My friend and I recently booked roundtrip First Class tickets from Seattle to Honolulu through Alaska Airlines for $599. The flight over was on a Hawaiian Airlines A330 aircraft while the return flight was on a standard Alaska Airlines 737 MAX. Recently Alaska purchased Hawaiian but the two are still acting as separate carriers when it comes to operations.
Currently you can book a flight through Alaska on either Alaska or Hawaiian metal, but you still need to pick your seat for Hawaiian through the Hawaiian website or app. When I picked my seat, only a few seats were available. I picked Seat 1G.
Hawaiian’s A330 First Class is set up in a 2-2-2 layout in three rows. The seats can recline to fully lie flat. However the set up is outdated as if you have a window seat, you have to climb past the passenger on the aisle to get in and out. It also offers very little privacy between the two seats.
After take off, it is possible to raise a small plastic barrier between the seats that offers a bit more privacy.
There are no built in in-flight entertainment screens. Instead, after take off the flight attendants brought around iPads and earphones. The iPads fit into an arm that comes out from between the seats.
There are screens on the wall but these are only used for the safety video and some advertising.
The seat is basic but comfortable. An economy type disposable pillow and a reusable blanket were at each seat.
There is a USB and standard USA power outlet at each seat. In the photo below, the top “dial” controls the recline of the seat. The buttons below the USB outlet are for the light and flight attendant call buttons. In addition to the overhead light, there is a reading light near your shoulder.
For my seat (1G), there was a footrest space built into the bulkhead, along with some storage.
Some of the other seats had an odd “island” footrest which you can see below.
Upon boarding and finding my seat, I was offered a beverage and I picked a Mai Tai. Water, POG, and sparkling wine was also available. Upon take off, the flight attendants took our orders for dinner.
There were two flight attendants serving the First Class cabin and both were incredibly friendly and helpful. I was impressed by their service. Once in the air we were served macadamia nuts.
I ordered the vegetable curry for my dinner. It was served with an Asian slaw, rice, and a roll. The mini t-shirt in the upper right of the tray is the salt and pepper packets.
The curry was just okay. The veggies were fairly mushy but edible. The dessert was a Tiramisu crunch cake.
In the middle of the flight we were served packets of snack crackers. At the end of the flight, just before landing, the flight attendants brought around cookies.
Wifi on the A330 is very fast Starlink and is complimentary for all passengers (not just those in First).
Compared to flying an Alaska Airlines 737 to Hawaii, the Hawaiian A330 is much more comfortable. It is more than comfortable enough for a six hour flight from Seattle, but wouldn’t be ideal for a longer flight or overnight flight as it lacks privacy that would make getting a good rest more difficult. I look forward to trying the Hawaiian Airlines 787 as they have a much better First (Business) Class product with a 1-2-1 layout with enclosed suites. It will be interesting to see what Alaska plans to do longterm with the 787 planes as they will mostly be used for international travel out of Seattle.