It’s official: Southwest Airlines is making travel to Hawaii more affordable than ever.
Last week, Southwest received FAA approval to offer service to Hawaii, and the budget airline isn't wasting any time offering cheap flights to the Aloha State.
Southwest Airlines $49 to Hawaii Credit: Dennis Macdonald/Getty Images
On Monday, Southwest announced it will begin flights to and from the Hawaiian islands starting on March 17. To sweeten the deal, the airline is offering $49 one-way flights — or $98 round-trips — between California and Hawaii.
The $49 flights are selling quickly, so any travelers who manage to book a $100 round-trip flight should consider themselves very lucky. However, even those who do not get the cheapest tickets can be happy about Southwest's entrance into Hawaii service. Considering a great deal on a Hawaii flight is $300, the slightly more expensive $79 and $99 one-way fares also being offered are still amazing.
Routes, SFGate.com reported, include Oakland to Honolulu, which will begin daily flights on March 17, along with Honolulu to Oakland, which will begin once-daily flights a day later. On March 24, the airline will increase flights to twice daily between Honolulu and Oakland.
The airline will then begin flights from Oakland to Kahului daily on April 7, along with Kahului to Oakland on April 8. The Kahului to Oakland route will then be flown twice daily in each direction as of April 10, SFGate.com reported. Finally, a San Jose to Honolulu flight will begin May 5, once daily in each direction. A San Jose to Kahului flight is also set to start on May 26, once daily in each direction. San Diego and Sacramento routes have not been posted yet, so anyone looking for a bargain should keep an eye out — when the flights between those cities and Hawaii are offered, more $49 fares could be available.
Beyond mainland to Hawaii travel, Southwest is also starting interisland service four times daily in each direction between Honolulu and Kahului April 28. Additionally, Southwest will offer interisland service four times daily in each direction between Honolulu and Kona on May 12. Travelers who want to fly between islands can also get Inter-island fares are as low as $29 each way.
Head to Southwest.com to check availability of the cheap flights.