The airline: Hawaiian Airlines
- Route Sydney to Honolulu, flight AS852
- Frequency Five return flights a week
- Aircraft Airbus A330-200
- Class Premium Class; seat 11C, aisle
- Flight time 9 hours 50 minutes (on time)
Checking in
It’s a calm Sunday evening at Sydney Airport.
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It → check → Airport
That’s the first hint that Premium Class isn’t true premium economy – and, to be fair, it’s about half the price of Qantas’ premium economy on the same route – so I set my expectations accordingly.
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I → ’ → expectations
The queue pleasingly clears in less than 10 minutes with security and passport control also hassle-free.
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security → clear → minutes
Atmos points are challenging to earn in Australia, but linking your Qantas Frequent Flyer number delivers between 1425 and 5700 Qantas points one-way, plus 35-70 status credits (varying between fare types).
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linking → earn → types
Qantas Gold and Platinum get lounge access too.
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Gold → get → access
Baggage
Premium Class allows the standard economy allowance of two checked bags of 23 kilograms each, plus two cabin bags – one large, one small.
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Class → allow → kilograms
Provided you can lift your own cabin bags without assistance, no weight limit applies.
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limit → provide → assistance
The 2-4-2 cabin layout in Premium Class matches the rest of economy, as does the 18-inch (45.7-centimetre) seat width.
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width → match → economy
But Premium Class, formerly known as Extra Comfort, offers additional legroom, with a seat pitch of 36 inches (91 centimetres), versus 31 inches (79 centimetres) further back.
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Class → know → inches
Bulkheads are usually great for having even more space, but avoid 11C (my seat) and 11G.
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Bulkheads → have → 11C
The aisle cuts diagonally through the floor space here, impeding usable legroom.
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aisle → cut → legroom
The seat’s padding could be improved, but I finally nod off … to be quickly awoken by a pilot standing on my foot.
uncertain
I → improve → foot
I get minimal rest after that.
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I → get → that
Six restrooms are shared between the 260 passengers of both Premium Class and economy.
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restrooms → share → Class
Every passenger gets a slow-charging USB-A port, but Premium Class provides AC power for laptop and higher-speed charging, plus a small amenity kit.
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Class → get → charging
The eyeshade tucked inside brings a welcome escape from Hawaiian’s bulkhead-mounted flight map screens – switched on all night.
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eyeshade → tuck → screens
Each seat has a personal 10.6-inch (27-centimetre) entertainment screen, although selections are modest and generally dated – think Crazy Stupid Love, The Intern and Moulin Rouge as headliners.
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Love → have → headliners
Free Starlink Wi-Fi is a welcome distraction when sleep eludes.
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sleep → elude → ?
Download speeds reach a lightning-fast 250Mbps during my tests: zippier than my internet at home.
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speeds → reach → home
The welcome announcement takes an interesting turn when we’re asked to “avoid screaming and waking everyone up” (that’s a new one!) and to keep the aisle clear to “allow our staff to do their jobs”.
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staff → take → jobs
Crew are otherwise efficient and polite, keeping to the galley outside of service times – typical of North American carriers.
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Crew → keep → carriers
Regular water runs would be nice: there’s nothing proactively offered between supper and breakfast.
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runs → ’ → supper
Food
Finally, an airline that doesn’t force-feed you after take-off when you’ve already eaten dinner earlier, at dinnertime.
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you → force → dinnertime
There are ham sandwiches if you’re peckish (basic and a little dry), but the flight’s food focus is breakfast: bravo.
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focus → be → ?
The pancakes are standard, with passionfruit coulis bringing some flavour.
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coulis → bring → flavour
That’s joined by a fruit salad, blueberry Greek-style yoghurt, coffee, juice and water.
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That → join → salad
Hawaiian Airlines uses AI to continuously optimise its flight paths, reducing fuel burn and emissions.
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Airlines → use → burn
Together with its parent company Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian hopes to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
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Hawaiian → hop → 2050
*
One more thing
Hawaiian Airlines’ Airbus A330s are getting an upgrade, but not until 2028.
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A330s → get → 2028
With Premium Class upgrades from just $175 one way between Sydney and Honolulu, it’s an affordable way to make economy flying a tad more tolerable.
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flying → ’ → Sydney
The writer travelled as a guest of Hawaiian Airlines.
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writer → travel → Airlines
**Fares are based on those available for travel three months from the time of publication and subject to change.
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Fares → base → change
The Aporia
