Hawaiian Airlines Business Class A330-200 Review from Honolulu (HNL) to Narita (NRT) 2024

We traveled from Hawaii to Vietnam via Japan in 2024, and this is our review of our business class flight from Honolulu to Narita on Hawaiian Airlines. 

Is it worth it to fly Hawaiian Airlines Business class to Japan?

We might be biased. Since Jedd was born and raised on Oahu, Hawaiian Airlines has been one of our favorite domestic airlines for its strong customer experience.

Every flight we’ve ever taken on Hawaiian has just felt nice, welcoming, and generally relaxing — exactly the feeling you’d want to associate with the Aloha state. 

In this review, we’ll share an honest and fair review of the hard and soft products and try our best to answer the question “is it worth flying international business on Hawaiian Airlines?”.

Our Flight Details: January 2024

• Hawaiian Airlines 821
• Honolulu Airport (HNL) to Narita (NRT)
• 9hr 48min flight time
• Airbus A330-200 (v332 seat map)
• Seats 2A, 2B

Quick Summary: While die-hard fans of business class flights and solo passengers might find the lack of privacy unattractive, there’s still something special about flying Hawaiian, especially if you are a couple. A reminder that the soft product can be more important than the hard product when it comes to flying.

Pros of Hawaiian Airlines Business Class:
– Priority check-in
– Priority baggage handling
– Access to a passenger lounge (The Plumeria Lounge)
– Incredible service
– Delicious meals
– Lie flat seats
– Lots of space

Cons of Hawaiian Airlines Business Class:
– This A330 was a well used/aging plane 
– The footwells are strange. They kind of work but not really.
– The privacy barrier helps a little but the open concept is, well, open.
– The IFE system (iPads) was ok, but could turn off some folks with all the cables and mechanics to make it work.

Hawaiian Airlines Business Class Check in at Honolulu Airport

The Daniel K. Inouye Airport has essentially two main terminal buildings. Terminal 1 is the first building and is dedicated to Hawaiian Airline. However, it is NOT for Japan-bound flights.

Note: When you arrive at the airport via car, the signs make it seem like ALL Hawaiian Airlines passengers need to go to Terminal 1. This is not the case for Hawaiian Air flights to Japan.

Where to check in for Hawaiian Airlines flights to Japan at the Honolulu Airport?

For ALL Japan flights, you need to go to Terminal 2 at the Honolulu airport. It’s near the beginning of that terminal, also known as Lobby 4.

Please note the difference in terminals, as it can be a pain to get dropped off at the wrong one and then have to walk everything between the terminals. That being said, if you don’t have a bunch of luggage, it is walkable.

Once you find the Japan flight counter for Hawaiian Airlines in Terminal 2, you’ll find a dedicated line for business class passengers.

Your bags are given a colored priority tag. The whole process took us about 5 minutes.

What is the baggage allowance for Hawaiian Airlines flights to Japan?

Hawaiian Airlines allows international ticket holders 2 bags at 50 lbs per passenger.

Business class passengers on Hawaiian Airlines international flights get 2 free bags at a whopping 70 lbs per passenger.

Onward flights: bags and delays

Since our award ticket included a second flight from Japan onward to Vietnam on a partner airline, the Hawaiian staff at check in confirmed that our bags would transfer all the way through to Hanoi.

We asked, just in case, what to do if we miss our connecting flight with a partner airline as a result of a delay from a Hawaiian flight. We were advised to seek out a Hawaiian agent upon arrival in Tokyo who would give us a form and we would take that to a JAL agent to facilitate rescheduling the second flight, if needed.

Fortunately, we had no issues. But sure enough, as soon as we stepped off the plane in Narita, there were international connections agents checking our boarding passes and directing onward travelers to the appropriate terminals.

Security and TSA Pre for Hawaiian Airlines Passengers

Remember Terminal 1 vs. Terminal 2 at the Honolulu Airport?

So you just checked in for your Japan-bound flight in Terminal 2. It’s now time to go back to Terminal 1 for security.

To do this, you’ll follow signs back to the Terminal 1 building and encounter the sign below.

Remember, you’ve already checked in so disregard this and go through the glass doors, following signs for the TSA security check point.

There was no priority security lane offered with our business class tickets but with our TSA Pre (Global Entry) membership, we breezed through security in another quick 3 minutes. It included scanning our passports and a quick headshot photo.

We would say that arriving to the airport 2 hours before departure would be plenty if flying in business class for this flight.

Business Class Lounge for Hawaiian Airlines Passengers

After security, look for signs for the Plumeria Lounge. From TSA, you’ll take a right and another immediate right to the escalator.

You’ll head up an escalator to the third floor and follow the signs (a 2 minute walk) to the entrance at the end of the hall.

The Hawaiian Airline Business Class Plumeria Lounge Review

The Plumeria lounge located on the third floor of the Terminal 1 building of Honolulu airport is available to Hawaiian Airlines business class passengers AND is also a Priority Pass lounge.

Hawaiian Airlines ticket holders have reserved seating and no wait, while Priority Pass members might have to wait and have limited areas where they can sit.

To gain access to the lounge, simply show the staff your business class tickets on Hawaiian, and they will guide you on seating availability.

The lounge itself is more than adequate to wait for a flight but nothing to get excited about.

There are some available snacks, free beer, and your typical soft drinks and coffee that come from a machine. We would recommend saving your appetite for the flight, but to each their own.

Note: If you’re wondering if this lounge is worth seeking out when you are on another flight and have Priority Pass, the answer is: only if you have a long layover.

It can get crowded, which means you might have to wait before you are let in. This particular morning (before 9:30am) was the quietest we have seen this lounge.

Additionally, if you are flying out of Terminal 2, you might have to take the Wiki-Wiki shuttle, which will add some travel time between your gate and this lounge. TBH – I use this lounge whenever I’m in Honolulu, even when I’m not flying Hawaiian.

Hawaiian Airlines Business Class Boarding at Honolulu Airport

After sending off a couple of emails at the Plumeria lounge, it was time to head to our gate.

Remember the Terminal 1 vs Terminal 2 difference again? Well, it was back to Terminal 2 for our departing gate. We could have taken the Wiki Wiki shuttle, which is next to the Plumeria lounge, or we could walk. 

Wanting some exercise, we took the escalator back down to the second floor and followed the signs to Terminal 2, C Gates on foot.

Whether you take a shuttle or walk to Terminal 2, you’ll have to go through one small AGRICULTURAL bag check. This is for any bags you’re carrying on you.

This means if you had fresh fruit or produce, they might confiscated it here. I’ve done this many times and I’m not 100% certain why this is. Just a heads up.

We made our way to the gate area and boarded when our group was called. Simple and smooth.

An agent checked our passport with the boarding pass at the gate. Then, on the jetway itself, we took a headshot picture and another agent scanned our boarding pass before proceeding onto the plane.

Hawaiian Airlines A330 Business Class Cabin

Our plane for this flight, the Airbus A330-200, was setup into 3 cabins (seat map of our plane).
– Business
– Extra Comfort (Hawaiian’s Premium Economy)
– Economy

The business class cabin had just 18 seats in one decently spacious cabin. (We were on a recent flight on JAL that had 44 business class seats as a comparison.) 18 seats seemed downright luxurious.  

One of the things we noticed as soon as we boarded were that all of the seats had down covers on them already. I’m guessing it was for efficiency but it looked a little strange. Nothing bad, but at first we were wondering if they were covering up something wrong with the seats?

You’ll note that these seats have a very open concept. Any seat with access to an aisle will have an easy time getting up and down into their seats. If you are in a window seat, you do have some room to get around the person next to you but it’s a little tight. 

As a whole, this set up is great for passengers flying together.

However, if you are not flying with someone you know, the open concept and closeness of seats are not super private, especially compared to other iterations of business class hard products. 

The seats are spacious with window passengers getting 4(!) windows to themselves. That’s pretty incredible.

Here’s an example of what it’s like when the privacy barrier is up between two Hawaiian Airlines business class passengers.

It’s somewhat effective, but you can definitely tell what the other person is watching. The divider was easy to lift up into place and took a slight push to go back into its storage area.

The footwell is an interesting design. It’s essentially an exposed island, which I guess is on-brand for Hawaiian Airlines.

You’ll note there is some space behind it, which where the passenger seated next to the window would access the aisle.

Here’s why the footwell works and kind of doesn’t. At 5 ft 8, my feet got up on the rest ok while in a regular seated position.

For shorter people, it might not be that comfortable. And for taller people, your feet might stretch out to a point that you would have to move them to allow your fellow passenger out. NBD but just something to be aware of.

I do like that they put a barrier on the side of your feet for carts or other things passing through the aisle. Again, a strange design but somewhat functional.

And how about that seat storage? There weren’t many places to put things. I would keep most items in your bag and get them from the overhead when you need them on this flight.

The seats do recline into a full bed. (It was dark when I tried the lie flat option so I didn’t get a photo. My apologies.

What I can tell you about the bed setup was that it was perfectly acceptable and appreciated, compared to a non-lie flat seat. But nothing special.

We feel lucky that we fit perfectly in these seats. They may not be great for travelers 6 feet and taller in the bed position.

Hawaiian Airlines New Business Class Seats

The A330 is the work horse of Hawaiian Airlines for its wide body, longer flights both domestically to the mainland and internationally.

The oldest A330 in the fleet is 14 years old, and they are still taking future deliveries of the A330. However, the biggest news is that Hawaiian Airlines is launching a new business class on Boeing 787 Dreamliner coming in 2024. 

I mean, look at those suites. This reverse herringbone design is pretty common, and it’s a big step up from the current version of Hawaiian Airlines Business class.

Looking forward to trying this Dreamliner flight on Hawaiian at some point.

Hawaiian Airlines A330 Extra Comfort Cabin

Right behind the business class is a small section of Extra Comfort seats (Hawaiian Airlines’s version of Premium Economy). It’s a 2-4-2 setup.

One lucky pair of passengers gets their own little section, due to the configuration of this plane.

I think Hawaiian was smart to label these as Extra Comfort vs. Premium, as there’s nothing really premium about them.

You get more leg room, which is definitely nice, but by no means is this a big upgrade or a product close to Business class. When we flew, only a few passengers were in the Extra Comfort seats.

Hawaiian Airlines A330 Economy

In our opinion, the best overall value on ANY wide-body long flight on Hawaiian is in their economy sections, especially on a A330. Why? These are one of the few long range planes left that still have a 2-4-2 seat layout, making them great for couples of solo passengers.

3-3-3 or 3-4-3 are becoming more common these days. If we had paid for this flight, we would have gone with the economy cabin and 2 seats along the window.

Booking tip: If you are like us and care about some extra privacy and comfort, try to find 2-4-2 layouts in economy which can be found on Boeing 767 planes and most Airbus A330 planes (even the new ones). Only Japan Airlines (JAL) flies a 787 with a 2-4-2 economy.

Hawaiian Airlines Business Class Service

Here is where Hawaiian Airlines shines and has always been great for the 35+ years I’ve been flying this airline.

Alaska Airline is the only domestic airline that comes close, in my opinion, to the level of service and attention to brand details of Hawaiian. 

Hawaiian Airlines Business Class Amenity Kit

When we arrived to our seats, we were met with some open-toe slippers (how local Hawaii folks know them), water, a nice soft blanket, and pillow.

The amenity kit was handed out after we got seated. It included a pen, lip balm, dental kit, an eye mask, and socks with a toe gap for the slippers.

It was nice and on brand.

Also part of the pre-flight experience was a choice of a mai-tai, guava juice, and prosecco. Very refreshing.

Hawaiian Airlines Business Class Meals

Alright, let’s finally get to the best part of this trip, in our opinion: the meals.

Hawaiian Airlines’ current culinary directors are Chef Wade Ueoka and Michelle-Karr Ueoka, which I’m personally a fan of. These are the chefs known for the MW Restaurant on Oahu, which is one of my favorites.

Known for Hawaiian/Asian influence fine dining, I had a feeling we were in for a treat, and these meals delivered.

The attendant took our lunch order before departure. Around 11:45am, they brought out our tablecloths and served nuts and a drink before the meal was ready.

For our first meal (which is supposed to be the more substantial one), we both ordered the miso chicken. Hawaiian does not serve in courses, even though it lists them as such. The exception is that dessert comes separately.

The meal was tasty and overall satisfying. It wasn’t mind blowing and not going to win any awards, but we enjoyed every component.

For the first meal dessert, there was a taro cheesecake that hit all the right notes.

Hawaiian onion chips and packaged cookies were available in the front galley between meals.

Prior to landing, there was a second meal served with either a meatball or sandwich option. Both were good and if we had to choose between the two again, we’d go for the meatballs.

The second meal was served about two hours before landing, which was 6:30pm Hawaii time and 1:30pm in Japan. 

There was not an “order on demand” meal service, which we were fine with. 

Hawaiian Airlines Business Class In Flight Entertainment (IFE)

As you can tell from the image above, the in flight entertainment comes in the form of an iPad that rests on a stand which comes out from the middle console. It’s actually a clever design for a stand and kudos to the engineering that made it possible.

The iPads and headphones are delivered after take off and picked up right before landing.

You connect the over-ear headphones (nothing special here) via a headphone jack (if you remember what those are). The flight attendants help connect the iPad to the USB power jack found on the seat.

It’s a lot of cables and management. It’s possible to knock the iPad over when you get out of your seat, so be cautious. 

Despite the strangeness, it’s a system that works. Using the iPad is intuitive and easy. Getting access to all the movies and TV shows works smoothly.

It’s obviously not the biggest screen but we didn’t care. There was a good enough selection of shows and movies for our almost 10 hour flight. 

Even though the experience seemed dated and strange, it wasn’t bad. I have a feeling this IFE system will not continue in future versions of Hawaiian Airlines business class.

Does Hawaiian Business class flights have WIFI?

I think they do have Wifi, but they didn’t offer or advertise it on our particular flight.

Hawaiian Airlines is one of the first airlines that will be offering Starlink satellite internet and while I was hoping to test it out on this flight, it wasn’t added to this airplane yet.

It might only be available on future aircraft, so don’t get your hopes up on seeing it on many Hawaiian flights.

Hawaiian Airlines In Flight Service Notes

In my opinion, only Alaska Airlines comes close as a US carrier noted for excellent service. All the Hawaiian staff we interacted with, from the check in to the 3 crew servicing the business class cabin, were welcoming and happy to serve.

On our particular flight, I witnessed two different issues with other business class customers that the Hawaiian staff did a great job in handling.

One person complained they didn’t get a window seat like they thought they had booked. The Hawaiian flight attendant listened to their story, double checked things and tried to make them feel extra welcomed and taken care of. I overheard that passenger later saying that they appreciated that extra level of attention – and didn’t miss the window after all. 

The passenger next to me in the middle section had a tray table that wouldn’t go into place. It took two staff members to disassemble and put back the table, which was kind of inconvenient but the way they treated that passenger made him not mind.

Both situations could have gotten uncomfortable to all but that Hawaiian hospitality and professionalism I think made the difference. 

In case you were wondering, here is the lavatory in business class.

There’s one in front of the cabin, which is occasionally blocked whenever a pilot needs to use it. There are also two lavatories behind business class, shared with the Extra Comfort cabin.

Want to know if your plane is older? Check out the furnishings in a lavatory. Look at that old school floor, lol!

The lavatory had lotion and spray mist.

Just before we landed, the entire Hawaiian business class crew came by to say thank you with some delicious, local Manoa chocolate.

It was an nice parting gift. It’s those little touches that you don’t find on other US carriers. 

For example, though United’s Polaris Business’s hard product was much nicer than this Hawaiian plane, the service was nowhere near as warm and welcoming (and fun) as Hawaiian’s. 

Hawaiian Airlines International Business Class: Is It Worth It?

As with most of our flight reviews, this is a hard decision. Here’s what we would suggest:

• Is money not an issue for you? —> Purchase Hawaiian’s Business class flight. 
• Do you want to have the best sleeping option? —> Purchase Hawaiian’s Business class flight for the lie-flat seat.
• Did you find a really good deal or points offer for Hawaiian’s Business Class? —> Then it’s worth it! We found an awesome redemption value via American Airlines miles for this flight to Japan, including a a flight onward to Vietnam. Win-win.
• Is money an issue and you’re debating between Economy and Hawaiian’s Extra comfort? —> Go with Economy. That 2-4-2 layout is great.
• Are you a couple looking for a nice experience and want to save money? —> Go with Economy.

Though we liked this experience, we would probably not pay out-of-pocket for it.

A typical price for our seats is ~$1800 per person at the time of this writing. We found a sweet redemption for 75,000 miles per person using our American Airline miles, and those are hard to come by these days.

If we were to pay out of pocket for this trip, we would have gone with the economy option, which would have cost around $390 per person.

If you have the option to choose between Hawaiian Airlines and ANY Japan airlines for a flight to Japan, I would go with the Asian airline instead. The level of service and experience is just on another level.

If you have the option to choose between Hawaiian vs. United / Delta / American for an international flight, then that gets to be a little harder. If you value service and you’re flying with a partner, I would choose Hawaiian.

However, some of the the other U.S. carriers have better hard products. You’d have to do some research to make sure you were on flights with better planes.

Protect your international trip with insurance

In addition to booking our international flights with a travel credit card that covers trip cancellation or delays, we’ve started using travel medical insurance to protect us from worst case scenarios while abroad.

We use Nomad Insurance by Safety Wing for affordable evacuation and medical coverage in case of incidents or accidents outside our home country. It also includes other beneficial coverages for travelers like lost luggage and personal liability.

Hawaiian Airlines A330 Business Class Review: Final Thoughts

If you have the opportunity to fly Hawaiian’s Business class internationally, especially if it’s a good deal, you’ll find it to be a nice experience.

I don’t think you’ll mind the aging plane or strange hard product design or inflight entertainment experience that comes on an iPad.

You’ll remember the amazing service, the great food, and that classic Hawaiian vibe. That true Aloha spirit that is known world-wide. That’s what makes flying on most Hawaiian flights special.

What are your thoughts about Hawaiian Airlines Business class? Let us know in the comments below.