Traveling to Hawaii is Cheaper This Year

Hawaii is an attractive winter destination.  However, the cost of airfare has put it out of reach of many travelers.  That said, air/hotel packages are reasonably priced compared to airfare alone.  Actually that’s an understatement.  The slowing travel industry has led hotels to lower their prices, meaning airfare and hotel package trips are cheaper than they have been in a long, long time.

Of course, getting the cheapest price means flying from the right airport in the lower 48.  In general, LAX is the best place to board a Hawaii-bound flight.  For example, a flight and four nights in Honolulu costs $470 from LA, but $665 from New York City.  Depending on how you look at it, those are both reasonable prices.  The hotel portion of the deal is worth $262.  That means that the airfares portion of the packages are significantly discounted compared to what you would pay for airfare alone.

A general rule for package getaways: the more you spend, the less it will cost to travel from a different destination.  LA is always the cheapest, though San Francisco and Sea-Tac are sometimes offered as equally priced alternatives.  An example of these cheaper alternate gateways is a package that offers a six night stay at the Sheraton Princess near Waikiki.  The cost is $849 per person from LA.  For less than $100 additional, you can fly from alternate destinations like New York, Denver, or Chicago (places where it’s actually cold in the wintertime).

The longer your stay, the cheaper the price per night, and the more value you get out of the airfare portion of the package.  A weekend trip for $400 is attractive, but for $800 you can make it a weeklong affair, most likely at a nicer hotel.  So, in a way, saving for one trip per year, rather than several shorter ones, means you will have access to a package with better value.