Editor’s note: Hawaiian Airlines provided TPG with a free one-way coach-class ticket for the Dreamliner inaugural to San Francisco. All opinions expressed here are the author’s own and were not subject to review by Hawaiian.
It’s a big moment for Hawaiian Airlines.
After years of anticipation, Hawaiian officially launched service Monday aboard its first Boeing 787 Dreamliner — and TPG was on board the inaugural flight.
CLINT HENDERSON/THE POINTS GUY
It’s a day that’s been in the making since 2018, when the Honolulu-based carrier first placed an order for a dozen of the new jets. Following a multi-year delay, the airline finally took delivery of its first Dreamliner in February, clearing the way for takeoff and showcasing stunning new interiors.
Hawaiian has an option for another eight planes, and the deliveries will open up more of the world to the carrier.
Hawaiian Airlines Flight 12, Hawaiian’s Dreamline inaugural flight, left Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) at 1:18 p.m. and arrived at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) at 9:20 p.m.
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It was a fun day taking in the inaugural flight festivities and flying aboard this brand-new Boeing jet. There were live music and hula dance performances while excited employees handed out leis to passengers.
It’s not only the new planes that make this an exciting time for the 95-year-old airline: The new jet is one part in a series of big changes for Hawaiian in the coming years.
Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines announced in December that they would combine in a merger that would leave both brands standing, but with Alaska holding a controlling stake. The combined airline will also be part of the Oneworld alliance, which Alaska joined in early 2021.
Related: Why the Alaska-Hawaiian merger could be a win-win for frequent flyers
Hawaiian’s growing fleet Hawaiian Airlines 787-9. ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY
Hawaiian has had a long wait for its Dreamliners. The 12th jet isn’t expected until 2027, and the airline has options for another eight. More broadly, the order caps a big move for the Hawaiian, which had relied on Airbus for its long-haul fleet since phasing out the Boeing 767 in 2019.
The 787 order (originally for just 10 planes) was first placed in March of 2018, though deliveries are now just three years behind schedule.
After an extensive evaluation of our future fleet needs, we’re excited to announce that we’ve selected the @BoeingAirplanes 787 #Dreamliner to grow our medium to long-haul fleet. As part of the selection, we intend to purchase 10 787-9 jets. #AvGeek #Aviation pic.twitter.com/2Nqve7blLP
— Hawaiian Airlines (@HawaiianAir) March 6, 2018
Hawaiian’s medium- to long-haul fleet consisted of Airbus A330s and Airbus A321neos.
For now, the airline will be flying Dreamliners mostly on routes between Hawaii and California and Arizona. Hawaiian will use the Dreamliner on its daily Honolulu-San Francisco service. Additionally, select flights between Honolulu and both Los Angeles and Phoenix will see Dreamliner service starting next month. Hawaiian plans to start Dreamliner service from Maui’s Kahului Airport (OGG) to LA beginning Sept. 8.
Dreamliner routes starting in May for Hawaiian Airlines. CIRIUM
Eventually, it’s possible the 787s could be used on longer routes to cities like Sydney potentially or even New York City. Below is the current long-haul map for Hawaiian flown by A330s, as displayed by aviation analytics firm Cirium.
Hawaiian’s current long-haul routes. CIRIUM
“Our 787-9 is a true flagship product that, when paired with the award-winning hospitality of our crew, will provide guests with an unforgettable Hawaiʻi travel experience,” Peter Ingram, president and CEO of Hawaiian Airlines, said in a press release touting the launch.
The Hawaiian Airlines Dreamliner Hawaiian’s new Dreamliner named “Kapuahi.” CLINT HENDERSON/THE POINTS GUY
All of Hawaiian’s 787-9s will have Hawaiian names based on the stars and constellations that Polynesian navigators sailed by. The jet that flew Hawaiian’s inaugural to San Francisco is dubbed “Kapuahi,” which is the Hawaiian word for the star known as Aldebaran in Western astronomy. The plane bears the tail number N781HA.
During preflight announcements, flight co-pilot Mary Ann called out the aircraft’s name, saying: “[The] star the plane is named after appears in the Pacific sky. She’s beautiful inside and out.”
CLINT HENDERSON/THE POINTS GUY
Hawaiian already took delivery of a second Dreamliner earlier this month with the ship number N780HA. The planes have room for 300 passengers, and they boost fuel efficiency, range and capacity as compared to Hawaiian’s existing fleet of wide-bodies.
CLINT HENDERSON/THE POINTS GUY
The twin-aisle Dreamliners have 34 business-class suites in a 1-2-1 configuration spread across seven rows. Business class features an all-new, suite-style Adient Aerospace Ascent seats that can also be found on some Qatar Airways’ jets. Hawaiian gave me a quick look before boarding.
You can read all about the new business class in this article from my colleague Eric Rosen, who got a look at a press unveiling back in March.
I wasn’t lucky enough to snag a seat in the all-new business class cabin: It was completely sold out. However, I was excited just to be on a brand-new plane for this inaugural. In any case, the coach cabin was beautiful, too, with 266 Collins Aerospace Aspire seats.
CLINT HENDERSON/THE POINTS GUY
I was assigned seat 33F, one of the 79 seats on this plane that are sold as Extra Comfort seats. When I checked in on the Hawaiian Airlines app, there were few seats left to choose from (aside from a few middle seats in the first section of the main cabin for an extra $4). I stuck with my bulkhead seat in the first row of the second cabin in the back.
Extra comfort seats have four additional inches of pitch, more legroom and AC outlets. Indeed, my seat in the aisle bulkhead in the middle three seats had a whopping 56 inches of pitch when I measured from the back of the seat to the bulkhead.
CLINT HENDERSON/THE POINTS GUY
It was 35 inches from the front of the seat to the bulkhead.
CLINT HENDERSON/THE POINTS GUY
There are a total of 266 seats in the back in a standard 3-3-3 configuration except in the back and at the bulkheads, where there are a few sets of two-seat rows.
CLINT HENDERSON/THE POINTS GUY
The seats themselves are fabric and are well-padded despite the thinness of the seat. I love the turquoise coloring. Combined with the soft tropical colors of the ceiling cabin lighting, it gave an updated tropical vibe.
My seat padding was better than I expected. I never got sore despite sitting for about five hours total.
CLINT HENDERSON/THE POINTS GUY
In fact, the thinness of the seats helps it feel roomier even when you are sitting in the narrower bulkhead seats. My seat measured 17 inches across, but the nonbulkhead coach seats measure a little wider at about 17 and a half inches.
CLINT HENDERSON/THE POINTS GUY
The adjustable headrest was a nice touch and allowed me to rest in a few different head positions during flight. The recline of the seat was very shallow. I wouldn’t want to be in this seat for an overnight flight.
CLINT HENDERSON/THE POINTS GUY
All coach seats have either a 12-inch seatback monitor or a monitor stowed in the armrest (for bulkhead seats). Also, there are USB-A and USB-C charging ports in the monitors.
There are also two fixed universal electric outlets underneath each set of three seats in the Extra Comfort section.
A large selection of new-release movies was available for viewing, including “Barbie,” “Ferrari” and “Past Lives,” as well as several Japanese and Korean films. I ended up watching a fascinating documentary called “Waterman” about the famed Olympic swimmer and native Hawaiian Duke Kahanamoku.
The other notable thing in the cabin was the mood lighting said to reflect the many skies of Hawaii.
There were five bathrooms in the center of the coach cabin space in front of row 33 as well as another restroom in the very back of the plane. There was rarely a line during the flight, and they were kept clean throughout the journey.
I appreciated the coconut-scented liquid hand soap by Celeste Industries in the bathrooms. Plus, whenever the bathroom doors were shut, there was Hawaiian music playing inside the restroom.
One disappointing note is that there was no Wi-Fi onboard. Hawaiian just launched free high-speed Starlink Wi-Fi on select A321neo aircraft that it operates on California flights. Unfortunately, there won’t be Wi-Fi on the Dreamliners for some time. Hawaiian said it would “install and activate antennas on all its 18 A321neo aircraft by spring, followed by its A330s by the end of the year, and later its new flagship aircraft, the Boeing 787-9.”
That’s annoying for a brand-new plane.
Also, be aware that there are no air nozzles or gasper vents on the plane, so it’s up to flight attendants to keep the cabin cool.
CLINT HENDERSON/THE POINTS GUYA festive departure from HNL
There were no signs or balloons or any type of fanfare at the Terminal 1 check-in counters at HNL; however, the boarding gate more than made up for it with traditional Hawaiian music and a celebratory air.
Check-in at the airport was remarkably free of any signage for the big day, though I did mark the occasion on my own.