A big point of contention is whether the addition of massive numbers of flights and new visitors, courtesy of Southwest, has been a good or bad thing for Hawaii. The answers we’ve seen here have varied considerably. From the overwhelming interest and anticipation before and during their arrival to the massive push in time since the start of 2019. Here are some thoughts to get you started. We are excited to hear your input as well.
On the plus side of Southwest Hawaii.
Fares from competing destinations where Southwest Hawaii flights originate are among the cheapest anywhere and the lowest we’ve seen in Hawaii in decades. We residents benefit from this as much as visitors. It opened up new routes that had never existed for visitors to Hawaii and lowered others at a very reasonable cost, sometimes less than $100 each way.
Frankly, residents, including us, long ago gave up on the idea of reasonably priced day trips to visit friends and family, go on dates or go shopping on other islands. Or visits to the continent without the high cost of air tickets. These flights had gotten to the point where they were just too expensive for many of us here. However, since Southwest came along, we are making that trip once again. If it hadn’t been for Southwest, inter-island flights would cost many times more than they do now. There is no doubt about it.
Not only that, but as we shared when we first tested and reviewed it, Southwest offers a high-quality Hawaiian economy product that’s probably as good or better than its competitors.
On the not-so-positive side of Southwest Hawaii.
Many more visitors are arriving, in part because of Southwest’s presence and the endless resurgence of post-Covid travel to Hawaii. Largely as a result of their entry into Hawaii, the number of domestic airline seats has increased 20% compared to pre-Covid. Wow! That’s according to the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT). It has brought Hawaii to the brink of being unable to handle visitors, given Hawaii’s lack of proper infrastructure. From traffic and beaches to restaurants and more, dealing with the big numbers is challenging.
Is any of this a reason to point the finger at Southwest? We would say no. If Southwest had gotten to Hawaii sooner, which they certainly would have liked to have done, they would have been in the mix before it became so controversial. Seems mostly coincidence to us, their late timing, Covid, Hawaii over tourism and revenge travel.
Southwest does things differently.
Southwest does things differently. They always have, and they always will. It starts with purchasing tickets, which can only be viewed on the Southwest website. For example, other airlines list their airfares on Expedia, Booking and Google Flights. Also, you don’t get the assigned seats. This is different and something that took some getting used to for us newbies. This aspect continues when you check in 24 hours in advance and get a boarding position. And at the airport, when you line up in that position and march onto the plane in line with others in the same boarding group. It continues with undifferentiated one-class economy, its own views on “snacks”, unique flight attendants and more.
Also, while we haven’t seen data to back this up, you’ve said in countless comments that Southwest is bringing different visitors to Hawaii than the legacy airlines that fly here. Many others may be first-time visitors to Hawaii, and they may also be visitors to the ultra-economic paradigm that Hawaii now notoriously eschews. Again, this is just a hypothesis.
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