Southwest $49 fares to Hawaii sell out within hours

ByTim Jue KGO logo
Thursday, March 7, 2019
Southwest $49 fares to Hawaii sell out within hours
Fliers quickly snatched up Southwest Airlines's stunning offer of $49 one-way for flights between California and Hawaii hours after they went on sale. Seats went quickly, and prices are back up to what's considered to be "normal" prices for the market.

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- If you were one of the lucky few who snagged this week's incredible Southwest Airlines deal of $98 round-trip flights between California and Hawaii - hang on to them!

Those rock bottom fares of $49 one-way between including Oakland, San Jose - and the islands were promotional prices that were part of a two-day sale that came to an end Tuesday night.

Southwest airfare between California and the islands are back up to seasonal averages, ranging between $350 - $600 round-trip for the spring and summer.

A Southwest Airlines spokesperson said airlines are not permitted to talk about future pricing.

RELATED: Southwest selling $49 tickets from Oakland to Honolulu

The airline began selling tickets for its first ever flights to Hawaii March 4. Within hours, those cheap "Wanna Get Away" fares that ran from $49 to $79 were snatched up.

Southwest Airlines will inaugurate service to the Hawaiian Islands on March 17 with a flight from Oakland to Honolulu. Service from Oakland to Kahului, Maui will begin April 7.

The airline also plans flights between Mineta San Jose International Airport and Honolulu beginning May 5. Flights between San Jose and Kahului will begin May 26.

Interisland service will begin April 28 between Honolulu and Kahului (Maui), and May 12 between Honolulu and Kona, now available for purchase through March 5 for as low as $49 one-way. Initially, those fares were as low as $29 one-way.

Southwest intends to fly to Hawaii from Sacramento and San Diego too.

The Dallas-based carrier obtained approval from the Federal Aviation Administration to fly to Hawaii in late-February. The process took longer than expected because of the partial shutdown of the federal government.

Alaska, United, Sun Country, Hawaiian, and Delta also fly to the islands from the Bay Area. Many of those carriers have discounted Hawaii airfares this week to match prices offered by Southwest.