Yup. It’s one of Hawaiian’s only flights that doesn’t “touch” the islands (the other is the new Seatle-Tokyo nonstop). Between now and August 20, Hawaiian will fly twice each day from Anchorage to Seattle. One is a red-eye, departing at 2:50 a.m. The other daily flight leaves at 4:10 p.m., arriving in Seattle at 8:30 p.m. The return flights from SEA-TAC to Anchorage leave each day at 11:45 a.m. and 10:05 p.m.
Alaska Airlines has completed its acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines. Still, the plan is to retain the Hawaiian Airlines brand, honoring its 95-year legacy in the islands.
So, although you can now book your Hawaiian flight on the Alaska Air website and Alaska’s staff checks you in at the gate, Hawaiian still is very much its own airline–and they fly with pride.
Lots of Hawaiian Air people were at the gate in Anchorage to say a special blessing–complete with some songs–encouraging safe passage on this new route.
Here are my impressions.
The aircraft: Between Anchorage and Seattle, Hawaiian is flying a large, twin-aisle, wide-body Airbus 330-200 aircraft. This is the same plane Hawaiian flies from Seattle to Tokyo, or between Honolulu and Sydney. It’s similar to the planes that Condor flies from Anchorage non-stop to Germany. It’s built for long-haul operations.
Between Anchorage and Seattle, we flew high and fast: 41,000 feet, with a flight time of 3:01.
The cabin: Hawaiian’s long-haul, international configuration features 18 lie-flat business class seats up front (three rows of 2 x 2 x 2 seats). In back, it’s a 2 x 4 x 2 set-up. More than 60 of the seats are “Extra Comfort” with about five extra inches of legroom. There are 278 seats on the plane.
In-flight entertainment is available via seatback tvs, with a selection of music, games, tv shows and movies. In business class, there’s a rod that comes out of the center console to hold an iPad to watch, which is delivered by the flight attendant.
If you want to watch on your own device, there’s fast, free Starlink internet service. That’s f-r-e-e. Solid connection for the whole ride.
The first class meal service featured a choice of either chicken or pork, with a salad and dessert and a Hawaiian-themed selection of cocktails: mai-tai, dacquiri, old-fashioned. There’s also a selection of beer from Maui Brewing.
Some of the travelers up front took advantage of the pillow and blanket, fully reclining and taking a nap after dinner. I was too busy looking out the window, snapping a couple of nice shots.
On the return flight to Anchorage, I got one of the “comfort” seats with extra legroom. The crew offered snacks for sale, but I opted for some Hawaiian “POG” (passionfruit, orange and guava) juice.
The verdict: riding on a wide-body aircraft is more comfortable. I like the two-seat set-up on each side of the plane better than the standard three-across with the middle seat. Check out “Hana Hou”, Hawaiian’s in-flight magazine. I kinda miss the Alaska Airlines magazine, by the way.
TIPS: Be sure and sign up for Hawaiian’s mileage plan and LINK it to your Alaska Airlines plan. If you’re an elite traveler on Alaska, you can get elite status on Hawaiian, which helps when you’re checking bags.
If you’re a mileage-hound, consider getting the Hawaiian Air credit card. Once you pay the $99 fee and spend $1,000, you can get 60,000 Hawaiian miles, which you then can transfer to your Alaska Air account.
I hope Hawaiian Airlines keeps flying to Anchorage through the winter…perhaps nonstop to Hawaii. Or to Tokyo!
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