Review: Hawaiian Airlines Business Class (A330-200)

Hawaiian Airlines’ business class on the A330-200 is the older product compared to the hard product on their Boeing 787s. The A330-200’s smaller cabin offers limited privacy, but given the lack of lie-flat seats to and from Hawaii, it’s a business class flight that is better than a classic recliner! Similar to many other US-based airlines, Hawaiian Airlines refers to its domestic business class product as Hawaiian Airlines First Class, but for all intents and purposes, it’s really just business class.

They also have a clever solution to the 2-2-2 seating problem of stepping over your neighbor. The entertainment setup, being a tablet, was clever as well. Given the choice, I would pick the 787 every time, but the Hawaiian Airlines Business Class on the A330 still offers a solid experience.

Booking Hawaiian Airlines Business Class

I was super lucky to find a mistake fare for round-trip tickets from Seattle to Honolulu for $631.40 USD in their business class. My wife had a friend living in Honolulu at the time and was meaning to visit her. When we learned about the deal, we jumped at the chance, hoping they would honour the price. Mistake fares are never guaranteed!

The only other way to book this seat right now is through Atmos Rewards, and it’s priced dynamically. The first leg was on their 787, and the return segment was on their A330 in the older first class product.

Ground Experience

As with most premium products, you’ll find a designated check-in desk for First Class when departing from Hawaiian’s hub of Honolulu.

At HNL, you have access to the Plumeria Lounge, which is on the third floor of the Terminal 1 building. For passengers who aren’t traveling in an eligible class of service, it is important to note that there was a notice outside stating that the lounge was no longer accepting Priority Pass or LoungeKey guests. However, I did have lounge access through my booked ticket.

The lounge was incredibly basic and felt more like a space you would find at a hotel for a buffet breakfast. My boarding time was 10:24 pm, but the lounge closed at 10:00 pm. I was lucky I bought some Loco Moco from Rainbow Drive-In before getting to the airport. It was going to be the only decent meal I had on this flight experience as well.

Cabin Arrangement

Hawaiian Airlines’ A330 business class cabin is arranged in a 2-2-2 layout similar to Lufthansa’s legacy business class. It’s a very open cabin with no privacy, but that does help it feel more spacious.

It would have been more enjoyable travelling as a couple, but I was solo on this flight. From my seat in 3B, I could see the whole cabin. If you’re interested in sleeping as a solo traveller, you would be best to choose a middle seat with direct aisle access.

Seat

The seat is leather, but it’s pretty worn and tired, which is a bit surprising given that the oldest seats just celebrated their 10th year in service.

When I arrived, I was greeted with my bedding, amenity kit, and menus.

I found the armrests on the outside of the seat to be very narrow and not comfortable.

The middle seats are angled outwards, so for a solo traveller, it wouldn’t be as awkward if you’re sitting next to a stranger.

In a similar fashion to the Hawaiian 787, you’ve got some light blue accents around the seat. And a wonderful divider decorated with bamboo images.

The tray table pulls out from the centre console next to the bamboo divider, but it does not move far forward, which makes dining very tight.

The legroom is vast thanks to the open seating design. There was a large compartment meant for “soft articles,” so I put my shoes there. For storage, there was a basket on the footrest where I could easily put all my belongings. A similar basket was on the inside of the seat. The centre console was too small to share with a stranger.

The footrest was comfortable, and there was plenty of legroom. There are matching spaces on either side for your neighbour to pass around you. Or if you’re in the middle seats, you can leave your bed setup while you easily walk to and from the galley.

The privacy door with its bamboo design worked relatively well at hiding your neighbour. However, your view to the right was of the middle seats, with no privacy at all!

To recline the seat, there was a knob that I had not seen before. The seat wasn’t very clean, but the power port was in a convenient spot. A second power port is located between for both passengers to share. There’s a small reading light at the top of the seat next to the privacy divider.

One benefit of being in the last row, where I was seated, was that we had a view of four windows, while the first row had only two.

Bed

The bed provided a decent sleep, even though this was a relatively short flight. One benefit of the open seating concept is lots of room to move around.

The bedding was an economy-style pillow and a slightly better blanket. It was a bit disappointing, as I’ve seen other Hawaiian flights serving international destinations with mattress pads and substantial quilts.

Amenity Kit

The amenity kit that was provided to all business class passengers was simple, with paper packaging that included an eye mask, earphones, and earplugs. The eye mask featured a cute Hawaiian landscape design.

Headphones were provided when we used the entertainment system, so the earphones included in this kit were not needed.

Bathroom

As with my flight on the 787, the bathroom featured fresh flowers, along with soap, facial spray, and lotion by Kealopiko.

Dining

I was optimistic for a positive dining experience, given how delicious the food in Hawaii is, but was unfortunately disappointed.

For a pre-departure drink, the flight attendant simply asked me what beverage I wanted, rather than bringing a tray of drinks, as I experienced on the 787. I decided to go with their signature Mai Tai again, as I did on my outbound to Hawaii.

Service started very promptly, minutes after the seat-belt sign came off. They were handing out entertainment tablets and headphones and setting up tables for dinner simultaneously. 

There were only two food options on this flight, similar to the morning flight I took on the 787 to Honolulu. I expected Hawaiian-inspired dishes flying from Hawaii, but the options were a sandwich or a lasagna. You can see the full menu below:

I opted for the sandwich, and it might be the worst business class meal I have ever received. The salad/slaw was pretty slimy, and the sandwich just wasn’t very good.

I paired the meal with a Maui Brewing Blonde Beer, which was the best part. A moist towelette was served with the dinner tray instead of a traditional towel service. The salt and pepper were packaged in an origami Hawaiian shirt.

The whole service was speedy and prompt to get everyone sleeping, as this was an overnight flight, so I appreciated that. However, that meant there was no dessert service, which I missed a bit.

Entertainment

Entertainment Console

Rather than a traditional entertainment setup built into the seat, everyone was provided a tablet and headphones if desired. There is a button in the centre console that pulls out a holder for the iPad.

On the tablet, there are lots of great new movie and TV show options. Hawaiian music videos and programs were also available.

Headphones were basic and got the job done. If you unplug your headphones, you do get a notification on the tablet that in order to continue using them, you need to plug them in. This is a great feature to ensure people are not blasting their entertainment volume, even accidentally.

WiFi

The aircraft was outfitted with Starlink Wi-Fi, which worked quickly and allowed everyone to stream and use social media. The Pilot spoke at length about Starlink before takeoff.

Conclusion

The business class on the A330 (or domestic first class) on Hawaiian Airlines provides a lie-flat seat to cross the Pacific with wonderful aloha spirit service, but offers not much more than that. The food is lacking, and the open-concept cabin design provides little privacy.