Hello from Los Angeles, as Im on the return portion of our winter ski trip to Niseko. After flying All Nippon Airways’ A380 first class, I flew Hawaiian Airlines’ Boeing 787-9 first class, on the 4hr55min flight from Honolulu (HNL) to Los Angeles (LAX).
Continue reading: Hawaiian Airlines 787 First Class Leihōkū Suites: What A Stunner!
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
Wow, color me impressed. I had been planning to fly “domestic Delta One” to Hawaii but I would likely take this over the 767. Good stuff.
Won’t herringbone style seats have a shorter bed length than reverse herringbone seats in the same footprint? The space occupied by the entrance can be used for bed length if it were reversed herringbone.
The first class cabin looks wonderful! Looking forward to the full review. I have heard nothing but great things about Hawaiian's Dreamliners.
I questioned an AS supply chain employee about the A330s and they said will be reconfigured to 1-2-1, but will obviously take a couple years. This would indicate they plan on keeping both wide body types.
I don’t know how you can say Hawaiian’s food and drinks are above average. Their wine is worse than Delta’s wine, which you have recently criticized. And they don’t offer a lot of food options. I don’t believe they have an extensive pre-ordering option either.
See this would be a very competitive product on the SEA longhaul launch.
But instead AS has chosen to use the dated HA A330s with a 2-2-2 config and a J cabin that's half the size of these 787s. I just don't see how it will be successful.
On top of that it'll create a bad PR and representation of their product on these mainland US routes to Asia.
Not everyone is an alcoholic. Food is actual substance, nutrients, and calories, the HA food is pretty solid, not necessarily better though.
Wine and spirits don't matter to a lot of people. HA anyways has fun themed cocktails for Hawaii, Delta used to and axed them.
Great review!
I’m booked for September, opted for a connection over nonstop to LIH for the lie flats. I’m sure Alaska will kill the sweet spots in Hawaiians redemptions .
Seating recommendations for a couple? The center seats are quite separated it seems, could choose windows behind one another.
You are giving up a lot of the value that you are already paying for if you have a mental block about having a relaxing drink or three.
And not everyone who enjoys a drink is an "alcoholic". Don't be so uptight.
Alcohol is pretty much poison. 3 drinks will wreck your metabolism and hormmal output for about a week. I owned a laboratory that did endocrinology and have seen the results in the lab results.
I know most people are so far from optimal they probably don't notice, but the best thing you can do for your body, sex life and finances is never have more than 1 drink. That may come across as prudish or as a scold, but it just depends what you want out of life. If you want to be the best you can don't drink. If you're OK not having abs, not desiring nor having the abiltiy to having sex 2x a day and aren't at the top of your career keep drinking those 3 drinks. Also, getting value out of something you already paid for is a primary logical fallacy called the "sunk costs". It's pretty well known in the investment community.
Hawaiian 787 is a great addition to Hawaiians first class experience although it is about 7 years late and they have only a few aircraft to date. I have travel several times a year on Lax to Maui first class Airbus 330 and they are pretty worn out and are past their prime.
They also don't matter to a lot of people.
Alcohol offerings simply aren't top priority for a lot of people. And HA's cocktails should be more than enough for casual enjoyers, and not the snooty people obsessing over the pricetag of wines.
For what it is worth, they now serve the Kō Hana mai tai wich is far inferior tasting to that of their previous partnership with Kōloa. They still do Kōloa rum punch which is quite tasty but definitely a downgrade for their welcome drink.
Ben: Comments on food and drink offerings.
FNT: Disagrees.
Random teetotalers: Respond that they don’t care about alcohol, thereby adding nothing to the topic at hand.
These look like business class seats to me. Nice lighting and all but, it's still business class, not first class.
Just because they call it first class, it doesn't make it so: if you're referring to branding, you should put it in quotes (Alaska "First" business class).
Brendon, that is nonsense. You are obviously on some kind of ideological mission and your biases have nothing to do with how flyers evaluate the value propositions of premium flying, which includes fine wines and spirits.
Maybe 3 drinks knock you out and render you "wrecked" but you do not speak for others.
yolo, you have no way of knowing how many or few flyers enjoy the option of alcohol on board. Airlines provide high quality drink options to premium flyers for very good commercial reasons.
But thanks for paying higher airfares so that the rest of us can enjoy free drinks on your dime.
Howzit
HA Pualani Plt here who flies twice a month R/T between the mainland and HI. and once a month between Japan and HI. The lack of Starlink on the 787s is a major factor in my selecting flights. Plus, I will take the 2-4-2 configuration in an older 330 over 3-3-3 in Y any day. Let AS have these '87s.
As to the in-flight entertainment, the audio tracks haven't changed since before the pandemic.
Shaka
The lack of starlink is a huge downside. Crew told me it was a Boeing thing, and their airbus have it but not the 787s
I have flown this route on this plane 4 times and agree with the comments - but the review left out a few issues that I have which are a step backwards from the A330.
There almost no storage at the seat, certainly not for any kind of bag. The A330 has storage for a small bag and other cubbyholes.
Your feet cannot reach the footstool unless you recline far, almost to lie-flat. the A330 footstool can be reached in any seat position.
There are less restrooms per first class passenger vs the A330
A330 : 787
… and again, i’d say Airbus had made the race. NOT only do i personally have a lot more trust in those planes (Made by Airbus) but also know the comfort on them is untouched by ANY BOEING plane!
Seats on HA, A330 C might be old and unusual, but superb for what they are, compared to some other airlines and what they call First Class on a 10 hrs. flight! 😉
So for sure, i prefer A330, … and i still think, Hawaiian made a BIG mistake not staying with the A330neo they had ordered. 😮
🙂 🙂 sounds like a long gone, former German airline using the A330 for there Business Class product , that was called “BusinessFirst”.
…. and without a doubt, that’s what it was!
let’s HOPE so! because Mainland US -Hawaii is already complicated enough, to find flights NOT being old single isle planes or dangerous BOEING planes at all.
A330’s are a good an comfortable alternative, even if old, but widebody is preferred over ANY single isle planes!
That’s how i see it.
PLUS, HA and it’s perfect Aloha feeling once you board there planes, compared to old style US mainland carriers!
Correct, Boeing is working with Starlink for installations on the 787's. Once approved by the FAA, they will come out of the factory with them pre-installed, and a kit for any 787's currently without them.
There r 3 restrooms dedicated to first class. 1 upfront and 2 at mid galley. How many more do u need?
It's a 3 month old post but I have to ask. I just booked a new SEA-ICN route on AS miles but I already hold a reservation on Delta One Suite.
I would take B787 over A330 hands down but not sure how the seats and service compare between two. I don't care for the ground exprience as I always go to Centurion Lounge at SEA over Delta Club. Newly being opened Delta One Lounge at SEA is tempting though...