Hawaiian Airlines First Class: SAN-HNL A321neo

Hawaiian Airlines launched its Airbus A321neo service on January 8, 2018, and I finally had the chance to fly it last month. With that flight, I’ve now experienced every aircraft type Hawaiian operates. The A321neo is a narrow-body jet similar to the Boeing 737s that Alaska Airlines uses for its Hawaii routes. Since Alaska’s acquisition of Hawaiian, there’s been a noticeable shift on some routes—transitioning from all-Alaska to all-Hawaiian operated flights.

I booked a First Class seat for 40,000 Alaska miles. While not the most valuablee redemption, it felt like a worthwhile upgrade considering Economy was already 17,500 miles—and I was traveling with two checked bags.

My aircraft for the flight, tail number N228HA, entered service in 2020. Boarding was delayed by an hour due to a late inbound from Honolulu, but I wasn’t in a hurry since the flight landed after dinnertime Hawaii time. I settled into seat 3A, which felt very similar to the refreshed First Class seats on Alaska’s 737s and Aeromexico’s 737 MAXs. Each First Class seat had both AC and USB-A power, perfect for keeping devices charged. I only realized after the flight that water bottles were supposed to be available between the seats, but they weren’t.

Although the menu advertised a pre-departure beverage, none was offered. Once airborne, the crew served mixed nuts and drinks—though surprisingly, not the signature Mauna Loa macadamia nuts typically found in Hawaiian First Class and as listed on the menu. I went with a Mai Tai and chose the BBQ Braised Beef for dinner. The meal was delicious and on par with what Alaska offers on its transcontinental First Class routes. The tiramisu crunch cake was a standout—a perfect dessert to end the meal.

What truly impressed me was the Starlink inflight WiFi. I had previously tested it on JetSuiteX in August 2023, and the performance has clearly improved. WiFi is free for all passengers and no limits on the number of devices. Streaming a recorded F1 race via YouTubeTV worked flawlessly—pretty amazing at 35,000 feet. Speedtests were consistently hitting ~300Mbps down and ~35Mbps up. The seatback tablet holder was well-designed, placing my iPad Pro screen at a comfortable height similar to a built-in inflight display. The case on my iPad Pro is from the Logitech Combo Touch Keyboard.

Before landing, a snack mix was offered—a nice touch to round out the service. We touched down in Honolulu just before 10 PM and arrived at the new Terminal 1 A gates. The terminal is modern and much improved over the older facilities. I just wish my return flight also used the A gates instead of the older C gates.

 

Conclusion: Hawaiian’s flagship aircraft is the 787 Dreamliner, but the A321neo is arguably the better option over the aging A330 when flying in Economy. My First Class experience was comfortable and enjoyable—though if lie-flat seats on the A330 are available at the same price, I’d opt for that instead. However, A330 flights—especially on the SAN-HNL route—tend to have very limited award availability due to higher demand.