Hawaiian Airlines has started selling basic economy fares on select routes between Honolulu and the US mainland.
The airline said it would offer the stripped-down fares to three of its 13 mainland destinations — Los Angeles, Long Beach and San Jose — for travel from October 21.
Basic economy fares have been introduced by full-service airlines in an effort to combat the assault by low-cost carriers.
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Hawaiian’s Main Cabin basic offers a seat plus a complimentary carry-on bag and one personal item. There are also complimentary meals, beverages and in-flight entertainment
Seat selection will not be available before check-in and Main Cabin basic passengers may be assigned a seat at the gate.
Hawaiian Miles members will continue to earn a mile per mile flown but will not earn bonus miles,
Also off the agenda: earlier access to overhead bins, the ability to change the flight and to upgrade.
“We are now offering a full range of fare options to our guests on these routes with the addition of the best-value Main Cabin Basic product in the industry – one that combines our lowest fares with our award-winning Hawaiian hospitality, including complimentary meals and in-flight entertainment, delivered in the comfort of our modern fleet,” said Brent Overbeek, Hawaiian’s senior vice president of revenue management and network planning.
A quick search of the airline’s website showed savings of about $US60 for a roundtrip Main Cabin Basic fare compared to the Main Cabin fare.
A roundtrip fare for Honolulu to Los Angeles, for example, was $US398 in Main Cabin Basic, $US458 for Main Cabin and $US618 for Extra Comfort, which offers at least five additional inches of legroom plus priority boarding.
In addition to servicing its 13 US gateway cities, Hawaiian also flies to Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, American Samoa and Tahiti.
It averages more than 170 jet flights daily between the Hawaiian Islands and over 260 daily flights system-wide.
