Hawaiian Airlines Eliminates Change Fees for All Flights
by Daine Taylor /Hawaiian Airlines announced on Monday that it has eliminated change fees for all travelers across its entire network. The move makes Hawaiian the fifth major U.S. carrier to eliminate its change fee policy in the last few weeks.
“We know our guests’ plans change for a variety of reasons, and we want them to book a flight with confidence and the flexibility to travel when they are ready to take that special Hawai‘i vacation, visit friends and relatives or do business on our neighbor islands,” said Peter Ingram, president and CEO of Hawaiian Airlines.
Hawaiian will also allow guests who purchase tickets or redeem HawaiianMiles for Main Cabin, Extra Comfort or First/Premium Cabin Class seats, to modify their flight date without a change fee for tickets purchased through the end of the year.
United Airlines announced it would permanently eliminate change fees on August 30th, and over the next week Delta, American and Alaskan Airlines have all followed suit, joining Southwest, which was the first major American carrier to have the policy in place. While Hawaiian has not confirmed that the change fee removal will be permanent, the decision falls in line with airlines’ effort to prioritize offering customers more flexibility to help stimulate a steady return to travel.
The move comes as the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) reported 968,673 passengers traveled through airport security checkpoints on Friday, the highest passenger numbers since March.