Alaska Airlines vs Hawaiian Airlines: A handy guide for choosing one over the other

Despite their completely different sounding names, the similarities in this Alaska Airlines vs Hawaiian Airlines comparison far outweigh the differences.

• Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines compete on many of the same routes.
• Both airlines cover the West Coast of the United States more than many others.
• Just as odd as it may seem to go to Hawaii on Alaska Airlines, you can even go to Alaska on Hawaiian Airlines. These airlines are more competitive with each other than you might think.

Choosing either of these two airlines for your next trip to Hawaii will come down to personal preference:

• If you want the full “Hawaii experience” upon stepping on the plane, choose Hawaiian Airlines.
• If all you’re looking for is a good deal on a dependable airline with great cabin crews, Alaska Airlines will be good enough.

For what it’s worth, given choice between the two, I’m choosing Hawaiian Airlines every time. Read on to find out why…

1. Alaska Airlines vs Hawaiian Airlines: a brief summary of all the similarities and differences

For all the people who might assume that these two airlines are from completely different planets (based on the names alone), here’s a brief rundown of all the similarities and differences:

Similarities

• The route networks of both Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines are largely consolidated to the western half of the United States.
• Both airlines serve Hawaii (all islands) from a large number of West Coast US cities.
• Los Angeles (LAX) is the one airport that both airlines serve with more frequency than any other non-hub city.
• This is purely based on my own experience, but I find the cabin service on both airlines (in all classes) to be the best in the United States.

Differences

• Even though both airlines serve destinations outside of the continental US, only Hawaiian has destinations overseas (to places such as Australia and Japan). The farthest away that Alaska Airlines goes these days is Mexico.
• Alaska Airlines is part of the Oneworld Alliance. Hawaiian Airlines is not part of any alliance (although they do codeshare with many other airlines).
• The entire Alaska Airlines fleet consists of narrowbody aircraft. Hawaiian Airlines, on the other hand, is a predominantly widebody airline featuring aircraft such as the A330 and the 787.
• Hawaiian Airlines serves complementary meals in economy class on flights between the mainland and Hawaii. Don’t get excited though – the free food kinda sucks.
• Hawaiian Airlines offers a lie-flat first class seating option. Alaska Airlines does not.

2. Seat comparison

Spoiler alert: if you’re looking for the most comfortable seat to or from Hawaii on either of these two airlines, Hawaiian Airlines is going to be your best bet.

Alaska Airlines seats

The best way to describe the seats in Alaska Airlines is to say that they’re pretty much like any other US airline. The main cabin seats are overwhelmingly average, and I wouldn’t say that they any better (or worse) than the main cabin seats on Hawaiian Airlines. But when it comes to first class, there’s a world of difference.

First class

First class seats on Alaska Airlines are nice looking, but it’s a fairly standard US domestic first class product. Interestingly enough, they are (nearly) the exact same seats that Hawaiian Airlines uses in the first class cabin on their A321neo.

Premium Class

Premium Class seats on Alaska Airlines are exactly the same as the economy seats but with a few extra inches of legroom. Alaska Airlines doesn’t officially refer to it as a true premium economy product.

Economy class

Economy class seats on Alaska Airlines are essentially the same as the economy class seats on Hawaiian Airlines. Yes, there are a handful of minor visual differences, but seat comfort and seat pitch is nearly identical on both airlines.

There’s no clear winner here unless you like having a personal video screen at every seat. Since Alaska Airlines does not offer this (and Hawaiian Airlines does – at least on some aircraft), that’ll tell you everything you need to know about choosing which one of these two airlines is right for you.

Hawaiian Airlines seats

The nice thing about choosing Hawaiian Airlines over Alaska Airlines is that some aircraft in their fleet feature better seats than others. For the best possible seating experience in all cabins, choose a flight on the Boeing 787. These are the aircraft that Hawaiian Airlines uses for long haul international flights, and therefore, they feature the best seats.

First class

Hawaiian Airlines is running three configurations of first class between Hawaii in the US mainland at the moment:

• A321neo first class
• A330-200 first class (lie flat)
• 787-9 first class (lie flat)

Hawaiian Airlines A321neo first class is nearly identical to Alaska Airlines first class. They are (nearly) the exact same seats, but with different seat materials.

Extra Comfort

The Extra Comfort seats are exactly the same as the economy class seats, but with a few extra inches of legroom (just like the Alaskan Airlines Premium Class seat). 

Economy class

Economy class seating on all Hawaiian Airlines aircraft is nearly identical to as it is on Alaska Airlines. The only major difference is that (other than the A321neo) you’ll get a personal video screen.

3. Food comparison

Both airlines serve hot meals in first class, and decent snacks in economy. However, Hawaiian Airlines takes it one step further by offering hot meals in economy as well.

Alaska Airlines food

Alaska airlines has always served really good food. They completely revamped their first class menu a few years ago, and they offer a decent food for purchase option for everyone else. You’re not going to starve on Alaska Airlines.

First class

First class food on Alaska Airlines is pretty good. I’d go as far as to say that it’s even better than the food that you’ll get on Hawaiian Airlines. It looks presentable, the portions are decent, and it tastes fine.

Premium Class

Premium Class food on Alaska Airlines doesn’t even exist. It’s the exact same food that you’ll be served in economy class. Your only two options will be the complementary snacks that they serve, or to purchase something off the menu. I highly recommend the fruit and cheese plate from the menu. It’s fantastic.

Economy class

Just as it is in Premium Class, all you’re going to get in basic economy is a complementary snack and the option to purchase something off the menu.

Hawaiian Airlines food

Hawaiian Airlines food is about the same quality as Alaska Airlines food, but it’s a lot more interesting. This is primarily because the food they serve has a very Hawaiian theme to it. That doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s tastier, but it’s hard not to appreciate the effort.

First class

First class food on Hawaiian Airlines is just as decent as the first class food and Alaska Airlines. However, the menu features Hawaiian-themed options, which makes the experience a lot more fun.

Extra Comfort

Just as it is on Alaska Airlines, you won’t get any extra food in an Extra Comfort seat than you would would in basic economy. However, Hawaiian Airlines does serve hot sandwiches in both Extra Comfort and economy, which is something that Alaska Airlines does not do. A word of warning though: those hot sandwiches are borderline terrible.

Economy class

Basic economy food on Hawaiian Airlines consists of a complementary snack and a free hot meal – which is usually just reheated hot sandwich of some kind and a bag of chips. Given the choice, I’d rather eat the fruit and cheese platter off the food for purchase menu on Alaska Airlines.

4. In-flight entertainment comparison

Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines both offer a wide variety of movies, TV shows, and music to help pass the time. However, the way they go about delivering that content differs from one another.

Alaska Airlines in-flight entertainment

There are no video screens on any Alaska Airlines aircraft. Their in-flight entertainment product consists of a streaming service that you can access (for free) from your own personal device.

Some of their newest aircraft feature phone and tablet holders in the headrests of the seat back in front of you (where a video screen would normally go), which makes consuming the continent much easier.

There are also power outlets available at every seat, and Wi-Fi (for web browsing) is available for an additional cost.

Hawaiian Airlines in-flight entertainment

The selection of TV shows, movies, and music on Hawaiian Airlines is pretty good. You won’t have any difficulty finding something good to watch (unless you were super picky). Wi-Fi for browsing the web is available at an additional cost.

However, there are several things to note about in-flight entertainment when it comes to Hawaiian Airlines:

• There are no video screens in the first class seats on their A330’s and A321s. Instead, the flight attendants will hand out complementary iPads preloaded with a collection of TV shows, movies, and music.
• There are videos screens in economy class and Extra Comfort on the A330.
• Video screens are built into all seats on the Boeing 787.

6. Route network comparison

Although the core of the Hawaiian Airlines network is based around the Hawaiian Islands, both airlines compete heavily on the same routes. Alaska Airlines has been focusing heavily on Hawaii for the past few years, almost to the point where they are become known as the “other” Hawaiian Airline.

Alaska Airlines route network

Despite a fantastically-specific (and geographically-limiting) name, Alaska Airlines is growing into a major airline that covers all of the US. Don’t let it’s name fool you – they do a lot more than fly to Alaska, and based on my experience, they do it well.

• The main hub for Alaska Airlines is in Seattle (SEA)
• Other hubs include Los Angeles (LAX), Anchorage (ANC), Portland (PDX) and San Francisco (SFO)
• They have focus cities in San Diego (SAN) and San Jose (SJC)

Although the majority of Alaska Airlines flights are within the western portion of the United States (including Hawaii), they have been expanding to the east coast – and even Mexico.

Hawaiian Airlines route network

As their name suggests, most Hawaiian Airlines flights begin and end in Hawaii. In addition to serving the US mainland (primarily west coast cities), they also fly to international destinations such as Japan, South Korea, and Australia. Hawaiian Airlines also has a vast intra-island network of flights, whereas Alaska Airlines does not.

• The main hub for Hawaiian Airlines is Honolulu (HNL)
• Although they don’t officially have any focus cities, Los Angeles (LAX) is their second largest operating base in terms of passengers carried to and from the islands on any given day.
• Yes, they do fly to Alaska as well.

8. Why would you choose Alaska Airlines over Hawaiian Airlines (or vice versa)?

Trying to choose between Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines will come down to your individual preferences.

Choose Alaska Airlines if:

• You want to earn points and status on an airline that is part of a major airline alliance. In other words, the points you earn on Alaska Airlines are far more valuable than the points you’ll earn on Hawaiian Airlines.
• Most of your flying is within the Continental US.
• You want lounge access before your flight (except for flights leaving Hawaii). Although Hawaiian does have the Hawaiian Airlines Premier Club available for their premium flyers in Honolulu, there are none on the mainland.

Choose Hawaiian Airlines if:

• You want the “full” Hawaiian experience (native boarding music, native food, and cabin crews who wear floral shirts).
• You want a lie flat seat in first class
• You want a free (somewhat substantial) meal in economy class.
• You fly to and from Hawaii a lot (their frequent flyer program will be more beneficial to you).
• You prefer the option of flying more spacious widebody aircraft.

Personally, if given the choice between Alaska and Hawaiian, I’m usually (ok, always) going to choose Hawaiian. Why? Well, I like the feeling of being in Hawaii immediately after stepping onto the plane (thanks to the native music and liberal use of the words “aloha” and “mahalo” by the cabin crew). I prefer widebody aircraft. And I love their first class lie-flat seats.

Sure, Alaska Airlines will get you to and from Hawaii comfortably and safely. But if there’s any airline that knows Hawaiian culture better than all the others, it’s not the one with the portrait of an Eskimo painted on the side of their airplanes.