Cheap fares to Hawaii a myth? No, but speed is key
Could it be? Might I possibly find a sweet fall fare on a flight to Hawaii? Grant Martin’s Gadling post, published Monday, which reported fares as low as $344 from Los Angeles (LAX) to Honolulu, Hawaii (HNL), gave me hope when I first read it this morning.
Following the instructions Martin posted, I did a “flexible dates” search on Travelocity for flights from LAX to HNL from May through December; after finding dates with low fares, I hopped over to Kayak to continue Part 2, where I’d hoped to reel in a good fare. I found some Continental Airlines flights for $344 in September and October but then was disappointed when I was redirected to the airlines’ site to book, as I was informed with an “ouch!” that the fare had increased to $532. (These prices, and the following, include taxes.)
But then, persisting still, eureka, I found it on Kayak: a flight departure/arrival of Sept. 9 and 16, 2008, for $350 via CheapTickets. I’m not ready to book these dates, but if you are, you’d better snap them up if they haven’t vanished. Or, play around with dates that work for you and perhaps you’ll find this same fare, or a better one.
Have you found good fall fares to Hawaii? Let us know in the Comments section.
But act quickly upon finding a deal, because here’s the lesson I relearned from my initial disappointment in researching: When you see a fare that’s too good to be true (and $350 to Hawaii in fall is one of those fares these days), maybe it actually is true … but it won’t be for long. When you see that deal, you have to drop everything, spend some time with the search engines and reel it in.
— Susan Derby, Special to the Los Angeles Times
[Photo: Waikiki Beach sunset; Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times]
7 Comments on “Cheap fares to Hawaii a myth? No, but speed is key”
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May 27th, 2008 at 11:47 am
Hi Susan - I have been seeing some great airfares yesterday and earlier today - as low as $303 from the East Coast to HNL, which is unheard of! I keep checking on Kayak and they do pop up sporadically, so book ‘em when you see ‘em.
May 27th, 2008 at 1:58 pm
Last week I was able to book a continental flight for $340.00. I wanted HNL to LAX since I live in Honolulu. I check kayak.com every day and on Thursday of last week I found my cheap flight. Sept. is def. the time to try.
May 27th, 2008 at 4:32 pm
Hi Sheila and Kate,
Thanks for your helpful comments, which I’m sure will inspire readers searching for a cheap fall fare.
Once again, it seems that persistence pays off. If you keep checking, you’re sure to find a deal that works for you.
Happy traveling,
Susan
May 27th, 2008 at 6:47 pm
I found a $749 R/T fare from HNL to ORD (Chicago-O’Hare) on Travelocity for the first week of July. The fares are out there, but not for those with a propensity for indecision.
May 27th, 2008 at 8:44 pm
If your dates are NOT all that flexible, try http://www.myhawaiivacationpaackage.com they had the lowest direct fare I could find. Today for instance, their price was $150 lower than Hawaiian Air’s price for the same flight, for the flight I chose.
May 28th, 2008 at 8:29 am
After some delays in booking our travel for June (we were trying to coordinate dates with friends), we missed out on booking a R/T flight from LAX to Kahului, Maui for $620. At the time, website prices were in the $800 right after Aloha’s and ATA’s bankruptcy filing. Fortunately, however, we were able to book tickets for $670 via a travel agent. I’ve checked prices everyday since March and after ATA’s and Aloha’s exit, online prices haven’t dipped below $780. The lesson here is that sometimes, the good old fashion travel agent can come up with a lower price due to availability of bulk sale tickets so don’t always rule out checking prices with a travel agent, especially if your travel dates are not flexible.
November 20th, 2008 at 8:52 pm
This story is very useful. Really I like it. Thanks for sharing with us.