The Best Ways To Fly to Hawaii With Points and Miles [2022]

- UPDATED: July 8, 2022 |

Travel

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If there’s one destination we hear people rave about over and over again, it’s Hawaii. That’s no surprise: People spend years dreaming of a beach vacation on one of the Hawaiian Islands where they can relax by the water, enjoy some great food and drinks, and just get away from it all.

However, if you’ve seen the prices of cash tickets to Hawaii, you probably understand why people have to save up for this adventure. Fortunately, there are several ways you can use miles and points to book your flights and save a ton of money.

Today we’ll dive into the different economy and domestic first class award booking options available. For those who want a lie-flat seat that you would find in an international business class cabin layout, we’ll talk about those options, too.

Table of contents

Best Programs To Book Award Flights to Hawaii
How To Find Lie-Flat Business Class Seats
Final Thoughts

Table of Contents

Best Programs To Book Award Flights to Hawaii
How To Find Lie-Flat Business Class Seats
Final Thoughts

Best Programs To Book Award Flights to Hawaii

Before we dig into each of the best options, it’s important to note that planning ahead when booking award flights to Hawaii can make your life much easier. Unsurprisingly, award space is not always readily available because so many people pay for cash tickets.

If there’s one variable that can simplify the process of booking an award trip to Hawaii, it’s schedule flexibility. As with all award bookings, being open to traveling on different dates or even different months can unlock some amazing opportunities.

Hot Tip: Check out our ultimate Hawaii travel guides to Oahu, the Big Island, Lanai, Maui, and Kauai, as well as the best times to visit Hawaii by season and islands.

Korean Air SKYPASS

Delta Business Class A330 — On some routes, Delta flies an Airbus A330 with lie-flat business class seats to Hawaii, which can be booked for 45,000 Korean Air SKYPASS miles round-trip. Image Credit: Delta

The Korean Air SKYPASS program has competitive economy class and business class redemption rates on its SkyTeam partner Delta. There are several ways to earn SKYPASS miles, despite it being a foreign frequent flyer program.

Book Awards With Korean Air SKYPASS

Korean Air SKYPASS uses a region-based award chart for SkyTeam partner award bookings. Unlike many airlines, Korean Air considers all of the U.S. as a single region, including Hawaii. As a result, the redemption rates are quite reasonable on Delta, and much better than Delta’s own SkyMiles program.

You can search for award space on Korean Air’s website and book from there. Just make sure you select SkyTeam Award after selecting Redeem Miles, otherwise, you won’t see the necessary city pairings.

If you don’t see award space when you run a search, double-check on Air France’s site as it is generally the best place to search SkyTeam partners. You can call Korean Air to book if you find space on Air France’s website.

It’s easy to book award flight award flights with Korean Air using these steps:

Search for flights on the Air France or Korean Air website.
Confirm the same availability on Korean Air.
Book the flight online or call Korean Air at 800-438-5000.
Pay the taxes and fees.

Additionally, it’s important to remember that Korean Air SKYPASS only allows round-trip bookings for SkyTeam awards. So if you only need a one-way award, this won’t be the program for you.

Now let’s take a look at the round-trip SkyTeam award ticket mileage requirements when booking with Korean Air SKYPASS:

Class of Service	Delta Flights	Taxes and Fees
Economy	25,000 SKYPASS miles	$11.20
Business	45,000 SKYPASS miles	$11.20

Unlike using Korean Air SKYPASS to book award tickets on Delta to London, you won’t get hit with high fuel surcharges. In fact, you’ll only be responsible for $11.20 out of pocket.

Need help booking? Take a look at our step-by-step guide on booking Delta One with Korean Air SKYPASS miles and you’ll be ready to book before you know it.

Korean Air also partners with Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines, which gives you 2 other great options to fly to Hawaii. The mileage requirement for these partners is a bit different than what is required for Delta flights, though:

Class of Service	Alaska and Hawaiian Flights	Taxes and Fees
Economy	30,000 SKYPASS miles	$11.20
Business	60,000 SKYPASS miles	$11.20

The redemption rates above (round-trip) aren’t quite as good, but the ability to redeem Korean Air SKYPASS miles for flights on Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines provides you with more nonstop routes from the continental 49 states (see below for details).

You will have to call Korean Air to book, as its online search function only allows you to search for award space on SkyTeam partners. Alternatively, you can use American Airlines’ website to find award space on Alaska Airlines.

Hot Tip: Check out some of the other fun ways you can redeem Korean Air SKYPASS miles for award flights.

Nonstop Routes to Hawaii Bookable With Korean Air SKYPASS Miles

Thanks to these 3 airline partners, there are tons of nonstop routes to several Hawaiian airports that can be booked with Korean Air SKYPASS miles. Here’s a look at nonstop routes to Hawaii’s largest airport, Honolulu (HNL):

Airports With Nonstop Delta Flights to Hawaii

Atlanta (ATL)
Detroit (DTW)
Los Angeles (LAX)
Minneapolis (MSP)
New York (JFK)
Salt Lake City (SLC)
Seattle (SEA)

Airports With Nonstop Alaska Airlines Flights to Hawaii

Anchorage (ANC)
Los Angeles (LAX)
Oakland (OAK)
Portland (PDX)
San Diego (SAN)
San Francisco (SFO)
San Jose (SJC)
Seattle (SEA)

Airports With Nonstop Hawaiian Airlines Flights to Hawaii

Austin (AUS)
Boston (BOS)
Las Vegas (LAS) — seasonal
Long Beach (LGB)
Los Angeles (LAX)
New York (JFK)
San Jose (SJC)
Oakland (OAK)
Ontario (ONT)
Orlando (MCO)
Phoenix (PHX)
Portland (PDX)
Sacramento (SMF)
San Diego (SAN)
San Francisco (SFO)
Seattle (SEA)

Earn More Korean Air SKYPASS Miles

Korean Air is transfer partners with Marriott Bonvoy.

You can earn Marriott Bonvoy points and transfer those to Korean at a transfer rate of 3:1. Plus, for every 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points that you transfer, you’ll receive an extra bonus of 5,000 SKYPASS miles.

Recommended Marriott Bonvoy Cards

Hot Tip: Check out some of our favorite ways to earn Korean Air SKYPASS miles to ensure you have enough for your Hawaiian vacation.

Air France-KLM Flying Blue

Delta customer using IFE on board economy — You can book round-trip award flights on Delta for 35,000 miles with the Air France-KLM Flying Blue program. Image Credit: Delta

Our second SkyTeam option for booking award flights to Hawaii is the Air France-KLM Flying Blue program. While the redemption rates with Flying Blue aren’t quite as good as what Korean Air SKYPASS provides, they might be the best option for many travelers for one crucial reason.

The biggest advantage Air France-KLM Flying Blue offers over Korean Air SKYPASS is the ability to book one-way award tickets at half the mileage cost, plus the ease of earning points through transfer partnerships.

Book Awards With Air France-KLM Flying Blue

Like Korean Air SKYPASS, Air France-KLM Flying Blue can book award flights on SkyTeam partner Delta.

Unlike Korean Air, Flying Blue does not charge fixed redemption rates for these flights. Prices will fluctuate and are determined dynamically depending on the route.

Take a look at the table below to see the round-trip economy class and business class redemption rates to Hawaii:

Class of Service	Delta Flights	Taxes and Fees
Economy	From 35,000 Flying Blue miles	$11.20
Business	From 86,000 Flying Blue miles	$11.20

Flying Blue requires 5,000 more miles to fly Delta than Korean Air SKYPASS in economy and is more expensive overall, but allows you to book one-way award tickets for added travel flexibility.

It’s easy to search for award space on Delta by using Air France’s online search. Once you find space, you can quickly complete the booking process online.

To book an award flight with Air France-KLM, follow these steps:

Search for availability on the Air France or Delta website.
Select the flight you want to book.
Confirm your ticket selection and pay the taxes and fees.

If you can find award space on the outbound flight but not on the dates you need to return, you could book a one-way award with Flying Blue and a one-way award on United Airlines or American Airlines with another program.

Hot Tip: The fun doesn’t stop with Hawaii. Check out some of the other amazing ways you can use Air France-KLM Flying Blue miles to see the world.

Nonstop Routes to Hawaii Bookable With Air France-KLM Flying Blue Miles

As a partner of Delta, Air France-KLM Flying Blue can help you book any of these nonstop routes between the continental U.S. You can even connect from your home airport to 1 that flies directly to Hawaii at no extra cost.

Airports With Nonstop Delta Flights to Hawaii

Atlanta (ATL)
Detroit (DTW)
Los Angeles (LAX)
Minneapolis (MSP)
New York (JFK)
Salt Lake City (SLC)
Seattle (SEA)

Hot Tip: Flying to Hawaii is a great way to get maximum value from your points on a U.S. domestic route.

Earn More Flying Blue Miles

We already talked about Air France-KLM Flying Blue’s ability to book one-way award tickets, which is a nice advantage over Korean Air SKYPASS. However, there is another big advantage related to earning Flying Blue miles.

Air France-KLM partners with one of our favorite points programs, American Express Membership Rewards. There are plenty of credit card choices with Amex, and many cards offer some great bonus categories to help you earn more points faster. Throw in a 1:1 transfer ratio and quick transfer time, and this is another great option to get your hands on more Flying Blue miles.

In addition, Flying Blue is transfer partners with Bilt Rewards, Brex Rewards, Capital One Miles, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards, and Marriott Bonvoy.

Recommended American Express Cards (Personal)

If you’re a business owner, we recommend taking a look at the numerous American Express business cards that earn Amex points, as well as offering numerous travel benefits.

Hot Tip: Take a look at some of the other great ways you can earn more Air France-KLM Flying Blue miles for award flights.

Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer

United Polaris Business Class Seat on Boeing 787 9 Dreamliner — United Airlines provides a ton of flights to Hawaii that can be booked with Singapore KrisFlyer miles at a much more reasonable rate than using United’s own MileagePlus miles. Image Credit: Chris Hassan

With Singapore Airlines’ KrisFlyer program, we have our best Star Alliance partner option for booking award flights to Hawaii on United Airlines. Sure, you could use United MileagePlus to book. But why would you, when you could save 10,000 to 20,000 miles and utilize more transfer partners?

Book Awards With Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer

Singapore Airlines allows you to search for and book award flights through Star Alliance partners online.

Here are the steps you’ll want to take to book your Singapore Airlines ticket:

Search for availability on the United website.
Head to the Singapore Airlines website and repeat the search to book or call 833-727-0118.
Select the flight you’d like to book or give the flight details to the phone agent.
Pay for your ticket including the taxes and fees.

Let’s take a look at how many KrisFlyer miles you will need to book round-trip award flights on United.

Class of Service	United Airlines Flights	Taxes and Fees
Economy	39,000 KrisFlyer miles	$11.60
Business	78,000 KrisFlyer miles	$11.60

If you booked these same flights with United MileagePlus miles, you would need 45,000 miles for economy class and 80,000 miles for business class. Not only is using Singapore KrisFlyer miles a better deal, but they’re much easier to earn (see below).

Hot Tip: Looking for more awesome ways to use the Singapore KrisFlyer program? Check out some of the other great ways to use KrisFlyer miles.

Nonstop Routes to Hawaii Bookable With Singapore KrisFlyer Miles

LAX HNL SQ Economy Saver 1 — When you consider the many options for earning Singapore KrisFlyer miles and the superior redemption rates, it might be the perfect program for booking a nonstop award flight to Hawaii. Image Credit: Singapore Airlines

Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer doesn’t have multiple partners, which means your nonstop options are more limited than when using Korean Air SKYPASS or Air France-KLM Flying Blue. That being said, the nonstop routes operated by United Airlines are convenient for people across the U.S.

Airports With Nonstop United Flights to Hawaii

Chicago (ORD)
Denver (DEN)
Houston (IAH)
Los Angeles (LAX)
Newark (EWR)
San Francisco (SFO)
Washington, D.C. (IAD)

Using Singapore KrisFlyer Miles With Alaska

We’ve focused above on nonstop routes to Hawaii. We’ve already talked about booking flights on United Airlines with Singapore KrisFlyer miles, but you can actually use KrisFlyer miles to book award tickets on Alaska Airlines as well.

Book Awards Tickets on Alaska Airlines With Singapore KrisFlyer

While Alaska Airlines is a member of Oneworld but has an individual partnership with Singapore Airlines that can get you to Hawaii for even fewer miles and points. The award chart for flights on Alaska Airlines divides the U.S. into 5 zones.

From Zone 1, you can book a nonstop economy class flight from California, Oregon, or Washington for just 24,000 KrisFlyer miles round-trip. This is one of the cheapest round-trip awards to Hawaii, and you can even book a one-way award for half the cost at 12,000 miles.

If you aren’t on the West Coast, you’ll need a connecting flight on Alaska Airlines, so the options are a bit more limited. However, if your home airport is served by Alaska Airlines, you could get a great deal.

Zone 2 is a particularly good deal if you’re okay with a connection since it only costs 23,000 KrisFlyer miles round-trip. It might seem odd, but if you have a connecting flight from one of the states in Zone 2, you can book the cheapest possible award to Hawaii.

These are the states in Zone 2:

Arizona
Colorado
Idaho
Montana
Nevada
New Mexico
Wyoming
Utah

Finally, you can also book round-trip economy awards from Zone 3 and Zone 5 for 25,000 KrisFlyer miles. Zone 5 includes nonstop flights from Ted Stevens Anchorage International (ANC), while Zone 3 awards will include a connection.

Zone 3 includes:

Arkansas
Illinois
Iowa
Kansas
Louisiana
Minnesota
Missouri
Nebraska
North Dakota
Oklahoma
South Dakota
Texas
Wisconsin

The remaining states are part of Zone 4; Singapore KrisFlyer’s award chart for flights on Alaska Airlines does not allow for award bookings to Hawaii from Zone 4.

Singapore Airlines’ online search does not include flights on Alaska Airlines, so you will have to call to book this award.

Here are the steps you’ll want to take to book your ticket:

Search for availability on the Alaska website.
Once you’ve located the flight you want to book, call the Singapore Airlines customer service team at 833-727-0118.
Give the flight details to the phone agent, including the flight number, date, and flight times.
Let the agent know you are paying for the flight with your miles and provide them with your loyalty number.
Pay for any applicable taxes and fees and finalize your booking.

Earn More Singapore KrisFlyer Miles

Singapore Airlines’ KrisFlyer program partners with almost all of the transferable points programs. So when it comes to earning the necessary points for a trip to Hawaii, this is by far the easiest of the Star Alliance programs to use.

Amex Membership Rewards, Brex Rewards, Capital One Miles, Chase Ultimate Rewards, and Citi ThankYou Rewards all transfer to Singapore Airlines at a 1:1 ratio while Marriott Bonvoy transfers at a 3:1 rate.

The time it takes for transfers to process varies depending on the points you choose to transfer. Most programs transfer within 2 days while Marriott Bonvoy may take up to 7 days.

In conjunction with the competitive redemption rates to Hawaii, Singapore KrisFlyer is the go-to program for booking award flights on United Airlines.

Recommended Chase Cards (Personal)

Business Owner? Check out our article on the best Chase business cards that earn Ultimate Rewards points.

Hot Tip: If you think you might book your next trip to Hawaii with Singapore KrisFlyer miles, check out some of our favorite ways to earn more KrisFlyer miles.

British Airways Executive Club (From the West Coast)

Alaska Airlines economy food — British Airways Executive Club provides a great way to book economy class award flights on American Airlines or Alaska Airlines from the West Coast at 26,000 miles round-trip. Image Credit: Alaska Airlines

You might have noticed that we haven’t discussed how you can fly American Airlines to Hawaii. Well, British Airways Executive Club gives you just that option. Not only that, but you can also use British Airways Avios to book award flights on Alaska Airlines.

Book Awards With British Airways Executive Club

Unlike the other options we have discussed, British Airways Executive Club uses a distance-based award chart, so the total number of Avios required to book an award flight will be determined by the distance you fly. As a result, nonstop flights are ideal if you want to maximize your points.

With this in mind, British Airways’ award chart provides a great option to book nonstop economy class award tickets from the West Coast to Hawaii on both American Airlines and Alaska Airlines.

From many major West Coast airports, you can book a nonstop economy class award for 26,000 British Airways Avios round-trip. American Airlines would charge you 45,000 AAdvantage miles, and Alaska Airlines would charge you 40,000 Mileage Plan miles for the same flights!

If you want to search for award space on flights operated by American Airlines, you can search and book on the British Airways site. To book a flight on Alaska Airlines, you’ll need to search on American Airlines’ site and then call British Airways. The phone agent will need your dates of travel and flight numbers to search the exact flights you found on American Airlines.

Here is how you can book a ticket with British Airways:

Search for availability on the British Airways or American Airlines website.
Select the flight you want to book or call British Airways to book at 800-452-1201.
Pay for the ticket along with any applicable taxes and fees.

Hot Tip: Want some more British Airways sweet spot redemptions? Check out some of our favorite ways to redeem Avios for award flights.

Nonstop Routes to Hawaii Bookable With British Airways Executive Club

British Airways Hawaii Award — If you’re flying to Hawaii from the West Coast, the British Airways Executive Club provides an excellent way to book cheap economy flights at only 26,000 Avios for a round-trip award. Image Credit: American Airlines

With a distance-based award chart, it’s particularly important to find award flights that are nonstop so you don’t have to use more miles and points.

Fortunately, there are some great nonstop options from the West Coast to Hawaii, so you can take advantage of this sweet spot in the British Airways Executive Club program.

Airports With Nonstop American Airlines Flights to Hawaii

Dallas Fort Worth (DFW)
Los Angeles (LAX)
Phoenix (PHX)

Airports With Nonstop Alaska Airlines Flights to Hawaii

Anchorage (ANC)
Los Angeles (LAX)
Oakland (OAK)
Portland (PDX)
San Diego (SAN)
San Francisco (SFO)
San Jose (SJC)
Seattle (SEA)

Earn More British Airways Avios

There are several options for earning British Airways Avios. You can transfer points from American Express Membership Rewards, Capital One Miles, Chase Ultimate Rewards, or Marriott Bonvoy.

Amex Membership Rewards, Capital One Miles, and Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer to British Airways at a 1:1 ratio and transfer almost instantly. Marriott Bonvoy, on the other hand, transfers at a 3:1 rate, and transfers take up to 5 days.

Additionally, British Airways offers the British Airways Visa Signature® Card that earns Avios directly.

Recommended Capital One Cards (Personal)

Credit Card	Benefits & Info
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card	Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel Receive up to $300 back annually as statement credits for bookings through Capital One Travel, where you’ll get Capital One’s best prices on thousands of options Get 10,000 bonus miles (equal to $100 towards travel) every year, starting on your first anniversary Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel Earn unlimited 2X miles on all other purchases Unlimited complimentary access for you and two guests to 1,400+ lounges, including Capital One Lounges and our Partner Lounge Network Receive up to a $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® Use your Venture X miles to easily cover travel expenses, including flights, hotels, rental cars and more-you can even transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs Good to Excellent (670-840) Annual Fee: $395 $1,350 Must Reads: If you’re looking for more information about the CapOne Venture X Card, explore our full review.
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card	Enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day Miles won’t expire for the life of the account and there’s no limit to how many you can earn Receive up to a $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® Enjoy two complimentary visits per year to Capital One Lounges or to 100+ Plaza Premium Lounges through our Partner Lounge Network Earn 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you’ll get Capital One’s best prices on thousands of trip options Use your miles to get reimbursed for any travel purchase-or redeem by booking a trip through Capital One Travel Transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs Excellent Credit (740-850) Annual Fee: $95 $1,350
Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card	Earn a bonus of 20,000 miles once you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $200 in travel Earn unlimited 1.25X miles on every purchase, every day Miles won’t expire for the life of the account and there’s no limit to how many you can earn Earn 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you’ll get Capital One’s best prices on thousands of trip options Use your miles to get reimbursed for any travel purchase—or redeem by booking a trip through Capital One Travel Transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs Enjoy 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months; 16.49% – 26.49% variable APR after that; 3% fee on the amounts transferred within the first 15 months Good to Excellent (670-850) Annual Fee: $0 $360

Hot Tip: You can also use points to book a hotel in Hawaii! See our picks for the best options on Kauai, Maui, and the Island of Hawaii.

Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles

United economy 787 10 — Turkish Airlines is a great option for United flights to Hawaii. Image Credit: United

Using the Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles program for United flights is a massive hidden gem that many are unaware of. Using Turkish miles, you can fly with United, from anywhere in the U.S., for just 7,500 miles in economy one way or 12,500 miles in business class.

You read that right.

A round-trip flight from anywhere in the U.S. to Hawaii for just 15,000 miles round-trip in economy or 25,000 round-trip in business. This is an outstanding value!

Book Awards With Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles

Here’s the catch: to book an award, you used to need to deal with Turkish Airlines’ clunky website. If the website isn’t showing the partner-level award you’re looking for, you’ll need to call a Turkish Airlines phone agent to find the flight you want and ticket the reservation.

But you can find all of this information by first performing award searches on united.com. Remember that the award flight you want must be available at the Saver level in order to book.

Here is a recap of how to book a ticket with Turkish Airlines:

Search for availability on the United website.
Once you find the flight you want to book, visit the Turkish Airlines website, and log into your account by clicking SIGN IN at the top-right corner of the homepage.
Once you’re logged in and redirected to the homepage, hover over your name in the top-right corner and click Miles Transactions in the dropdown menu.
Then, you’ll find a box that says Star Alliance award ticket. Click the button that says Book now. If you’re having difficulty, click this link after logging in.
Enter your search criteria, and locate the flights you want to book.
Complete your booking and pay any taxes and fees.

Nonstop Routes to Hawaii Bookable with Turkish Miles

With your Turkish Miles, you can book nonstop flights out of any of the cities that United flies nonstop to Hawaii.

Airports With Nonstop United Flights to Hawaii

Chicago (ORD)
Denver (DEN)
Houston (IAH)
Los Angeles (LAX)
Newark (EWR)
San Francisco (SFO)
Washington, D.C. (IAD)

Earn More Turkish Airlines Miles

Turkish does not have nearly as many transferable currency options available as some of the other options on this list. But you can use currency from Bilt Rewards, Capital One Miles, Citi ThankYou Rewards, and Marriott Bonvoy to help make bookings possible.

Bilt, Capital One, and Citi transfer at a 1:1 ratio in under 2 days and Marriott Bonvoy will transfer at a 3:1 rate in around 2 days.

Hot Tip: Check out some other ways that you can get excellent value out of Turkish miles.

How To Find Lie-Flat Business Class Seats

If you want to fly to Hawaii in style, a lie-flat business class seat is the way to go. However, finding flights that have an international business class cabin layout isn’t always easy, so we’re going to simplify that process.

United Airlines Boeing 777, 767, and 757

United B777 Seats — United Airlines operates several types of aircraft to Hawaii, but you can find lie-flat business class seats on all Boeing 777 and 767 aircraft. Image Credit: SeatGuru

If you use miles to fly Hawaii on United Airlines, several aircraft types provide a lie-flat business class seat (known as Polaris class), including the Boeing 777, 767, and 757. The image above is from one of United’s Boeing 777s with lie-flat seats. In fact, all 777 and 767 aircraft have lie-flat business class seats.

United B757 Seats — If you’re looking for the best way to sleep on a United flight to Hawaii, make sure you choose a flight that has lie-flat seats in business class. Image Credit: SeatGuru

If your flight on United is on a 757, make sure you check the seat map before booking. While a domestic first class recliner is certainly more comfortable than an economy class seat, a lie-flat seat is even better. United operates its 757 planes with both cabin layouts, so it’s important to know what you are booking before transferring points.

Fortunately, United Airlines offers quite a few flights with lie-flat business class seats. While business class award space to Hawaii is tough regardless of airline, United gives you a bit better chance.

Currently, you can find lie-flat seats on at least 1 of the flights of the following routes to/from Honolulu (HNL):

Chicago (ORD)
Denver (DEN)
Houston (IAH)
Los Angeles (LAX)
Newark (EWR)
San Francisco (SFO)
Washington, D.C. (IAD)

Delta Air Lines Airbus A330 and Boeing 767

Delta B767 Seats — Not all of Delta’s Boeing 767 aircraft have lie-flat seats in business class, but you can feel confident that you will have 1 if you see the image above. Image Credit: Delta

Delta operates several aircraft on its routes to Hawaii, but only 2 aircraft types offer lie-flat business class seats (known as Delta One): the Airbus A330 and the Boeing 767. Its A330 has a reverse herringbone business class cabin layout that is one of the best ways to fly to Hawaii.

MSP HNL — Notice the bed symbol in the image above. This indicates that the business class cabin will have lie-flat seats. Image Credit: Delta

Unfortunately, you need to be careful if the flight you want to book is operated on a 767, as some of these aircraft do not have lie-flat seats. Fortunately, there’s an easy way to tell without even looking at the seat map. If you see a bed symbol when you expand the details of a flight option, this means you will have a lie-flat seat in business class.

Delta provides lie-flat business class seats on 6 routes to Honolulu (HNL) at this time:

Atlanta (ATL)
Detroit (DTW)
Los Angeles (LAX)
Minneapolis (MSP)
New York (JFK)
Salt Lake City (SLC)

American Airlines Airbus A330, Boeing 777 and 767

AA flight on BA search — You can easily check the aircraft type operated by American Airlines when searching on British Airways’ site. Image Credit: British Airways

American Airlines has lie-flat business class seats on all of its Airbus A330, Boeing 777, and Boeing 767 aircraft. Unlike with Delta, you won’t have to figure out whether its 767s have lie-flat seats or recliners.

When booking flights on American Airlines with British Airways, you won’t see a seat map in the search results, but you can quickly check the aircraft type. If you see any aircraft other than an A330, 777, or 767, you’ll know that the business class cabin does not have lie-flat seats.

At this time, the only routes that American Airlines operates with lie-flat business class seats (known as Flagship Business class) are from Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) to Honolulu (HNL) or Kahului (OGG).

Using British Airways Avios won’t be a great way to book this flight, but you can use 63,000 Japan Airlines Mileage Bank miles or 80,000 American AAdvantage miles for a round-trip business class award.

Hawaiian Airlines Airbus A330

Hawaiian Airlines A330 Seats — Some of Hawaiian Airlines’ Airbus A330 aircraft provide lie-flat business class seats that are among the most highly regarded in the industry. Image Credit: Hawaiian

Some of Hawaiian Airlines’ Airbus A330s have lie-flat business class seats that have received great reviews. Obviously, if you find award space, you’ll want to know if you’ll have the opportunity to experience these seats.

Fortunately, Hawaiian Airlines makes it very easy to find out if you’ll have lie-flat seats in business class. While you may be calling Korean Air SKYPASS to book, you can use Hawaiian Airlines’ site to see which flights have lie-flat seats.

You don’t even have to run an award search. Just search for a cash ticket, and under the First Class column you’ll see a note that says Lie-Flat Seats. If it doesn’t have this note, the flight doesn’t offer lie-flat seats.

While finding Saver-level business class award space on Hawaiian Airlines can be very tough, there are lots of routes with lie-flat seats if you can find the space:

Austin (AUS) to Honolulu (HNL)
Boston (BOS) to Honolulu (HNL)
Las Vegas (LAS) to Honolulu (HNL)
Los Angeles (LAX) to Honolulu (HNL) or Kahului (OGG)
New York (JFK) to Honolulu (HNL)
Orlando (MCO) to Honolulu (HNL)
Phoenix (PHX) to Honolulu (HNL)
San Francisco (SFO) to Honolulu (HNL)
Seattle (SEA) to Honolulu (HNL) or Kahului (OGG)

Final Thoughts

No matter which transferable currency you’re hoping to use, you can easily book award flights to Hawaii. In fact, compared to other destinations, it requires significantly fewer points to do so, which makes it easier to bring a loved one or a friend.

If you’re hoping to book a business class award to Hawaii, we suggest using 25,000 Turkish Miles&Smiles miles to fly with United or 15,000 miles in economy class (if you can find Saver availability).

As you can see, with miles and points, the question isn’t if you can go to Hawaii, but when to go! With this info in hand, you’ll be ready to book in no time. Just remember, for a popular destination like Hawaii, travel date flexibility and planning ahead go a long way when searching for award space. Also, don’t forget your beach packing list so you don’t forget anything at home.

The information regarding the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, and Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.

For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card, click here.
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Frequently asked questions

What is the fewest number of miles you can use to book an economy class award flight to Hawaii?

Turkish Airlines requires the fewest number of miles when using to book Saver space on United, with ticket prices starting at just 15,000 miles round-trip.

What is the fewest number of miles required to fly business class to Hawaii?

Turkish Airlines requires the fewest number of miles when using to book Saver space on United, with business class ticket prices starting at just 25,000 miles round-trip.

Which transferable currencies can be used to book flights to Hawaii?

In short, all of them! You can use American Express Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Brex Rewards, Capital One Miles, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards, and Marriott Bonvoy to book a flight to Hawaii.

What airline is the best to fly to Hawaii?

It depends. Generally speaking, the best airline is whichever one you have points with that you can use for a free flight! If you have transferable points, your options open up quite a bit, but we recommend using Turkish Airlines miles to fly with United.

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About Jarrod West

Jarrod has been writing about the ins and outs of credit cards and loyalty programs, along with airlines and hotels, for over 6 years. He is regularly called upon to share his expertise on the latest news within the space, and has been featured in publications such as Matador Network, The New York Times, RetailMeNot, and Yahoo! Finance. Jarrod has over 20 credit cards in his wallet and has tested out dozens more in order to vet the very best card options for readers. As he is constantly sampling new cards, Jarrod also earns (and redeems) over 1 million points and miles each year. This allows him to book luxury travel experiences the world over, and save tens of thousands of dollars in the process.

Disclaimer: Any comments listed below are not from the bank advertiser, nor have they been reviewed or approved by them. No responsibility will be taken by the bank advertiser for these comments.

55 comments

Grant January 17, 2018

Sounds great but I can’t find award availability on these.

Reply
- Alex Miller January 17, 2018
  
  Hey Grant, when you say “these”…which redemptions were you looking at? Thanks
  
  Reply
DaninMCI January 20, 2018

This is a very good post. I have to laugh at the opening though. Plan ahead and be flexible, duh. But I understand it’s a wide audience.

Reply
- Alex Miller January 20, 2018
  
  @DaninMCI – you’d be amazed at how many excited travelers want to book an awards flight for a trip within 20-30 days of their departure date 🙂
  
  Reply
Keith Moberly January 28, 2018

@Alex Miller – There never appears to be any low mileage fare 1st available anymore. Is this just the case across the board for HI? This is our travel destination every other year. We have been using Ultimate Rewards the last couple of trips, though think we got luck on UAL in 2015 when there was some 1st Saver Award availability. Just wanting to know if it is even worth continuing to search for 1st Saver or equivalent on any carrier. Thanks

Reply
- Alex Miller February 2, 2018
  
  @Keith – great question. It’s still definitely possible, but due to those routes being so popular it’s tough for sure. As always, try and book as far in advance as you possibly can and avoid super busy times such as major holidays, and of course Valentines day etc. But, they do exist!
  
  Reply
Cy April 11, 2018

When I called to Air France to ask about a Flying Blue mile redemption on its partner Delta (between Hawaii and Las Vegas), the person who answered seem to immediately think this wouldn’t be available. I was asking for flight over 5 months in advance too (in September-not around holidays). I got the impression that they might not like booking partner tickets and that there is very low availability. The agent basically just said, “No, no flights available.” Do you think it just depends on who you speak with? About 1.5 years ago I was successfully able to use Flying Blue miles on the same Delta route…Thanks!

Reply
- Cy April 11, 2018
  
  I just called back and spoke with a different agent who was a lot more helpful. She actually took the time to look up dates and give me other options. It does sound like availability on these types of flights is very low. She explained that especially for domestic flights, Delta only gives them a few seats that sell out quickly. Hmmm…
  
  Reply
Joe May 11, 2018

Thanks for the awesome writeup. I am looking to maximize my points (180k on Chase UR). I am planning a trip july 27 to august 1. Cheapest non stop flight (arriving before 2pm) is around $650.

As I follow this guide, I’m either not seeing availability or the points are 30k one way which is roughly $300 if I’m transferring from chase UR?

Or am I doing something wrong? Thanks in advance!

Reply
- Joe May 11, 2018
  
  sorry it is from LAX to OGG
  
  Reply
  - Michael McHugh May 15, 2018
    
    Hi Joe
    
    Here are the economy options I’d consider:
    – 24k round-trip using Singapore miles on Alaska flying LAX-PDX/SEA-OGG
    – 25k round-trip using British Airways miles on American flying LAX-OGG
    – 25k round-trip using Korean Air miles on Delta flying LAX-oGG
    
    Reply
    - Joe June 9, 2018
      
      So when I check Delta’s site, I only see 55000 miles.
      
      How do I get it for the 25,000 round trip? Is there another step? Or does that mean there is no availability for that price?
      
      Reply
      - Alex Miller June 9, 2018
        
        Yes, that would mean that the “saver” level isn’t available right now for the dates that you’re looking at. These cheaper award prices are limited, try to book as far in advance as you can to maximize your chances of snagging the cheaper rates.
Jack Fear May 15, 2018

You mention that the only lie flat route currently on AA is PHX-HNL. Then state that your best bet would actually be out of DFW. Not sure I follow? Are there in fact lie-flat options from DFW and can you provide further detail? Is that direct? To HNL?

Thanks!

Reply
- Michael McHugh May 16, 2018
  
  Hi Jack!
  
  Apologies for the confusion. You will have lie flat seats on the AA routes that are flown by the A330 or the B777. Routes flown by the B757 are recliner seats. The A330 and B757 are flown on the PHX-HNL route. The B777 is flown on the DFW-HNL route.
  
  Reply
Julie Weinberger May 25, 2018

Hi,

I am looking to book a reward ticket from Atlanta to Honolulu around October 15-23. I’ve looked on Korean SkyPass, delta, and air FRANCE, and have not found any award ticket availability. I even plugged in different dates (random in December, January, and April), to see if maybe my dates were full, and still nothing. I am searching one way tickets to check each way for a round trip. What am I doing wrong? Help!!

Reply
- Michael McHugh May 29, 2018
  
  Hi Julie
  
  I’d recommend searching Delta’s website on the following routes: LAX to HNL, MSP to HNL, SLC to HNL, SEA to HNL. When you find the lowest level availability, call Korean Air to confirm the award space you found. Korean is able to 1) book the direct segment from those airpots to HNL and 2) book the connecting segment from ATL to your gateway city (i.e. ATL to LAX).
  
  I recently did this for my Delta flights from JFK to VCE and FCO to DTW. I simply called Korean and asked them to add connecting flights from DCA to JFK and DTW to DCA. No additional charge to add a connecting flight using Korean.
  
  Reply
Eric February 17, 2019

In your post regarding flying blue miles to Hawaii what do you mean when you say “It’s easy to search for award space on Delta by using Air France’s online search. Once you find space, you can quickly complete the booking process online.” I am searching for a flight from Chicago to Maui or any of the Hawaiian islands and do not see any availability. What is the best airline search engine to use for using my Flying blue miles? Is there something I am missing? Can you give an example?

Reply
- Michael McHugh February 18, 2019
  
  Hi Eric
  
  If you only have Flying Blue miles, use both Delta and Flying Blue (the Air France or KLM website) to search for Delta availability.
  
  Here’s an example of a flight I recently booked. I have Chase points and Korean Air was previously a Korean Air airline transfer partner. I searched the Delta and Flying Blue websites for Delta availability. I then confirmed that same Delta availability on the Korean Air website. From there, I transferred my points from Chase to Korean Air to book the flight.
  
  In your case, if you already have Flying Blue miles, use both the Delta (look for saver level or “orange” colored flight pricing) and the Flying Blue websites. Search segment by segment (i.e. Washington DC to Los Angeles, Los Angeles to Kauai), and then piece it all together with dates that have saver level pricing. When you find those award flights, book the ticket directly on the Air France or KLM website (Flying Blue).
  
  Reply
Eric February 18, 2019

This is good information! Much appreciated. Regarding your example of booking Hawaii with Korean Air miles, I get you can use Delta and Flying Blue websites to search for Delta availability however when I try to confirm Delta availability on Korean Air’s web site I have difficulties. Is there something I am missing? Is there a trick to this too?

I also have a lot of Singapore Air miles and want to book from Chicago to Maui. I have heard the best way to search for awards is using United Air search website and look for Saver awards only. Is this the best way. Finding award availability seems to be a challenge sometimes.

Reply
- Stephen Au February 21, 2019
  
  Eric,
  
  Delta Airlines can be very clunky for domestic flights when using Korean Air. If I were you, I would call either Air France/KLM Flying Blue or Korean Air.
  
  As far as using Singapore Airlines miles to book to Hawaii, the best method is to use Aeroplan’s website, and then call Singapore Air to book. The reason for this is because Aeroplan has the same award inventory as Singapore Airlines does on United flights. Using United to search award availability might give you a false positive because United members have better access to United award flights.
  
  Reply
  - phuong nguyen May 28, 2019
    
    I am on Singapore Airlines web site and want to book a fly from Houston to Maui. Each segment does show 17.5K so the total miles for the roundtrip is indeed 35k.
    However, if I click continue, it stated i need 60k miles to complete the booking online.
    Does anybody see the same thing? Do I have to call SIA to book it with an agent?
    
    Thanks
    Phuong
    
    Reply
    - Stephen Au June 7, 2019
      
      Hi Phuong,
      
      A good option to try is calling Singapore Airlines. We recommend calling them for any travel NOT on Singapore Airlines.
      
      Reply
RAJESH BHANDARI March 1, 2019

From your article
“For those with Chase Ultimate Rewards points, the Korean Air SkyPass program just might be the most popular way to book award flights to Hawaii on Delta”

I don’t have delta points so if I book delta thru Korean air skypass, how do I get ultimate points transferred to Korean skypass

Thanks

Reply
- Katie Seemann March 8, 2019
  
  Hi Rajesh,
  Unfortunately, Chase Ultimate Rewards don’t transfer to Korean Air SkyPass anymore.If you have Chase points you can transfer those into Marriott points and then transfer the Marriott points to Korean at a rate of 3:1. For every 60,000 Marriott points that you transfer, you’ll receive an extra 5,000 Korean miles bonus. Hope this helps!
  
  Reply
Jen hoang March 25, 2019

We currently have 90,000 chase rewards. If we want to fly business class to Hawaii, then we need to transfer the points to to Korean Air Skypass, then use the points to book business class Delta tickets to Hawaii?

Reply
- Stephen Au March 25, 2019
  
  Hey Jen,
  
  Unfortunately, Korean Air SKYPASS is no longer a Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer partner. As a result, you won’t be able to utilize this specific redemption.
  
  Reply
David April 3, 2019

Hi – If I accumulated enough Alaska Airline points. Is it a good deal If Alaska Airlines have flights from New York to Honolulu round-trip for 30K or 35K points? I could also have stopovers in SEA, PDX, SFO or SAN if I wish to. Thanks.

Reply
- Stephen Au April 4, 2019
  
  Hey David,
  
  It all depends on how much you think your miles are worth. It depends too on the cash prices of the tickets you’re looking at. That’s sort of a personal question that you have to ask yourself. Thanks for reading.
  
  Reply
Vickie April 7, 2019

It looks like I can get from DC to Maui on American for 1st class at end of June for 55,000 which doesn’t seem all that bad, am I missing something? Regular economy seats seem to be for 50,000, no brainer unless I’m missing something.

Reply
- Katie Seemann April 11, 2019
  
  Hi Vickie,
  Yes, if that is the case then it’s definitely a no brainer! Have a great trip.
  
  Reply
Tammy Lee May 15, 2019

What’s the best way to book flights from DFW to HNL? Appreciate any advice you can give me.

Reply
- Stephen Au May 16, 2019
  
  For nonstop flights, American Airlines is pretty much your only option.
  
  You can investigate using British Airways Avios, which is transfer partners with Chase Ultimate Rewards. On the other hand, you can use American Airlines miles to book, too.
  
  The last option could be to use Chase Ultimate Rewards points directly on the travel portal for 1.5 cents per point with the Chase Sapphire Reserve or 1.25 cents per point with the Chase Sapphire Preferred.
  
  Reply
Dan August 1, 2019

I just spent three hours trying the first three options you suggested including calling agents to ask them to double-check availability. No business class availability via KoreanAir, SingaporeAir, or AirFrance for the next three months!!!! Very frustrating!!!

Reply
- Jarrod West August 1, 2019
  
  Hi Dan,
  
  Finding business class award space can be difficult at times, even more so if you’re only looking three months out. Nevertheless, keep checking periodically for the dates you need as additional seats can be released as you get close to your desired departure date.
  
  Thanks for reading!
  
  Reply
- Jenn Slaughter September 8, 2022
  
  So I am confused, help please! I am trying to book Kansas to Hawaii. I looking at the “Book Awards Tickets on Alaska Airlines With Singapore KrisFlyer” section of your article. And I believe I understand how the process mostly… I would be booking zone 3, from kansas w/ a layover fro 25,000 miles round trip per person – if I am understand correctly? Here is where I don’t understand, you say…
  
  “Here are the steps you’ll want to take to book your ticket:
  1. Search for availability on the Alaska website.”
  
  …. what exactly am I searching for on the Alaska Airlines website? Am I looking for a certain class of flight? Does it need to be a certain number of miles on the Alaska website, for it to translate over into being able to book the 25,000 miles flight through Singapore Air? Can I fly into any airport in HI? I am needing to fly into HNL. Please help!
  
  Reply
CericRushmore August 10, 2019

I thought that United IAD-HNL is lie flat in business?

Reply
- Andrew Kunesh August 13, 2019
  
  Good catch! The nonstop IAD-HNL route does indeed have lie-flat seating in business class. We’ve updated the article to reflect this. Thanks!
  
  Reply
Sam November 11, 2019

I tried booking US domestic flight though Korean website, and it said origin/destination cannot be in the same region. So is this no longer an option now?

Reply
- Stephen Au November 12, 2019
  
  Hi Sam,
  
  You can call Korean Air SKYPASS to book awards of this nature. Thanks for reading!
  
  Reply
James December 19, 2019

I don’t see any result from NY to OGG(or HNL) with Air france / KLM
Is it still available?

Thanks.

Reply
- Jarrod West December 23, 2019
  
  Hi James,
  
  Are you looking at a specific range of dates? Or do you mean you couldn’t find any results for the year?
  
  Reply
FrustratedTryingtoGohawaiFirstTime January 3, 2020

Using the AirFrance website to find Delta flight is not easy at all. I have been trying to for a week.

Reply
Frustrated January 3, 2020

“Well, now you have a much better option as Singapore Airlines allows you to search for and book award flights with Star Alliance partners online.”

This also does not work, at least not for Midwest. Already spent 1+ hour with Singapore representative and no one seems to have a clue as to how to book with Alaska Airlines for a flight I found on AA SAaver miles.

Reply
- Jarrod West January 4, 2020
  
  Hi!
  
  Just to clarify, the part of the post you’re referencing is using Singapore miles. But you seem to be trying to book your flight using Alaska miles or AA miles? Is that correct?
  
  Reply
Adam Owens January 16, 2020

Alex or anyone that can help!

I’m trying to get our family of 4 from Seattle to either Kauai or Maui later this year. Travel dates are flexible but somewhere around the holidays is ideal. I have 200k+ Chase Ultimate Rewards and 330k + (and growing) miles with Alaska and also MVP 75k with Alaska. Alaska is obviously preferred, but how can I utilize my Alaska miles to get the most bang for the buck(non stop preferred)?

Of course I’ll need to book our hotels (I have timeshare time, best option is Kauai for this) but have 1 million Hilton points and can do the 4 plus 1 night free.

Appreciate the help!

Reply
- Jarrod West January 21, 2020
  
  Hi Adam,
  
  Are you planning to fly in economy or first? If you prefer to use your Alaska miles then economy tickets should cost 40k round-trip per person, and first would cost 80k round-trip per person (availability for 4 first class tickets on the same flight may be tough to find), to fly non-stop from Seattle to Hawaii.
  
  In terms of searching for award space, Alaska’s own website is a good place to start. The American Airlines and British Airways websites can be helpful too, but make sure you’re looking for flights operated by Alaska and not any of their other partners.
  
  Thanks for reading!
  
  Reply
Joe Widjaja February 12, 2020

Hi,

Great posting btw, thank you for sharing. I have a question: My wife and I have been traveling with Delta and we’ve been collecting ample miles from our trip.

I have Delta Skymiles instead of Korean Miles. Would I still be getting the same miles redemption (i.e. 25,000) to fly from NYC to Hawaii as you mentioned in your first option by booking delta using Korean Miles?

Reply
- Stephen Au February 18, 2020
  
  Joe,
  
  If you have Delta SkyMiles, you’ll have to pay the price in Delta SkyMiles. You can’t apply the Korean Air pricing to Delta SkyMiles. Korean Air miles are generally harder to get, which is why the price is lower than Delta SkyMiles for the most part.
  
  Reply
thomas marsden March 4, 2020

I am retired and have spent a lot of time been checking flights from ORD, JFK, and ATL to OGG or HNL for first or business class saver flights. I have about 900,000 miles, but I am still looking for a business or first saver fare. Any suggestions?

Reply
- Stephen Au March 10, 2020
  
  Hi Thomas, the best way to book flights with points will vary depending on which airline you’re flying and when you book.
  
  If you feel like you’d get value from a service that will optimize your award travel and offer ultra-personalized points wealth management, please feel free to contact me directly at [email protected] to inquire about a monthly subscription service.
  
  Reply
TB June 21, 2021

Trying to look for award space on singapore for united flights not finding any when I search with the singapore website is there a better way to search for this?

Reply
- Jarrod West June 22, 2021
  
  Hi TB,
  
  The best way to search for Star Alliance space is on the United website. Check out our full guide here: https://upgradedpoints.com/travel/airlines/searching-star-alliance-award-availability/
  
  Reply
Cherie Hogan January 26, 2022

Does Turkish airlines no longer have the email option? The link only goes to a phone number to call. And when I call I get hung up because a message says the call volume is too high

Reply
- Stephen Au January 30, 2022
  
  Hi Cherie,
  
  Here is the contact page for Turkish Airlines.
  
  https://www.turkishairlines.com/en-int/any-questions/get-in-touch/
  
  Reply