Cheap flights to Hawaii are easy to find, in autumn
One of the perpetual keys to saving money on flights is to plan to go to destinations sometime other than at their yearly peak. When some people hear this they think this means going to cities when the weather is bad there, but often the weather is as good or better at other times of the year. In Hawaii, the weather is always wonderful as long as you like it warm. This fall you can fly there for under US$500 from certain cities, and for not much more than that from many others.
The reason for this is that Hawaii tends to be busiest during winter, from December through February, when the weather is terrible in so many parts of the Northern Hemisphere. It’s also quite busy during summer, when so many people are out of school and have their yearly vacations. If you can thread the needle and go from between September and November, you can save a lot on airfare and get excellent deals on hotels as well.
Shoulder-season travel equals great bargains
It’s true that “shoulder season” in Europe often means having to pack a sweater or jacket in Europe, since usually this season is March, April, October, and November. But in Hawaii the autumn is actually the warmest time of year, and the driest as well.
Honestly, the differences between one month and the next are pretty minor, just as the differences between daytime highs and nighttime lows are also minor. In Honolulu the average high is 87F in October, and the average low is 73F. Compare that to where you are living and then pack your bags.
Hotel bargains are even better than airfare bargains
For all the above reasons, hotels in places such as Hawaii tend to be even better deals than the flights themselves. If you think about it, airlines can have 3 flights a day in January and then scale back to 1 flight per day in October, so their inventory can adjust to demand to a greater degree. On the other hand, a 300-room hotel is going to have 300 rooms all year round. Obviously they jack prices up around Christmas time, but they also slash prices during autumn.
I’m seeing really nice beach resort hotels advertising rooms for a bit under $100 per night, and some condo-hotels are in that same price range. Compare that to $250 per night or even more during high season, and you’ll realize that you could honestly spend two weeks in Hawaii in October for less than half the cost of one week in January.
Hawaiian Airlines sale
The current airfare sale that is attracting so much attention is from Hawaiian Airlines, and this one ends on May 13, but you can be sure that something similar will be available not long after this one ends. The flights are from between September 6 and November 17, and demand will continue to be relatively low in June and July, so there will be new similar fare sales.
If you are in Portland or Seattle you can actually get a roundtrip fare to Honolulu or Maui for $438 plus some taxes. San Francisco, which is actually the closest city to Hawaii, starts at $508. Great deals are available from San Jose, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas as well. Just enter your town into any search box and the Hawaiian Airlines fare sale prices will undoubtedly be at the top of the cheap list, so see the great deals for yourself.