Flight attendants offered first-class passengers on my flight a predeparture beverage choice of prosecco, POG juice or mai tais. The crew also handed out printed menus. The meal included creations from executive chefs Wade Ueoka and Michelle Karr-Ueoka of MW Restaurant and chef Dell Valdez of Vein at Kakaako.<\/p>\n
\n
1 of 3<\/p>\n
KYLE OLSEN\/THE POINTS GUY<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Before takeoff, food and drink orders were taken, and after about 20 minutes in the air, passengers were offered macadamia nuts with their first beverage service followed approximately 10 minutes later by a single meal tray with the appetizer and main course.<\/p>\n\nKYLE OLSEN\/THE POINTS GUY<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nDinner consisted of an asparagus salad with arugula, radish and cage-free egg crumble with miso-honey dressing. There was also a Hawaiian sweet roll with butter.<\/p>\n
The main course choices included:<\/p>\n
\nBraised beef bourguignon with daikon (Japanese radish) and walnut and mushroom Israeli couscous<\/li>\n Roasted kabocha (pumpkin) and garbanzo beans with curry farfalle pasta<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nI ordered the beef, but the texture was very fatty and tasted more like salty beef chunks than a savory beef stew braised in red wine. In contrast, the salad was fresh and had a pleasant, subtly sweet tanginess, complemented by the miso-honey dressing.<\/p>\n\nKYLE OLSEN\/THE POINTS GUY<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThe single option for dessert was a pineapple yuzu cake, which was light, sweet and refreshing.<\/p>\n\nKYLE OLSEN\/THE POINTS GUY<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nCocktail lovers will appreciate the airline’s selection of five specialty libations, including a pineapple daiquiri and the Aviation featuring Larios Gin with notes of dry cherry, lemon and violet.<\/p>\n
A small range of beverages and wines, including prosecco, a choice of one red or white wine, white Hawaiian rum, two beers from the Maui Brewing Company, various Hawaiian-inspired soft drinks and popular soda brands, are also available on board. The crew consistently ensured drinks were refilled and periodically checked in on passengers throughout the flight.<\/p>\n
\n
1 of 2<\/p>\n
KYLE OLSEN\/THE POINTS GUY<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Before landing, the crew offered first-class passengers Hawaiian Host chocolate-covered macadamia nuts as a final treat.<\/p>\n\nKYLE OLSEN\/THE POINTS GUY<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThe crew on my flight stood out as one of the most genuine and efficient teams I have had on a flight in recent memory.<\/p>\n
Upon our boarding, they greeted passengers by their last names and inquired about their preferred form of address for the flight.<\/p>\n
During service, they extended passengers’ tray tables for them and gracefully arranged their tablecloths. Moreover, the crew went the extra mile by verbally announcing each dish and beverage as they served them. For instance, instead of simply presenting the main course, they would say, “Kyle, for your dinner, we have prepared the braised beef bourguignon with Japanese radish, walnut and mushroom Israeli couscous. Enjoy.”<\/p>\n
Overall, the crew helped make the experience that much more memorable and enjoyable.<\/p>\n
Would you recommend Hawaiian Airlines’ first class?<\/h2>\n\nKYLE OLSEN\/THE POINTS GUY<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nDespite the lack of Wi-Fi, a lengthy check-in line in Honolulu and quirky seats, Hawaiian Airlines’ A330 first class is a comfortable (if not over-awing) way to fly.<\/p>\n
These seats wouldn’t be competitive on a long-haul business-class route like Los Angeles to London or Paris because of their lack of direct aisle access, privacy and storage, some of which should be remedied by the forthcoming first class that will be available on the airline’s new Boeing 787s.<\/p>\n
However, for a leisure destination where most travelers tend to be couples or families, the seats are a fine fit.<\/p>\n\nKYLE OLSEN\/THE POINTS GUY<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nWhat the airline might lack in panache, it makes up for in character. For instance, every A330 aircraft in Hawaiian Airlines’ fleet carries a symbolic name associated with Hawaii’s history. Just before the safety video, the purser announced that our plane, named Humu, derives its moniker from Hawaiian astrology. Humu represents one of the brightest stars in the navigational triangle that guided the Polynesian ancestors to the Hawaiian Islands. It was just another moment that lent the experience a truly Hawaiian feel.<\/p>\n
Although not as premium or private as some long-haul business- or first-class seats, Hawaiian Airlines’ A330 first class is still a comfortable, enjoyable way to fly, especially between the airline’s Hawaiian hubs and its destinations in the mainland U.S. That said, I might consider other options for longer-haul flights to the East Coast.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Quick take: Hawaiian Airlines’ Airbus A330 offers lie-flat seats and an island-inspired experience in first class, though the seating configuration means not every passenger has direct aisle access and inflight Wi-Fi is unavailable. Pros The friendly crew offers genuine and personalized service to each first-class passenger. Hawaii’s culture and the spirit of aloha are instantly 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Pros The friendly crew offers genuine and personalized service to each first-class passenger. Hawaii’s culture and the spirit of aloha are instantly…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/travelaffiliatewebsite.com\/mer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4287"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/travelaffiliatewebsite.com\/mer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/travelaffiliatewebsite.com\/mer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/travelaffiliatewebsite.com\/mer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/travelaffiliatewebsite.com\/mer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4287"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/travelaffiliatewebsite.com\/mer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4287\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4289,"href":"https:\/\/travelaffiliatewebsite.com\/mer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4287\/revisions\/4289"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/travelaffiliatewebsite.com\/mer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4288"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/travelaffiliatewebsite.com\/mer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4287"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/travelaffiliatewebsite.com\/mer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4287"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/travelaffiliatewebsite.com\/mer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4287"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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