Trip Report: Hawaiian Airlines - Honolulu to Maui
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We were going to be flying from Honolulu to Maui and at the time we were looking, there were a couple of options: Hawaiian Airlines, Island Air, or Mokulele Airlines. Mokulele Airlines seemed like a smaller competitor and thus did not have a wide schedule therefore I was deciding between Island Air and Hawaiian. Both seemed to offer low fares and a decent on-board product for inter-island flights; the only difference was the price. Island Air flights were generally less expensive, while Hawaiian's prices depended on sale and how far in advance you booked. I had previously flown Hawaiian about 10 years so I wanted to try Island Air - about a week prior to me booking my ticket the news came out that Island Air had declared bankruptcy and was shutting down. That left one option for inter-island flights; Hawaiian Airlines. 
Hawaiian Airlines is the most established airline serving Hawaii and for their inter-island flights, they usually have sales which makes travel more affordable. When I had first looked, the prices for the inter-island flight were very inexpensive and then when I went to book, the prices had gone up but it was still relatively inexpensive. The airline's website was easy to use and navigate. You could manage your booking and pre-select your seat assignments at no-cost. I had downloaded the app and was able to check-in via app, including changing my seat assignment and paying for my bags. While the app was a bit slow at times, it was helpful in providing a lot of functions. 
As we were already checked-in, locals say we just had to be at the airport an hour prior to departure. A couple of years ago, Hawaiian got rid of most of their check-in staff and replaced them with self check-in and self bag-tagging machines. I am not a fan of the machines because 1) the machines do not allow any wriggle room in terms of luggage and 2) the tags need to be placed exactly as described otherwise they will not scan (and that has been a pain in the past). There are staff roaming around to assist, and with their assistance we managed to check-in our bags. We already had the boarding passes on our phone, so with that we proceeded through security and to the gate.
When we had arrived at the gate, the plane had not arrived from Maui. The Honolulu to Maui air bridge is a very popular route. Our flight was scheduled to take off at 6:48p and around 6:15p the inbound aircraft pulled into the gate. The passengers disembarked and we boarded via groups. It was a quick and easy boarding process as the plane was only half full. The flight time between Honolulu and Maui is 40 minutes and the flight was operated by a Boeing 717. 
This plane has a 2-3 seat layout. Hawaiian provides complimentary seat selection, but charges for extra legroom as well as for checked luggage. The plane's interiors looked updated and the seats also looked updated. They were comfortable enough and provided decent legroom for the short flight. The seats were already in a recline and could not be reclined further. There was a small tray table in front of you, enough for a drink. The seat pocket below had the airline's magazine and safety card. Overall, it was a nice and decent product given the short distance (compare this to other American carriers which probably would've operated a small E-190 with no room for this flight).
Once we boarded and pushed back from the gate, a manual safety demonstration took place and we were ready for take-off. Once we pass 10,000 feet, the attendants got up to start their inflight service. Hawaiian is one of the few remaining carriers that still provides complimentary drinks and meals on long-haul flights; given the short flight time I was not expecting much in terms of in-flight service. The inflight service consisted of attendants passing out mini cups of juice or water from cardboard boxes. There were three flight attendants on board, one for first class and two for economy. After the juices were passed out, Hawaiian also passed out complimentary maps of Maui that they had printed. It was a nice promotional gesture and a nice friendly touch.
Given the short flight time, as soon as the maps were handed out and the trash collected, we were already starting our descent into Maui. Overall, it was a nice and comfortable experience about Hawaiian. The fares were relatively inexpensive and for the price you got a decent seat and decent service. I have paid a lot more and gotten a lot less on many other American carriers so it's nice to see that some carriers still provide decent service. I am still not a fan of self-tagging the bag but other than that, a nice flight on Hawaiian Airlines.
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