop interisland service.
Daily nonstop service now begins on November 10, 2020, on the following routes:
Originally scheduled to start January 19, 2020
Daily nonstop service begins on March 7, 2020, on the following routes:
- Sacramento (SMF) to Maui (OGG) New route!
- Oakland (OAK) to Kona (KOA) Sun/Mon/Wed/Fri starting Jan. 19, 2020.
- San Jose (SJC) to Lihue (LIH) Sun/Mon/Wed/Fri starting Jan. 19, 2020.
- Oakland (OAK) to Lihue (LIH) Tue/Thu/Sat starting Jan. 21, 2020.
- San Jose (SJC) to Kona (KOA) Tue/Thu/Sat starting Jan. 21, 2020.
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
- Travel Period: November through early April depending on the route. Some only have low roundtrip fares starting in March.
- Travel Days of the Week: Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.
- Blackout Dates: Holiday travel around Thanksgiving, Christmas/New Year's, and mid-February break.
The lowest Inter-island fares are for travel on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and only $10-$30 more each way or the for travel on other days of the week.
Sale Period
Intro fares on the new and early start routes from the mainland to Hawaii are valid for purchase TODAY ONLY! Tickets must be booked by 11:59 pm PDT, September 26, 2019, or while supplies last. Low fares are selling out quickly!
Interisland fares are valid for purchase through October 3, 2019, at 11:59 pm PDT.
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 in November, January, or March
Honolulu to Lihue, Kauai $58 roundtrip, nonstop
Sacramento to Honolulu $198 roundtrip, nonstop
Sacramento to Maui $258 roundtrip, nonstop
Sacramento to Lihue, Kauai $346 roundtrip
Sacramento to Kona $346 roundtrip
Boise to Lihue, Kauai $351 roundtrip
Burbank to Lihue, Kauai $356 roundtrip
Salt Lake City to Lihue, Kauai $356 roundtrip
Long Beach to Kona $356 roundtrip
San Diego to Kona $376 roundtrip
Phoenix to Kona $376 roundtrip
Portland to Lihue, Kauai $376 roundtrip
Denver to Lihue, Kauai $416 roundtrip
Albuquerque to Lihue, Kauai $420 roundtrip
Tucson to Honolulu $464 roundtrip
Houston to Kona $476 roundtrip
El Paso to Maui $484 roundtrip
San Antonio to Maui $484 roundtrip
Dallas to Lihue, Kauai $500 roundtrip
Nashville to Maui $580 roundtrip
Interisland Hawaii Flights on Southwest
Kona to Honolulu $58 roundtrip, nonstop
Honolulu to Maui $58 roundtrip, nonstop
Maui to Kona $58 roundtrip, nonstop
Lihue, Kauai to Honolulu $58 roundtrip, nonstop
Honolulu to Hilo $58 roundtrip, nonstop
Hilo to Lihue, Kauai $126 roundtrip
Lihue, Kauai to Maui $126 roundtrip
Kona to Lihue, Kauai $126 roundtrip
Existing Southwest Service to Hawaii with New Low Fares
San Jose to Lihue, Kauai $278 roundtrip, nonstop
San Jose to Kona $278 roundtrip, nonstop
San Jose to Honolulu $278 roundtrip, nonstop
San Jose to Maui $278 roundtrip, nonstop
Oakland to Lihue, Kauai $278 roundtrip, nonstop
Oakland to Kona $278 roundtrip, nonstop
Oakland to Honolulu $278 roundtrip, nonstop
Oakland to Maui $278 roundtrip, nonstop
San Jose to Hilo $286 roundtrip
Oakland to Hilo $286 roundtrip
Boise to Honolulu $351 roundtrip
Ontario to Honolulu $356 roundtrip
Seattle to Honolulu $356 roundtrip
Los Angeles to Kona $356 roundtrip
Los Angeles to Lihue, Kauai $356 roundtrip
Los Angeles to Honolulu $356 roundtrip
Los Angeles to Maui $356 roundtrip
San Diego to Honolulu $356 roundtrip
Phoenix to Maui $356 roundtrip
Orange County to Maui $356 roundtrip
Long Beach to Maui $356 roundtrip
Portland to Maui $356 roundtrip
Burbank to Honolulu $356 roundtrip
Spokane to Honolulu $356 roundtrip
Seattle to Kona $376 roundtrip
Las Vegas to Maui $436 roundtrip
Chicago to Maui $526 roundtrip
Minneapolis to Honolulu $526 roundtrip
All fares also work in the reverse direction and this is not a complete list of Southwest deals to Hawaii.
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 spring. Southwest fares to Hawaii have remained extraordinarily high whenever its newly released low fares sell out.
Related: How to Fly Southwest Airlines (And Get the Seat You Want)
Baggage
These fares include a carry-on bag, a personal item, and 2 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-$59 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).
Related: Open Jaw Tickets: Save Money and Time with this Booking Tip
Example Booking
Searching Southwest's website, I found nonstop flights departing Sacramento SMF on Monday, March 16, returning from Maui OGG on Tuesday, March 24, for $258 roundtrip.
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