Midwest to Hawaii - Fair Price?

What's a fair price for roundtrip tickets from the midwest (Detroit) to Honolulu? I found the perfect flight times for my dates for $1160 a piece. It seems a little high to me but I'm really lost when it comes to Hawaii pricing. Thanks!

Try putting your dates into Google Flight Search or Matrix ITA. That price does seem high but your dates may be in a period of high demand.

Delta shows a round trip fare of $680 but but but -- that is for leaving on a Tuesday in February and returning on a Thursday. If your dates are locked in you have fewer options. What are your dates?

Yes, dates are locked in and we're flying in the week right after Easter. Wednesday March 30th - Saturday April 9th.

What's a fair price for roundtrip tickets from the midwest (Detroit) to Honolulu? I found the perfect flight times for my dates for $1160 a piece. It seems a little high to me but I'm really lost when it comes to Hawaii pricing. Thanks!

Check prices with ITA. But realize you're quite a bit late in the game for buying Hawaii tix just before or after Easter. Also, trade that Saturday flight for something midweek.

Yes, dates are locked in and we're flying in the week right after Easter. Wednesday March 30th - Saturday April 9th.

That's apt to be a high demand week, since many schools will be off for the week, and there's always a bit of a "premium" on tickets to Hawaii anyway, so I'm not sure how much lower prices might go if you wait. If your dates and travel times were more flexible, you'd likely have a lot more wiggle room.

Thanks for your help & thoughts. Our dates are locked in due to our cruise booking and our work situation.

I'm thinking I should just buy now even though it is more than I wanted to spend on flights. At least at this point there are still seats left that are more comfortable.

I have never bought flight tickets this early & will be so bummed if the price goes down later. But we're talking a holiday week - so prices will probably only go up as we get closer to Easter. (??)

Buy now and never look again are the fares! As you have no flexibility the odds are stacked against you for a fare reduction.

That is definitely a very, very busy time of the year, demanding a high premium, and if your dates aren't flexible (and you're a bit late to the game, as mentioned), you don't have many options. You may think it's a bit high, and indeed for many trips to Hawaii that is high, but it's the price in reality...take it or leave it, from the sounds of it.

To make you feel a bit better - would $1100 be an okay price to pay to get to Europe? Because the trip is about the same length!

(There are many other economic factors that go in to pricing other than distance, but maybe that helps you feel a bit better ;))

Thanks for the great advice. Once I buy I will try my hardest to be happy and never ever look at prices again!

And the Europe comparison is perfect. I haven't been to Europe yet but have looked at pricing and was prepared to pay $1000+ to fly there.

I suggest you keep an eye on a domestic flight to Oakland, then fly to HNL from there. It's around $700 roundtrip to HNL. I don't know where you are in MI, but if you can fly out of Chicago, then Spirit Airlines has a fare for $206 roundtrip to Oakland.

I frequently chop up my flights to see if flying in segments can lower the price.

I would never recommend using Spirit Airlines to get to an airport on time to get to another flight to your final destination. Spirit cheap comes with a price - no extra planes to make up for mechanicals, no changing to another flight if things go sideways…

To the OP: I honestly would get those tickets now. Looks like (from ITA) that everyone is within $100 or so of each other for that routing. Pick your airline of choice, buy them and NEVER look at prices again.

I would never recommend using Spirit Airlines to get to an airport on time to get to another flight to your final destination. Spirit cheap comes with a price - no extra planes to make up for mechanicals, no changing to another flight if things go sideways…

 

To the OP: I honestly would get those tickets now. Looks like (from ITA) that everyone is within $100 or so of each other for that routing. Pick your airline of choice, buy them and NEVER look at prices again.

There's really no problem if you overnight in the Bay Area, and leave the next day. Flying into Oakland or SFO, you have BART right in the airports and can go to a hotel or sightseeing.

I break up flights a lot. Fly from our dinky little airport, connect to DTW in Phoenix or Denver. It costs the same as roundtrip gas and parking at LAX, which is a zoo until the construction is over.

I've flown LAX-HNL, spent the night, and then HNL-SYD the next day; done this twice, and once with a 3 night mini-vacay in Honolulu.

It's an option that can sometimes save money, but at the least it can make a stressful and exhausting flight more leisurely.

It cost me $1200to fly KMSP to KSFO everytime I go. Your Hawaii trip is prime spring break (Presidents' Day - Easter) so rates are higtpher. I've gotten first class KLEI from KMSP for $998 but off season in June.

It cost me $1200to fly KMSP to KSFO everytime I go. Your Hawaii trip is prime spring break (Presidents' Day - Easter) so rates are higtpher. I've gotten first class KLEI from KMSP for $998 but off season in June.

LEI= Almeria airport in Spain...

June is not off season in Hawaii, if that is what you are referring to.

There's really no problem if you overnight in the Bay Area, and leave the next day.

Peggy -- you continually tell folks..."No Problem". Yet the specific situation here is that flying Spirit to a time-sensitive rendezvous (be it a cruise or another flight on Airline XX) is rolling the dice big time.

XX doesn't care of Spirit went mechanical and would not interline you. And then you are a no-show and out the cost of a new walk-up ticket.

But hey....it's worked for you to get from your podunk airport to SFO so that must be fine of a completely different situation.

And I know...you think I'm rude. I think you are being too rosy and optimistic.

United still has their daily NON STOP from Denver to HNL. And I am sure many flights from Detroit.

United still has their daily NON STOP from Denver to HNL. And I am sure many flights from Detroit to DEN.

Peggy -- you continually tell folks..."No Problem". Yet the specific situation here is that flying Spirit to a time-sensitive rendezvous (be it a cruise or another flight on Airline XX) is rolling the dice big time.

 

XX doesn't care of Spirit went mechanical and would not interline you. And then you are a no-show and out the cost of a new walk-up ticket.

 

But hey....it's worked for you to get from your podunk airport to SFO so that must be fine of a completely different situation.

 

And I know...you think I'm rude. I think you are being too rosy and optimistic.

And, to overnight in SFO just because you want to take unreliable Spirit because they are cheap - you gotta spend your savings on a motel room. And, because it's SFO, you're going to pay more for the hotel than your cost savings. Unless you match up a flight on Spirit with a night at the local 1 star motel...

Thanks for all of your replies! I bought the tickets. The flight there is pretty nice with a short layover in Chicago and then nonstop to Honolulu. On the way back there's a layover in Denver and on to Detroit. I'm going to try to avoid looking at prices from this point on, although I suspect they won't go down much, if it all.

Thanks for all of your replies! I bought the tickets. The flight there is pretty nice with a short layover in Chicago and then nonstop to Honolulu. On the way back there's a layover in Denver and on to Detroit. I'm going to try to avoid looking at prices from this point on, although I suspect they won't go down much, if it all.

Those sound like nice connections. Your flights cost so much because of Easter and spring break weeks. I have found staying overnight in San Francisco actually ends up costing significantly more. We do it only because our son and his family live there.

Those sound like nice connections. Your flights cost so much because of Easter and spring break weeks. I have found staying overnight in San Francisco actually ends up costing significantly more. We do it only because our son and his family live there.

I had actually hoped to stay in San Fransisco for three days before heading to Honolulu for another three days there pre cruise. It was not to save money but to break up the flight and visit a city I have never been to. Unfortunately my work situation changed and I couldn't take the extra time. Some other time hopefully.

Peggy -- you continually tell folks..."No Problem". Yet the specific situation here is that flying Spirit to a time-sensitive rendezvous (be it a cruise or another flight on Airline XX) is rolling the dice big time.

 

XX doesn't care of Spirit went mechanical and would not interline you. And then you are a no-show and out the cost of a new walk-up ticket.

 

But hey....it's worked for you to get from your podunk airport to SFO so that must be fine of a completely different situation.

 

And I know...you think I'm rude. I think you are being too rosy and optimistic.

You are just plain rude to everyone.you need to get a job or something. You have way to much time on your hands.

Thanks for your help & thoughts. Our dates are locked in due to our cruise booking and our work situation.

I'm thinking I should just buy now even though it is more than I wanted to spend on flights. At least at this point there are still seats left that are more comfortable.

I have never bought flight tickets this early & will be so bummed if the price goes down later. But we're talking a holiday week - so prices will probably only go up as we get closer to Easter. (??)

That you can count on....time is yourfriend....use it now Hawaii and Easter =$$$$ Airlines have been reducing seats and aircraft size to Hawaii for several years inorder to drive up prices once it was dc-10 then 777 then 76then 757 now its a lot of 737 little narrow bodies than do much of the flying