With the relatively recent addition of Southwest, travelers now have plenty of different ways to get to Hawaii when it comes to flying on US airlines.
But what about adding one more airline into the mix?
Is it possible that you could soon be getting to the Aloha State via JetBlue? Let’s take a look at some of the recent comments made by JetBlue and see how this could potentially play out.
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Does JetBlue fly to Hawaii?
JetBlue does not currently fly to Hawaii although there have been talks about them adding flights from the West Coast to Hawaii for a few years.
Would JetBlue ever really fly to Hawaii?
JetBlue is known for its presence on the East Coast in places like New York, Boston, and Florida.
However, they have been steadily expanding their network internationally and moving west along the way with field offices in Salt Lake City. One of the biggest drivers of a more recent expansion into the West may be the potential merger of JetBlue and the ultra low cost carrier, Spirit Airlines.
If that merger is successful, it’s possible that JetBlue could end up flying to Hawaii in the near future.
In fact, in DOT filings JetBlue specifically commented on this saying that if the merger with Spirit Airlines takes place, they would have the capacity at LAX to increase their flight network with one of the additions being flights to Hawaii.
“A larger JetBlue with access to additional Terminal 5 gates will be able to add even more routes from Los Angeles, including Hawaii flying and additional leisure service.”
Indeed, in prior comments JetBlue made references to expanding into Hawaii so it seems like this is something they have had their eyes on for a while.
But with their strong East Coast foundation already built, they have been focused on building out their transatlantic flights which now serve the UK and France.
It’s worth noting that the DOJ is currently suing to block this merger from going through for anti-trust purposes.
If you’ve ever flown JetBlue Mint before, you probably would be very happy to find out that JetBlue is flying to Hawaii. That’s because they offer one of the best lie flat products in the US!
The flight from California to Hawaii and vice versa is not very long, though. From LAX to HNL, it takes about five hours and 50 minutes.
Some airlines use standard recliner seats in first class when flying between these two destinations so I don’t think it’s a guarantee that JetBlue would fly its Mint product.
Also, in the above mentioned prior talks about expanding flights out of LAX, the A220 was brought up as an aircraft of choice which is not equipped with Mint lie flat seats. This would suggest that JetBlue may not be introducing Mint to this route.
Some airlines fly a mix of standard recliner and lie-flat seats to Hawaii from the western mainland but I’m not sure about the odds of JetBlue doing that.
JetBlue and Hawaiian Airlines partnership
Even though JetBlue currently does not fly to Hawaii, there are still ways for you to utilize your JetBlue membership to help you get to Hawaii or at least earn extra points when doing so.
JetBlue and Hawaiian Airlines have a code share partnership, so it is possible to benefit as a JetBlue member when flying to and from Hawaii.
You can use JetBlue points to book Hawaiian Airlines and the redemption rates aren’t bad. For example, 45,000 points could get you a business class one way from the West Coast to Hawaii. For only 6,000 points you can jump from one Hawaiian island to the other in economy.
The drawback is that you currently have to call in and speak with an agent to make this type of award booking.
TrueBlue members can also earn TrueBlue points on Hawaiian Airlines flights. You can read more about the earning rates here.
Related: Hawaiian Airlines First Class Guide
Final word
JetBlue does not currently fly to Hawaii but it’s possible that they could add routes to Hawaii in the future based on statements made by JetBlue (to the government) regarding the potential merger with Spirit Airlines.
If that merger goes through, we could be seeing JetBlue flights to Hawaii relatively soon.
But even if the merger does not go through, JetBlue seems to have been eyeing Hawaii already and so it’s possible those flights could come into existence regardless of what the DOT allows.
Daniel Gillaspia is the Founder of UponArriving.com and the credit card app, WalletFlo. He is a former attorney turned travel expert covering destinations along with TSA, airline, and hotel policies. Since 2014, his content has been featured in publications such as National Geographic, Smithsonian Magazine, and CNBC. Read my bio.