ALOHA!
In September 2022, I was on a flight to Hawaii in economy aka the main cabin.
This was a flight to Honolulu HNL from Japan.
Do you get meals on flights to Hawaii?
Yes, you will get free meals on most flights to Hawaii when you fly on Hawaiian Airlines.
According to Hawaiian Airlines, for West Coast cities in economy:
Meals are not served on redeye flights.
According to Hawaiian Airlines, redeye flights to Hawaii from West Coast cities are any flights departing after 8pm.
Other than that, it seems that flights are long enough that you will get 2 meals when you fly to Hawaii. (Although on many flights the second “meal” is more like a snack.)
So if you are on a flight that departs before 8pm, then Hawaiian Airlines will serve you free meals.
Of course, things can change!
So it’s best to confirm directly with the Hawaiian Airlines website if you have a confirmed flight or if it’s important in making your decision to fly Hawaiian Airlines to Hawaii!
You can look for your specific flight route to verify meals that will be served.
How many meals do you get on Hawaiian Airlines?
If you are on a flight that serves meals, then you get 2 complimentary meals on a Hawaiian Airlines flight to Hawaii. (The second “meal” might be more like a snack, though!)
I will show you below what food was served on my flight, and what time the meals were served.
Are drinks free on Hawaiian Airlines?
Drinks are free on Hawaiian Airlines.
There will be a drink cart that comes around with complimentary drinks several times throughout the flight, and that includes at meal times.
Again, things can change so best to confirm!
👆 You get free water on a Hawaiian Airlines flight. Water is a good choice on a long flight to Hawaii! Request water every chance you get to stay hydrated on the plane and to fight off jet lag in Hawaii! (They say to avoid caffeine on long flights. Staying well-hydrated when you’re in the air is said to help fight jet lag.)
What food is served on a Hawaiian Airlines flight to Hawaii?
Meal offerings on my flight were different from what was listed on the website.
So, menus can change!
If you are flying business class to Hawaii on Hawaiian Airlines, then have a look at the business class food menu for your flight route.
Now here is the food I got on my flight to Hawaii in economy. Everything was free.
The food that’s served on a Hawaiian Airlines flight varies based on your flight route and where you’re starting from.
The food I got on my Hawaiian Airlines flight to Hawaii was also different from the food on my Hawaiian Airlines flight to Japan.
Food that’s served on your flight will be different that what I got if you are flying from the mainland US!
But this can give you an idea of what plane food on Hawaiian Airlines is like!
8:45pm Japan time / 1:45am Hawaii time: Scheduled departure time.
Not too long after departure, the first meal was served.
👆 9:10pm Japan time / 2:10am Hawaii time: First meal is served.
There was loco moco served.
Loco moco is a popular local Hawaii food that is made of hamburger, egg, and gravy over rice.
Well, I confess loco moco is not something that I found to be particularly appealing to begin with. So even in multiple trips to Hawaii, I had never tried loco moco before.
And plane food probably isn’t the best time to try something I didn’t think I’d like to begin with!
But well, it’s a Hawaii specialty, so on the way to Hawaii is a good time to try it… right?!
Well, I can’t say it made me want to try the real thing. Although again I probably shouldn’t base the real thing on plane food.
But I found the loco moco on the plane to be too salty, and I even mixed the gravy with the rice.
So loco moco was part of the main meal, which was served with potato salad and a snack.
The drink cart came around so you can get a drink to go with your meal.
If you have special meal requirements (vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, child meal), that is something you request ahead of time, “at least 48 hours” before your flight.
Shortly after the flight attendants collected the trash from the meals, the lights were dimmed and the plane became dark.
I was happy that I brought a water bottle on the plane! I brought an empty water bottle through the security checkpoint, and then filled the water bottle past security. (I also brought along green tea powder so I could easily have green tea!)
If you do want water during the flight at non-meal times, I think it would be no problem to ask the flight attendant for some water.
This is one of the things I have done on long flights to Hawaii.
You can push the flight attendant call button to have them come to you, or you can head to the back of the plane to go find them to retrieve the water yourself. (I think #2 is the better option since it will also make for an excuse to get up and stretch out a bit!)
👆 3:15am departure city time / 8:15am Hawaii time: Second meal is served.
Actually this “meal” was more like a small snack.
It was a muffin, yogurt, apple, and a cookie from the Honolulu cookie.
Around 4:45am departure city time / 9:45am Hawaii time: Plane touched down in Hawaii!
Hawaiian Airlines food menu
Subject to change!
Food served on flight to Hawaii from Japan
- Meal #1: Loco moco, potato salad, snack
- Meal #2: Light continental breakfast
- Current food served: Japan to Hawaii
Food served on flight to Hawaii from West Coast cities that depart before 8pm
- Meal #1: Pork/bacon, cheddar bagel roll, breakfast cookie
- Meal #2: Garlic pesto, tomato chicken bagel roll, chips, sweet treat
- Snack: Pau hana snack mix
- Current food served: West Coast cities to Hawaii
West Coast cities include Long Beach, Los Angeles, Oakland, Ontario, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, Portland, Seattle, Las Vegas, Phoenix.
Food served on flight to Hawaii from Boston and New York
- Meal #1: Pasta, salad, sweet treat
- Snack: Cream cheese and chive sandwich crackers
- Meal #2: Egg salad sandwich, pau hana snack mix, sweet treat
- Current food served: Boston and NYC to Hawaii
Food served on flight to Hawaii from Orlando Florida
- Meal #1: Pasta, salad, sweet treat
- Snack: Cream cheese and chive sandwich crackers
- Meal #2: Egg salad sandwich, pau hana snack mix, sweet treat
- Current food served: Orlando to Hawaii
Food served on flight to Hawaii from Austin Texas
- Meal #1: Pasta, salad, sweet treat
- Snack: Cream cheese and chive sandwich crackers
- Meal #2: Egg salad sandwich, pau hana snack mix, sweet treat
- Current food served: Austin to Hawaii
Food served on flight to Hawaii from Sydney Australia
- Meal #1: Chicken caesar wrap, apple, Honolulu Cookie Company cookie
- Meal #2: Tomato, mushroom frittata, chicken sausage, hashbrown potatoes, fresh fruit, fruit muffin
- Current food served: Sydney to Hawaii
Food served on flight to Hawaii from Auckland New Zealand
- Meal #1: Chicken cranberry bap, apple, Honolulu Cookie Company cookie
- Meal #2: Scrambled eggs, baked beans, chicken sausage, roasted potatoes, fresh fruit, fruit muffin
- Current food served: Auckland to Hawaii
Menu subject to change! See the current Hawaiian Airlines food menu.
According to the Hawaiian Airlines website, the menu is the same from September 2022 to February 2023.
What is pau hana snack mix?
Pau hana snack mix is a trail mix of sorts that is made for Hawaiian Airlines flights. It may come with rice crackers, cheese stick crackers, and almonds. See a picture.
Honolulu Cookie Company in Hawaii
If you like the cookie on the plane, you can go to a Honolulu Cookie Company store on Oahu and Maui to buy more cookies!
HAPPY EATING PLANE FOOD ON A HAWAIIAN AIRLINES FLIGHT TO HAWAII!
More plane food:
There are partner websites included in this post. I may earn a commission.