Hawaiian Airlines Baggage Fees Guide (Checked, International, Military) [2024]

Hawaiian Airlines is Hawaii’s state carrier as they connect every island to the rest of the US and international destinations. Yet, being based out of Hawaii doesn’t make their baggage fees any cheaper than the rest of US carriers.

In this article, I’ll discuss the specific Hawaiian Airlines baggage restrictions and fees for carry-ons, checked bags, and international flights, while showing you some ways to avoid these fees. 

I’ll also talk about special circumstances such as for overweight baggage, pet policies, and military privileges.

What are Hawaiian Airlines baggage fees?

For domestic flights Hawaiian Airlines charges $25 to $30 for the first bag and $35 to $40 for the second bag. Prices are lower for inter-island travel and more expensive for travel between the mainland and Hawaii.

Below I will go into details outlining the allowance and fees for both carry-on and checked baggage.

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Can I avoid Hawaiian Airlines baggage fees?

You can avoid Hawaiian Airlines baggage fees in several ways.

Premier Club Membership

Premier Club is a unique way to get elite style benefits via a paid membership.

If you are a Premier Club member, you get benefits like two bags for free, better seat selection, Premier Club check-in, Premier Club Access, priority security lanes, and priority baggage handling. Here are the membership prices:

  • 1st membership annual fee: $299 or 40,000 HawaiianMiles
  • Renewing membership annual fee: $249.00 or 35,000 HawaiianMiles

This can be huge if you are a family flying domestic flights frequently saving money on bags and receiving priority services along with lounge access.

You could save up to $70 for two bags each way for flying domestic. You would just have to fly 5 flights between the Hawaiian islands and North America for the membership to pay for itself with free baggage.

Elite status

Hawaiian Airlines has 2 elite statuses called Pualani Elite status. Each one offers benefits like free baggage or priority services.

Pualani Gold

  • 30 segments or 20,000 flight miles
  • 2 bags for free

Pualani Platinum

  • 60 segments or 40,000 flight miles
  • 3 bags for free

As Hawaiian is not part of any alliance, you won’t be able to get free bags while having another airlines status.

With any airline loyalty program, elites are given special benefits as thanks. To some, benefits like priority services and lounge access are very valuable, but a free baggage allowance is just icing on the cake and can save money if you aren’t flying in the premium cabin.

Fare types

The only fare type that includes bags would be first class. No true economy fare. Thus, if you wanted bags included in your ticket price, you must be flying in first class.

International destinations

All classes and cabins on Hawaiian Airlines will receive a free baggage allowance for international destinations. Some destinations like Japan, Korea, and China will receive extra baggage allowance for premium cabins.

Credit Cards

Hawaiian has one co-branded credit card via a major nationwide bank, but they also have a few cards issued by a local Hawaiian bank. In this article, we will go over the Barclay issued Hawaiian card as more people can access this card.

Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard

  • 3x HawaiianMiles for purchases made directly with Hawaiian Airlines
  • 2x HawaiianMiles on gas, dining, and grocery store purchases
  • 1x HawaiianMiles on everything else
  • First checked bag free (only for cardmember)
  • Share Miles without fee
  • No foreign transaction fees
  • $99 annual fee (waived the first year)

This card has two unique features for frequent Hawaiian travelers, Share Miles without a fee and first checked bag is free. Those two features can be very unique in their own right.

Share Miles is a program where you can transfer miles to another person, friend or family member, without a fee. That means it’s easier to combine miles for an aspirational award. 

The first checked bag is free when holding this card for the primary cardholder.

Hawaiian Airlines personal item and carry-on restrictions

No matter what seat you are sitting in, you are allowed one free personal item and one free carry-on bag.

Personal item

You can bring one personal item for free on any Hawaiian Airlines flight in any cabin.

Surprisingly Hawaiian Airlines doesn’t give any dimensions for maximum personal item size, but they have an official rule called Rule 17.A.2 for personal items.

It states:

“Your personal item must be small enough to fit safely under the seat in front of you.”

The industry standard for maximum dimensions for a bag to fit under the seat in front of you would be: 18 x 14 x 8 inches. Some examples of personal items would be a purse, briefcase, laptop computer, or small backpack.

Carry-on

You can bring one carry-on bag for free on any Hawaiian Airlines flight in any cabin.

  • 45 linear inches max (must fit in the overhead bin or under your seat in front of you)
  • 22 x 14 x 9 inches
  • 25 lbs max

Hawaiian Airlines allows soft-sided garment bags or other large objects without any max size, but subject to space availability.

For your carry-on item, you can bring a suitcase, bag, garment bag, carrycot, pushchair or child seat for infants, and any required mobility aids, such as a wheelchair. Some items will be gate checked for free. As long as it doesn’t exceed the dimensions above, you will be fine.

Musical instruments are also considered a carry-on item and must fit in the overhead bin or under the seat in front of you, no matter what size.

Personal item and carry-on bag

Liquids

The same TSA standards apply to Hawaiian Airlines flights operating within the US, arriving, and departing from the US. You can review a list provided by the TSA of permitted and prohibited items which may be included in carry-on baggage including the 3-1-1 Liquids Rule.

Hawaiian Airlines checked baggage fees

The prices below are for one-way Hawaiian Airlines flights, not roundtrip, and for bags that do not exceed 62 in (157 cm) in overall dimensions.

Here are all the fees for all the destinations and regions below:

Neighbor IslandNorth AmericaInternational and First Class
1st bag$25$30Free
2nd bag$35$40Free
3+ bag$50$100$150

Tip: When flying inter-island, the price difference between economy and first class is often pretty small. If you’re checking multiple bags it could actually be better to just book a first class ticket.

Out of all the US carriers, Hawaiian is one of the best when it comes to the least cumbersome fee structure to the destinations they fly. Of course, it’s not Southwest simplicity, but Hawaiian at least doesn’t confuse passengers as much as other airlines like AA.

Remember, if you have status, you don’t have to pay these fees, even when you are flying on a Basic Economy ticket.

If you want all the tips on how to deal with checked baggage and how to avoid fees, be sure to check out the ultimate guide to checked luggage here.

Hawaiian Airlines checked baggage size allowance

Hawaiian Airlines checked bags must not exceed 62″ in overall dimensions and exceed 50 lbs if you are flying main cabin or premium cabin (business/first class).

That might catch you off guard because usually premium cabins allow you more weight with your checked bags but not in this case!

At least not on domestic flights.

For flights to/from Australia and New Zealand and you’re seated in the main cabin or business class, bags can be up to 70 lbs in max weight. For flights to/from Japan and Korea and you’re seated in business class, bags can be up to 70 lbs in max weight.

Hawaiian Airlines excess checked baggage fee

Hawaiian Airlines overweight bags and/or bags that exceed the dimensions will receive an extra fee, as explained below.

Oversize bags

Bags flying on Hawaiian Airlines larger than 62 inches overall dimensions will have an oversize fee.

Hawaiian Airlines won’t accept checked bags over 80 inches overall dimensions. Prices below are for each way that the bag is between the overall dimensions of 62-80 inches.

  • Neighbor Island: $35
  • North America: $100
  • International: $150

Overweight bags

The exact amount you will be charged for overweight bags depends on exactly how much weight you are over and your destination.

Hawaiian Airlines won’t accept checked bags over 100 lbs.

51-70 lbs71-100 lbs
Neighbor Island$35$70
North America$50$200
Australia or New Zealand$0Not accepted
Rarotonga
(ticketed before 9/19/23)
$0Not accepted
Japan or Korea$50 (Business Class: $0)$400
Pago Pago$50$400
Papeete or Rarotonga
(ticketed on or after 9/19/23)
$50Not accepted

Remember these fees will go on top of the regular checked luggage fees.

If you want all the tips on how to deal with checked baggage and how to avoid fees, be sure to check out the ultimate guide to checked luggage here.

Hawaiian Airlines sport baggage

Sport bags or equipment are considered “special items” on Hawaiian Airlines. Some are exempt from the allowance stated above, but most will have to comply with the rules or have fees to be checked.

Rule 18.D explain special items with the most up-to-date information from Hawaiian Airlines.

  • Ammunition
  • Animals (Live)
  • Antlers
  • Archery Equipment
  • Baseball Equipment
  • Bicycles
  • Boogie Boards and Skim Boards
  • Bowling Equipment
  • Canoe Paddles
  • Child Restraint Seats, Booster Seats, and Strollers
  • Dry Ice as Checked Baggage
  • Firearms
  • Fishing Equipment
  • Football Equipment
  • Golfing Equipment
  • Hockey/Lacrosse Equipment
  • Musical Instruments
  • Paintball and Airsoft Guns
  • Scuba Diving Equipment
  • Skateboards
  • Skiing Equipment
  • Snowboard Equipment
  • Surfboards, Kiteboards, Paddleboards, and Wakeboards

How to check sports baggage for Hawaiian Airlines flights

After verifying Rule 18.D special items, aka sports baggage, you can either check your sporting equipment normally at the airport just as you would any other bag.

As some sporting equipment is big and bulky, aka oversized, it’s best to arrive at the airport earlier than you might would with normal checked luggage as oversized luggage can take a few extra minutes to check.

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Hawaiian Airlines military baggage policy

Hawaiian Airlines allows active-duty military personnel and dependents traveling on orders to get 5 checked bags for free, up to 70 lbs and 80 linear inches.

Dependents traveling without an active duty military family member must present the orders at check-in. While the military personnel must show a valid active-duty military ID.

Traveling on leisure, you are able to check 2 bags for free, up to 50 lbs and 62 linear inches. For leisure travel, this benefit is only for the active military personnel and not for dependents. One must present an active duty military ID at check-in.

If you want to learn more about military benefits for airlines, I suggest reading our article.

When can I check-in my bags for Hawaiian Airlines?

Hawaiian Airlines check-in depends on your departure city and destination.

Minimum check-in time for Hawaiian Airlines

  • Neighbor Island flights: 30 minutes before scheduled departure
  • North America flights: 45 minutes before scheduled departure
  • International flights: 60 minutes before scheduled departure

The above times aren’t suggested times for checking into your flight. These are cutting it close and you still would have to get through security. I would suggest checking with the departure airport as each international airport is different.

Suggested check-in time for Hawaiian Airlines

  • Neighbor Island flights: 1.5 hours before scheduled departure
  • North America flights: 2.5 hours before scheduled departure
  • International flights: 3 hours before scheduled departure

I do think these suggested check-in times are pretty extreme, I personally like to arrive at the airport 2 hours before scheduled international departures if I don’t have any priority access. However, arriving earlier minimizes the risk of missing a flight. Especially as lines can be long for check-in…

Long check-in lines can happen for any airline, especially leisure heavy destinations like Hawaii.

As always, check the policies for the departure airport as some airports have different policies in foreign countries.

What if my bags are lost or damaged on Hawaiian Airlines?

If your bags are lost or damaged make sure you report it to Hawaiian Airlines immediately or within four hours after the arrival of the flight. It is imperative to make a claim in person after the flight.

You can visit a Hawaiian Airlines baggage service counter at one of our airport locations to file a report. Please refer to this link.

What if I lost an item on Hawaiian Airlines?

It is best to find a Hawaiian Airlines representative at the airport before leaving. They could go back on the aircraft for you as federal regulations prohibit you from entering the aircraft again.

If want to file a lost and found report, you must contact the Central Baggage Service.

Otherwise, follow the steps here.

Final word

Hawaiian is a wonderful boutique full-service US-flagged carrier. It brings excitement to many as they take you to an amazingly beautiful destination like Hawaii or to a new one abroad.

However, as a carrier with baggage fees, it still will tack on fees for neighbor islands and North American flights, that can still be avoidable.

One comment

  1. I hate having to pay baggage fees. It seems like such a waste of money! At least Hawaiian still has an included meal! Thanks for the article.

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