Complain about a product or service

Hawaiian Airlines

Phyllis of Keizer, OR August 27, 2009

I was scheduled for a morning flight from Portland, Oregon to Honolulu, Hawaii and due to Computer Re-Booting Problems on Our Plane; we were delayed a Day. We were given 300 ticket Vouchers; which I miss placed- and was told would not be replaced! I am a Frequet Flyer wirh Hawaiian Air and have spent alot of money on the Islands; I think it is very cheap & unprofessional that they will not work with me!

Cherylle of Waipahu, HI May 20, 2009

On 5/14 I booked an internet flight from hon to az on june 17-22. I went through the whole process and even inputting my credit card information. For some reason the website refreshed leaving me to do it all over again. In a matter of minutes the air fare went up 88 dollars. I called customer service to please accomodate me with the quote given just minutes prior. My internet was working perfectly fine and do understand that glitches do happen but I feel that I am not at fault.

Customer service did nothing to help me with this matter. The best price they could give me was the 88 dollar increase. The next day I asked to speak with a supervisor Jeremiah 5/15. I explained the situation but he said that he was unable to override original quote. His solution to all this was to give me a 588 plane fair. What savings? From 411 to 588. I am disappointed with the outcome of this matter. Nothing positive was done to rectify this matter. I wont be able to see my cousin graduate from college.

irene of honokaa, HI April 29, 2009

I went philippines with my daugther and my sister.That, when we just landed in the Philippines last 29 December 2008 at about 6:00 PM, it was found out that ONLY THREE (3) OUT OF THE SIX (6) BOXES checked-in in Kona (KOA) Airport in 29 December 2008 were at hand. The other three (3) was reported MISSING. In that case, an airline staff approached me in the person of Ms Kaye and explained to me that it was a negligence of the airline company. She rather advised me that the missing baggage will be delivered as soon as the boxes are available through a delivery company or any other means. Thus, I agreed to that statement and she (the airline staff) issued me a baggage irregularity report. In January 03, 2009, four days after that circumstances, the 3 boxes were delivered to me and it was my great surprise that the tied WZ pink ribbon along the sides of each of the boxes and the original tape which serves as seal were cut and torn-out. The boxes were unsealed and partly opened and just wrapped with a plain plastic. For this reason, I and the staff of the Delivery Company conducted the re-weighing of the boxes. It was found out that the boxes weighs only 60-61 pounds (lbs) per box, well in fact when we checked-in in the above-mentioned was about 70 pounds. We decided to check the items what were lost in the presence of the Delivery Company staff. Based from the scrutiny, we found out that some of the items were lost/slolen. after that incidence i tried to call the staff from HA to ask what happen to my baggage. but unfurtunately they said that, that lady is not onduty on that time.thus,i left a message for her so that she can call me back to explain what happen. after that, i never heard anything from them.so i decided to file a complaint to HA in honolulu and they said that the costums are the one who open the baggage. i was surprised of what they said because, i believe that if ever that the costums are the one opened my boxes,they should live at list a SIMPLE notes indicating that they open my bagagage. but never..i never saw any notes. So rigth after i came back to hawaii,i file a formal complian and forwarded, and its my big surprised that hawaiian Airlines offer me to settle the problem, and pay me 9/lbs. because they said that they are not liable for any loss baggage especially if contains of food even its not perishable. i think its not really fair to all costumer paying expensive fair and happen this kind problem. hope that never happen to again

Diana of Phoenix, AZ April 14, 2009

My husband passed away last year and the funeral was to be held in Hawaii. I purchased 2 tickets for his nephews at the cost of 1476.36 and they elected not to attend. I contacted HA and requested that the tickets be changed to a different date and my name and I was told that the tickets were non transferable. I explained the situation and that I would pay the transfer costs of 250 per ticket and was still told that it was not possible.

I have flown this airlines for 5 years and carry a HA credit card and they say it is not possible? I am not asking for a refund and am willing to pay any cost involved, can you help? I will lose 1476.36 with I have already paid for.

Linda of Vacaville, CA April 2, 2009

My husband and I took our daughter and family for vacation in Kona, HI. With us were our two granddaughters, ages 13 years and 22 months. Three adults and 1 child and 1 infant. Due to delays we did not depart until 17 hours later. We arrived at airport at 7:30 am 3/21/09 but did not depart until 2:00 am 3/22/09. From 9:00 am until 3:00 pm we were told there would be updates in 30 - 60 minutes. Finally at 3:00 pm we found out we had options. We could get vouchers to sleep at a hotel for a few hours and come back but we couldn't take our checked baggage. So we had to buy diapers, baby food, toothbrushes, etc. The airline employees were very rude and could not give us any updates. They just kept stalling us. Babies were crying and hungry and we just had to sit and wait.

When we finally arrived in Honolulu at 4:00 am their time we had about 4 hours sleep. We caught a small plane to the big Island. The female flight attendant was either drunk or stoned. We tried to reschedule our return flight due to losing one day at the airlines expense. They charged us 750 for 5 tickets to be rescheduled. Since we didn't have the money, we used vouchers they had given us. We had to use 1500 in their vouchers that actually cost 750 just to be able to extend our stay due to the airline's delay. Then they told us that we couldn't get a flight out that day so we could go the following day. This cost us another day's vehicle rental and another day's rent at the condo. My husband took a day from his vacation to go to the Kona airport in person to arrange these matters. This also cost three of us lost wages for one day. But at least we had return tickets with assigned seats.

On the day of departure we had to get the vehicle returned by 7:30 am but the flight out of Kona was at 11:00 am. Instead of carrying around our baggage, we checked it at 7:30 am. No one told us that this would be a problem. When it came time to board we were told that we really didn't have seats on the flight out of Kona. We sat and waited with baby crying while everyone else boarded the plane. My daughter was afraid that we would be once again stuck at the airport for hours like we were in Oakland. With baby in arms, she walked up to the airline employee at the gate and asked her if we were getting bumped. At that the employee called security. I was fighting back tears due to frustration. Finally they had to ask people to give up seats for us because they overbooked the flight.

Once again, not our fault. We boarded another plane in Honolulu and arrived in Oakland, CA. at 9:15 PM. We got all the luggage except baby's car seat. Airline employee says we checked our luggage illegally in Kona and if it gets lost, it's our fault. That we were advised of this when we checked our baggage. Wait a minute. We were not advised of anything. They took our luggage and that was it. No talking at all. We produce the claim ticket for the carseat. Female employee says when they find it they will ship to us COD. By the time we got out of the airport it was 11:00 PM. We'd been up since 5:00 AM. Baby was tired and hungry. My daughter and granddaughters were crying. My husband told the employee that we would not pay COD charges. That they could ship it to us at their cost when they found it. He also told the employee that we would never fly Hawaiian Airlines again and we would advise everyone we talked to not to use their airline. They had ruined our trip from beginning to end.

Three of us lost one day's wages. Undue stress due to employee rudeness. Lack of empathy or consideration due to traveling with a baby. Lack of professionalism. Minor damage to one suitcase. Vacation ruined and stressful. Extra cost due to flight reschedule, additional car, meals and condo rental.

Kathleen of Foothill Ranch, CA February 11, 2009

misinformed the change fee for a ticket we booked a ticket and cancelled they said it would cost 350 to change it and it actually cost 700. Which is crazy most airlines charge 100-150 plus they have refundable tickets or able to put a ticket on hold. Hawaiian does not offer this My mother inlaw had a stroke which is why we booked the ticket but the doctors informed us to wait, which is why we cancelled the trip.

we paid 1500 for our ticket now will have to pay an additional 700 to change it! In this econmy!

Chris of Salt Lake, UT February 4, 2009

My family and I cumulatively had 18 legs on participating airlines (Delta, Northwest, and Continental) during the summer of 2008. The HawaiianMiles number was double-checked on every single leg with every gate agent. None of the legs were credited after six months! I was able to find a good majority of the boarding passes (all w/ the HawaiianMiles number clearly printed on the stub), and submitted them to Hawaiian. Hawaiian rejected a leg for all of my family from HNL to SFO on Northwest, as it was a competing route, and their policy states: Earn HawaiianMiles on all routes Northwest Airlines flies except routes serviced by Hawaiian Airlines. But there policy goes on to state that if it's just a connection on the way to your destination, it still counts for HawaiianMiles: If you travel beyond Hawaiians route system, you may be able to earn HawaiianMiles for all Northwest segments. Stopovers are not allowed, and connections must be within 4 hours or the next available flight.

 That is exactly what we did: Hawaiian doesn't go to SLC, and we ticketed, via Delta, HNL to SLC, which I showed all relevant receipts for. Furthermore, I bought the ticket directly through Delta, and the Northwest Flight had a Delta flight number, and their Delta policy is: Earn HawaiianMiles on all routes Delta Air Lines flies. Make your reservation with Delta Air Lines at http://www.delta.com/ and provide your HawaiianMiles membership number...which is, again, what I did, yet they still refuse to credit my HawaiianMiles account! It is so maddening that the airlines don't follow through with crediting mileage, and you have to gather the boarding passes and spend all the time and money to prove what they should have had records of in the first place. There are legs from last summer where the boarding passes will never be found, and although I did my due diligence to assure the miles would be credit, Hawaiian Airlines just gave me the finger. Then, to not even honor their own policy makes Hawaiian Airlines frauds.

20,000 lost miles, 100 hours fighting w/ them.

Stephanie of San Diego, CA May 1, 2008

This is the best yet! I have been flying for over 45 years, and never had something like this happen. My children, their spouses, and my Grandchildren were all flying to Honolulu for our yearly vacation together. We go to Mexico alternating years. We arrived at the airport at 8:15am for our flight departing at 10:30am, Flt. 15. At about 10AM they post a Delayed message. Next we're told they have a maintenance issue and we should depart at 11:30AM. This kind of thing went on every 1-1/2 to 2 hrs. Each time they promised a departure in approx. 2 hrs. We were given lunch vouchers, then dinner vouchers. Mind you it was for a bunch of junk food. At 9:30 PM approx. we are told a plane from Maui is coming in and they're going to board us on that plane.

Well, they boarded us on something, but it was a larger Jet, in a different gate, than the jet from Maui. We boarded and flew out between 11 and 11:15PM. Needless to say, we lost one whole day and night in Honolulu. We were up for 25 hours without sleep. Today, vouchers in the amount of 400.00 each showed up in the mail. I'm not happy with that small concession. Is there anything else I can do? Hawaiian should have brought another Jet in right away instead of lying to us and keeping us there for 12-1/2 hours before departure!!

Lost one whole day and night in the Resort that was already paid for. We were up for 25 hours without any sleep.

Neil of Kirkland, WA March 12, 2008

I wanted to use my Hawaiian Miles for a trip from Kona, Hawaii, to Seattle, WA for next February 6, 2009. At 3:00 am this morning PDT, which is midnight in Hawaii, I went online to get first crack at the seats that were going to be released which is 331 days in advance. The seats become available at midnight. Just before 3:00 they showed what the reward miles would be for coach as a preferred member: 15,000 miles. At 3:00 when the seats became available, the cost jumped to 25,000 miles, and there were NO SEATS at the 15,000 miles super saver rate. When I went online later this morning after speaking to 3 different people at the web support and reservations desks, I was told that there was only 1 seat available on all 6 flights leaving on Feb 6th. When I went to see what happens if I tried to book just 1 seat instead of 2, it allowed it; and when I got to the seat availability page, every one of the seats on those flights were available!

So I wrote to Peggie at Hawaiian's Consumer Affairs Office, and she double talked about how those seats go so fast. Well, if they really did, why weren't some seats occupied on those flights? Anyone savvy enough to know to go online 331 days before their planned trip would definitely get seats at the same time, especially if the seat selector page comes up automatically in Hawaiian Air! So....do you think travel agents that are tied into the airlines machines grabbed up those seats for THEIR customers? I am so furious with Hawaiian that I am transferring all my miles for 2 times the amount of Hilton Honors Points!

I went to Alaska Air and booked my flight for 17,500 miles with absolutely no problems. They even give you 3 days to change your mind with NO penalties at all! I also booked my flight from Kona to Honolulu on Aloha Airlines for 49!

Delia of Santa Cruz, CA March 12, 2008

I reserved on line a ticket through Hawaii Airline, and it would not take my free miles. I had to call by phone to make the reservation. I had 80,000.00 miles, and they would only honor departure--not return. I paid for 2 tickets out of pocket at 599.00 each. (Last year I received 2 tickets, round trip, free for the same amount of miles.) I tried to cancel the flight 2 days later, and Norman stated that I had to call on Monday. My husband called, and Jason would not refund our money. We were not expecting to get 100% refund, but instead we told that they would give us credit only and charge us an additional 179.00 per person to make another reservation within the year.

What was not stated is that we always purchase insurance on line. Since we were not able to make our reservation online, and we needed assistance by phone, it voided the insurance. That was not explained to us. I do have a copy of the online reservation that I tried to make with proof of insurance, and all they stated is that that is voided because you made the reservation by phone.. My husband spent 2 hours talking to customer service. We are "preferred customers"; what a joke. Hawaii Air would not give us a phone number to call, but faxed it to consumer affairs and were told they will get back to us. It has been 3 days and yet have not received a call. We own a condo in Kona and fly there frequently. We will no longer fly Hawaii Air, and I would not recommend them to anyone.

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