Review: Hawaiian Airlines HA3 First Class Airbus 330-200 Los Angeles to Honolulu

Advertiser Disclosure: We love living points life by using points and miles to elevate travel experiences. In the interest of being transparent with you, we may be compensated from an approved credit card's application, or from some of the products and services recommended on this site. This only happens when you click on our affiliate links. We also earn commissions from purchases made through Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. Thank you for your support and especially for reading this blog! Please see our Advertiser Disclosure for more details!

Los Angeles (LAX) – Honolulu (HNL) 

DEP 10:00 AM ARR 14:00 PM
Duration: 6h 5m 
Seat number: 3H FIRST 
Aircraft: Airbus A330-200
Miles Redeemed: 40,000 HawaiianMiles + $5.60 

The Verdict

  • PROS: Lie-flat seats, plenty of legroom, friendly crew, Mai Tai pre-departure drink. 
  • CONS: No amenity kit, 2-2-2 configuration, overhead bins are small, except for the middle ones, no Wi-Fi, and seats show their age. 
Review: Hawaiian Airlines HA3 First Class Airbus 330-200 Los Angeles to Honolulu
Hawaiian Airlines First Class A330-200
Table of Contents  [show/hide]

    Miles Booking

    I used 40,000 HawaiianMiles plus $5.60 taxes and fees for booking a one-way flight from LAX to Maui in First Class. There are no additional miles required to add another island to the itinerary. 
    • Los Angeles (LAX) – Honolulu (HNL)
    • Honolulu (HNL) – Maui (OGG)
    Snagging the saver award with Hawaiian Airlines is difficult, but it’s possible. I had to get help using the ExpertFlyer tool to alert me when Hawaiian Airlines’ first class saver award became available for 2 seats. I detailed the process in the following post, including how I earned HawaiianMiles:

    Recommended Post:

    Hawaiian Airlines LAX Terminal Departure

    Hawaiian Airlines depart from Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT) at LAX airport. You can check in for your flight there. After clearing TSA security, you still need to walk to Gate 200+, which takes about 15-20 minutes, depending on how fast you walk. 
    If you want to avoid walking, there’s also a complimentary electric mover that takes you. There will be airport staff to help you once you are in the area going towards Gate 200+ at the TBIT terminal. 

    Check-In

    Because we did not have bags to check in, I did an online check-in through the Hawaiian Airlines app. The Hawaiian Airlines app cannot add the boarding pass to iPhone’s wallet, so every time we had to show our boarding passes, we had to launch the Hawaiian Airlines app and show the boarding passes from there. It was easy, just inconvenient. 
    We quickly cleared TSA security with TSA PreCheck and went to the lounge and the boarding gate. 

    Lounge Access

    First, it is important to know that, unfortunately, Hawaiian Airlines does not have airport club lounges for First Class passengers at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). 
    Provided that Hawaiian Airlines’ terminal departure at LAX is Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT), you can access the American Express Centurion Lounge LAX instead if you have an eligible Amex card, such as American Express Platinum Card or American Express Business Platinum Card
    Review: Hawaiian Airlines HA3 First Class Airbus 330-200 Los Angeles to Honolulu
    Buffet Station Inside American Express Centurion Lounge LAX

    Boarding

    The boarding process for First Class passengers was quick after pre-boarding. The new building in the TBIT terminal now includes automatic boarding pass scanning to speed up the process allowing passengers to scan their own boarding pass to get on the plane. If you travel to Europe often, it’s the similar boarding machine they use there. 
    After seated and departure, a video shows you how the First Class seats work on Hawaiian Airlines A330 aircraft. I would pay attention to that so you can see how everything works in your seats, including the iPad stand, etc. It was my first time experiencing Hawaiian Airlines First Class from the mainland United States to Hawaii. So I was excited to get on the flight and appreciated the seat’s demo video. 

    Entertainment Monitor

    Because of how the back of the Hawaiian Airlines First Class seats is designed, there’s no monitor screen in each seat. However, you get an iPad that you can pair to any Bluetooth headphones or get one from the crew if you don’t have any. The crew will go around and hand out the iPads after departure. 
    Review: Hawaiian Airlines HA3 First Class Airbus 330-200 Los Angeles to Honolulu
    The Back Seat Design Without Entertainment Monitors
    The iPad only has an entertainment app full of movies, TV shows, music, and games to entertain you.
    Review: Hawaiian Airlines HA3 First Class Airbus 330-200 Los Angeles to Honolulu
    Entertainment iPad Instead of Monitor

    Seats and Cabin

    Hawaiian Airlines First Class seats show their age. The seats need repainting but are comfortable, and they can turn into a recliner or lie-flat position via the side controller. 
    Review: Hawaiian Airlines HA3 First Class Airbus 330-200 Los Angeles to Honolulu
    Hawaiian Airlines First Class Seats

    Review: Hawaiian Airlines HA3 First Class Airbus 330-200 Los Angeles to Honolulu
    Hawaiian Airlines First Class Seats

    Review: Hawaiian Airlines HA3 First Class Airbus 330-200 Los Angeles to Honolulu
    Hawaiian Airlines First Seats Show Their Age
    The cabin in First Class is arranged in 2-2-2 configurations. There are a total of 18 First Class seats on this Airbus aircraft. If you are traveling alone, the ideal seats may be in the middle of the cabin with direct aisle access on both sides, so you don’t have to climb on your seatmate to go to the bathroom.
    There’s also a divider between seats that you can put up for little privacy while sitting with a stranger. See the picture below:
    Review: Hawaiian Airlines HA3 First Class Airbus 330-200 Los Angeles to Honolulu
    Privacy Divider Between Seats
    The overhead bins are small, except for the ones in the middle. 
    I like the back design of the seats, and that’s the most photogenic for Hawaiian Airlines First Class seats. 
    Review: Hawaiian Airlines HA3 First Class Airbus 330-200 Los Angeles to Honolulu
    Beautiful Back Design
    Check out a mini video I made during the flight on Hawaiian Airlines A330 that I posted to Instagram below:

    Drinks and Food

    Alcoholic drinks and non-alcoholic drinks are available complimentary. During the pre-departure service, they also had signature Mai Tai, which tasted good. 
    Review: Hawaiian Airlines HA3 First Class Airbus 330-200 Los Angeles to Honolulu
    Mai Tai Pre-Departure Drink
    There’s only one meal service, and a menu is handed out after you are seated. Our flight departed at 10 AM, so they served lunch, which included the option of either Garlic Roast Pork or Vegetarian Roasted Shiitake Mushroom Fried Rice for the entrees, followed by a Coffee Crunch Cake dessert. 
    Review: Hawaiian Airlines HA3 First Class Airbus 330-200 Los Angeles to Honolulu
    Pre-Meal Service: Macadamia Nuts & Drink

    Review: Hawaiian Airlines HA3 First Class Airbus 330-200 Los Angeles to Honolulu
    Garlic Roasted Pork

    Review: Hawaiian Airlines HA3 First Class Airbus 330-200 Los Angeles to Honolulu
    Roasted Shiitake Mushroom Fried Rice

    Review: Hawaiian Airlines HA3 First Class Airbus 330-200 Los Angeles to Honolulu
    Coffee Crunch Cake
    Here’s the full menu for Hawaiian Airlines HA3 First Class Airbus 330-200 Los Angeles to Honolulu:
    Review: Hawaiian Airlines HA3 First Class Airbus 330-200 Los Angeles to Honolulu
    Hawaiian Airlines First Class Menu

    Lie-Flat Bed

    First Class seats on Hawaiian Airlines can be turned into a lie-flat position to sleep or recline. 
    I personally found the seat a bit narrow and not as comfortable as I had hoped for. Regardless, it was nice to fully stretch my feet and lie down during the journey to Hawaii for more than 5 hours. 
    Review: Hawaiian Airlines HA3 First Class Airbus 330-200 Los Angeles to Honolulu
    Hawaiian Airlines Lie-Flat Seat

    Crew Service

    The crew in the First Class cabin is nice, friendly, and gentle. I really appreciate their service during the flight, so kudos to Hawaiian Airlines!

    Amenity Kit

    Hawaiian Airlines First Class between the mainland United States and Hawaii offers no amenity kit, socks, slippers, etc. They only offer blankets and pillows. 
    P. LY
    Follow Me

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    My Points Life