In New York, we landed an hour late at JFK Terminal 5. It's a facility shared with JetBlue, Aer Lingus, and TAP Portugal.
Apart from the chaos at Honolulu International Airport, my time with Hawaiian Airlines proved to be a pleasant and relaxing experience. The aircraft was neat and tidy while the crew both on the ground and in the air were very pleasant. And I even managed to catch a few hours of sleep before heading to work.
Since a trip to Hawaii for most is a luxury and not a necessity, top-notch service is a must if Hawaiian is to differentiate itself from airlines like Alaska, United, and Southwest that are muscling in on its turf. After all, the beginning and end of almost every Hawaiian vacation is on board a plane.
Which is why airline CEO Mark Dunkerley focuses so much on delivering an experience punctuated by Hawaiian hospitality.
And in my experience, the airline has succeeded for the most part. But there are a couple of minor areas that bugged me. First, Hawaiian does need to improve its terminal experience. Second, in-flight entertainment shouldn't be a la carte. While I understand, my flight was technically domestic service, it was 10 hours long. Which means amenities such as IFE should be based on international long-hauls standards and not domestic service.
At the end of the day, Hawaiian is a good airline with great service and a solid economy class product. If you're looking to make your way to the sunny beaches of the Aloha State, start your vacation at the airport with a flight on Hawaiian Airlines.
Before landing in New York, somewhere over the midwest, breakfast was served. Since this was a 10-hour flight, we got two meals. This time it was a light affair with fresh fruit, cheese, and crackers.
After dinner, I enjoyed the calming blue mood lighting before dozing off for a few hours sleep.
Here's the meal. It was some kind of chicken with steamed rice affair. It wasn't the best thing I've had on a plane, but it was more than serviceable. The chicken was well seasoned and tender while the rice was fluffy and adequately cooked.
Meal service followed shortly after snacks and drinks were handed out. As I mentioned earlier, it comes with free alcohol in the form of a glass of wine. Since dinner was a chicken dish, I went with the white.
About half an hour into "Goldfinger," the cabin crew commenced drink and snack service. Everyone got a soft drink and a small snack pack. The airline also offers additional snacks for sale. Booze can also be purchased, but if you hold out for meal service, you can score some for free. More on that later.
After a while, I caved and ponied up the $7.99 for the Unlimited TV & More package. It got me TV shows, music, and a collection of movies. But newly released films weren't included and must be purchased individually.
However, unlike most long-haul flights I'd experienced, the in-flight entertainment was a la carte. Which meant that it had to be purchased separately once on board. There were a couple of free videos, but nothing you'd really want to watch.
.... TV Shows, including Hawaii Five-O.
... Music, and...
Hawaiian's IFE system offered a good selection of movies,...
... Allow passengers to also keep an eye on the status of the flight. Each screen is also equipped with a USB plug where one can charge smart devices.
After an hour and a half-long delay due to a mechanical issue and a trip back to the gate to refuel, our flight took off. At which point, my attention turned to the in-flight entertainment screen. The LCD touchscreens, which are in front of every passenger, are crisply rendered and...
Hawaiian's A330s are configured with eights seats per row in a 2-4-2 layout. Some of the planes are also equipped with flat-bed first class seats.
It's on par with the long-haul economy offerings of most international airlines. Although taller folks can opt Hawaiian's extra-comfort seats which offer 36 inches of pitch or its first class seat with about 46 inches of space.
The economy class cabin on Hawaiian's A330s features 31-32 inches of seat pitch.
Once on board the aircraft, I was directed to my seat in the middle of the plane. My first impressions of the Hawaiian interior were positive. The cabin looked clean and fresh while the turquoise cloth seats were comfortable and well cushioned. There was also a pillow and blanket waiting for me.
Time for boarding! Hawaiian, like most US carriers, board in groups. Since I was neither in the premium cabin, nor did I have frequent flier status, I patiently waited for my group to be called. For an aircraft with 294 seats, the boarding process went about as smoothly as one could hope for.
I settled into the gate area after making a quick dash to the souvenir shops for some last minute gifts and macadamia nuts. At one point, I looked out the window and saw a pair of US Air Force F-22 Raptors take off.
Here's another one of Hawaiian's A330-200s parked next to it. In total, the airline's fleet features 24 of the French-built wide-body jets.
Here it is! My chariot to the Big Apple. On that day, Flight 50 was operated by this three-year-old Airbus A330-200.
I made quick work of the security checkpoint. From there on, the vibe in the terminal changed very quickly as chaos gave way to tranquility.
After dropping off my bags, I hopped in the TSA Pre-Check line, a queue of much more manageable proportions. Once again, I'm reminded that the $75 I dropped on Pre-Check was some of the best money I'd spent in years.
After making my way into the terminal, I made a beeline for the Hawaiian Airlines automated kiosks. As with most of these modern systems, the process was pretty straightforward. I put my bag on the luggage scale and the kiosk spat out a baggage tag.
I arrive at the airport for my 3:15 pm flight shortly after noon. Since this was my first time flying out of HNL, I figured better safe than sorry. But the scene I encountered at the terminal could be charitably described as a 'hot mess.'
I stepped off the shuttle and onto the curb in front of the terminal only to be confronted by a long snaking line of people. Although the queue seemed to be moving at a decent pace, there were no signs around to identify where the line was headed. There were also too few airport and airline staff members to effectively manage and clearly communicate with the crush of people. This is a significant problem when a large portion of those traveling through the facility are tourists with limited command of the English language.
After a minute or two, I managed to flag down a staff member who pointed me in the right direction. With that said, all of the staff I did encounter at the airport were courteous and helpful. There just weren't enough of them around.
As it turns out, the massive line was for the TSA security checkpoint. So I walked into the terminal to drop off my checked luggage.
While I'm aware that HNL is in the midst of a $2.7 billion renovation, the chaotic scene was more than a bit concerning because there frankly shouldn't have been one. My flight was on a random Thursday afternoon during a not-so-busy part of the travel calendar. I can't imagine what the scene would be like during peak travel season in the summer and winter months.
I spoke with one of my contacts at Hawaiian Airlines after my flight and was assured that the airline is aware of the situation and is working hard to improve conditions at the terminal.
After two days in the tropical sunshine on the island of Oahu and a one-on-one interview with Hawaiian Airlines CEO Mark Dunkerley (keep an eye out for that story), it was time to return to the concrete jungle; New York City.
Source: Business Insider India