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As a frequent flyer to Hawaii (going back and forth from the West Coast to visit my family yearly), Hawaiian is most often my airline of choice. I’ve been flying with them since I was a kid – I know the brand, I generally always have a pleasant experience, and like that they are the only airline in the U.S. that gives you free food on domestic flights.
In the case of this flight, I originally booked a round-trip economy flight from Oakland to Maui as I normally do – not even in extra comfort since I was traveling solo without my husband. I did pay for my seat selection on my return leg though, which was honestly kind of laughable. Read to the end to find out why!
To Bid Up, Or Not To Bid Up?
When the email offer to bid up to Hawaiian Air’s first class popped into my inbox, I didn’t think much of it as I’m not typically a first-class traveler. Don’t get me wrong though, I’d love to be perpetually bougie!
In general, you’ll find me in coach or premium economy unless I can get a good points deal for biz (although, up until this point, I had only flown business class once in my life on points).
Anyway, after giving the bid up offer some thought, I couldn’t let the idea go of putting in the minimum bid purely to see if I could get it. Minimum bids with Hawaiian vary by route, dates, and likely seat availability. For this flight, the minimum was set at $300.
A few things influenced my decision to go for it:
- I had already used a $300 credit on our Capital One Venture X credit card to pay for this flight so it wouldn’t be that big of a financial hit.
- I was traveling solo, which meant we weren’t paying for two upgrades (I normally travel with my husband).
- Several people were curious when I put a poll up on Instagram about the experience and I figured it would be a good addition to the blog.
- Lastly (and maybe most importantly?), I had a stressful couple of weeks at work and I just felt like I deserved it.
So, I hit “bid” and waited.
About two days prior to my flight, I got the confirmation that my bid was accepted! Sweet success. But would my bid be worth it? Let’s find out!
Note that as of April 22, 2026, Hawaiian’s bid up program will be discontinuing. I’m curious to see how upgrades will work with Alaska Airlines at the helm!
Hawaiian Airlines First Class Review
My flight in Hawaiian Airlines first class was from Oakland (OAK) to Kahului, Maui (OGG) on the A321neo – a plane you can commonly find on West Coast to Hawaii routes. I’ve flown on this Airbus several times since they added them to the fleet in their extra comfort seats and have always been happy with the flight experience.
Boarding
Boarding was fairly standard. Oakland is a smaller airport with not a lot going on. I traveled carry-on only so I can’t speak to the check-in experience, but I believe you do get a dedicated line when checking in for first class.
Was it lovely to get to board the plane in Zone 1? Yes, get behind me peasants! Kidding…
I got on and snapped some quick pictures and probably mildly annoyed my neighbor by holding up the line. Content first. Sorry, not sorry?
Seats & Legroom
First Class seats were actually the thing I was excited about most with this upgrade. Even though I don’t fly first class often, I’ve started to develop a longing for more comfort as I’ve gotten older.
Hawaiian Air’s First Class on the A321neo plane is essentially domestic first class, which means a 2-2 configuration and seats are not lie flat. It’s a five-hour flight from California to Hawaii, so this seat was perfectly suitable for that amount of hours in the air.
Waiting for us at our seats were a blanket and pillow, which I definitely took advantage of to get nice and cozy while watching a movie.
My seat was fairly comfortable with ample legroom for me (at 5’7″) and had a foot rest (though I did not use this during my flight). For first class, I do think the legroom could be a touch bigger. I would like to see my nearly 6’4″ husband sit in these to really gauge the legroom space, but it was just fine for me.
I did get stuck in a window seat unfortunately. It was probably the last available seat because there was no option for me to change it. There’s no way to get in and out of the window seat without asking your neighbor to move for you. This would normally be fine had I been traveling with my husband, but I was solo.
Window seats aren’t my favorite as I am that person who tends to need to use the restroom several times during a flight. It was extra not ideal given the fact that I was planning on taking advantage of the generous drink service throughout my flight! Luckily, my neighbor was cool and I only ended up needing to get up once during the flight.
Under Seat Storage
The under-seat storage is extremely tight, which I had already anticipated, having read about this previously. I took a few things out of my bag quickly that I’d need for the flight and just chucked my backpack in the overhead bin. I was glad to have the space for my feet to stretch into instead anyway. If you have a smaller purse, you’ll be fine.
There is also some space between the seats for a small bag too, though neither me or my neighbor utilized this.
Power Outlets
There are USB-A charging ports on the back of the center consoles of the seats in front of you for smaller devices (although most small devices have now switched to USB-C ports and plugs so you may need to carry an adapter with you to use these).
Traditional universal power outlets are located in the shared center console/armrest at your seat.
Tray Tables
The tray tables for these seats come out of the armrest and are big enough for meal service and to fit your laptop or iPad for entertainment.
Drink Service
Before our plane left the gate, a flight attended came around to get our welcome drink order. I went with a glass prosecco at 6:30 a.m. because why not? My brother was picking me up from the airport on arrival to Maui so I didn’t have to be responsible.
You do have to finish your welcome drink before pushback though for safety reasons as everything is served in glassware.
Once in the air, we got another drink to have with a little bowl of macadamia nuts and subsequent breakfast. I ordered a Mai Tai but I got what I think was the Pineapple Daiquiri instead (a pre-mixed drink by the Ko Hana Rum brand). It was actually delicious and refreshing with a fresh chunk of pineapple as a garnish!
Throughout the flight, the attendants did a good job of regularly checking in with first class passengers to see if they needed anything. I was sure to take advantage of drinks as often as they asked. Over the course of my five-hour flight, I had a told of six bevies. Had to get my money’s worth right?
In total, I had three proseccos and three mixed drinks, including both the Pineapple Daquiri and two Mai Tais. Don’t worry, I drank plenty of water too.
Speaking of water, I would have like to see bottled water at the seats (there is a spot for bottled water in the front of each center console). Instead, I had to keep having to ask for refills in my glass.
Meal Service & Snackies
Since I had a relatively early morning flight out of Oakland at 7:00 a.m., our meal for the flight would be breakfast.
Just prior to meal service, we got a little bowl of macadamia nuts which went well with my Pineapple Daiquiri.
Breakfast was actually quite good, which surprised me. There were two options available for us to choose from – a Continental Breakfast with fruit and yogurt, or a hot breakfast with mushroom and cheese omelet, pork sausage, and potatoes.
I went with the omelet option and was very happy. My breakfast also came with a warm, soft croissant and the most delicious strawberry jelly. Overall, I’d rate it an 8/10.
Everything was plated on dinnerware with real silverware and served on a wooden tray. They have the cutest little Hawaiian shirt holder for the salt and pepper too!
Other snacks we had throughout the flight included a bag of pretzels and a Honolulu cookie. It had been a while since I had one of those cookies and it was really good!
In-Flight Entertainment
There are no seat back entertainment systems on this plane; however, first class passengers get the use of complimentary iPads and headphones for the flight. It was nice not to have to worry about getting my laptop out and fiddling around with the entertainment.
I ended up only watching one movie, Sense and Sensibility, while drinking my little glass of prosecco (it was bliss).
You can also hang the iPad from the seat in front of you if you don’t want it sitting on your tray table.
Starlink WiFi
The A321neos and A330 planes are now also equipped with Starlink WiFi – free for ALL passengers. When I wasn’t watching a movie, I was doing some work and browsing on my phone. That’s definitely a nice, new feature and the connectivity was excellent.
First Class Crew Impressions
Overall, our cabin crew was pleasant. I could have done with a few more smiles and upbeat attitude, but at least they weren’t rude or grouchy. I just tried to play it cool and be cheery so I could keep getting my drink refills.
Overall Rating
I would give the overall experience an 8/10. It was definitely worth the upgrade for the 5-hour flight at $300. A lie-flat situation would have been epic, but that’s okay. I’ll save those for my longer trips to Europe instead.
Surprisingly, I was impressed with the food and drinks, which ended up being my favorite part of the experience.
The biggest bummer for me was not being able to select my seat, but I guess I was just happy to have a seat there to begin with.
Will I bid for an upgrade again in the future? 100% yes – but I’m not sure how it’s going to work now that they are under the Alaska umbrella. Will I pay for first class out of pocket with cash? Not unless it’s a great deal. Would I pay for First Class with points? Also a yes.
Back to “Peasant Class”
On my return trip from Maui to Oakland, I sat in economy after brooding over whether I should have also bid to upgrade to first class for a second time.
I was seated in Row 15, which is the row just behind extra comfort (premium economy) and just in front of the first exit row. In order to select my seat, I had to pay $69 (seriously), which is ridiculous because the legroom was abysmal. How anyone taller than me could sit in this row comfortably is beyond me!
I vow to never sit in a regular coach seat on this airplane model again…
Thankfully, I ended up having two empty seats next to me, which I shall refer to as peasant’s first class. I ordered a couple of drinks (at $10 a piece) and pretended like I was in first class while I chowed down on my free, mediocre chicken pesto pocket.
Maybe my first class upgrade did spoil me a bit. At a minimum, you’ll find me paying for the extra comfort seats or maybe bidding for first class again in the future.
Would you pay $300 to sit in first class on this Hawaiian Air flight?
Since Alaska Airlines has acquired Hawaiian Airlines, I’m not sure what this process will look like in the future.
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