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By Laura Bly, USA TODAY
By Rick Seaney, special for USA TODAYIt had been more than a decade since my last trip to Hawaii, so I was really looking forward to my December vacation in the islands. How was it? I'm already planning my next visit and would like to share how I plan on finding the cheapest fares.When to go?
As you might imagine, one of the busiest times for flights to Hawaii (thus the most costly) is during the cold weather months on the mainland, so look for discounted fares in the spring and fall. Don't hold your breath for summer deals, especially not this year with oil price trends and folks holding a little extra cash in their travel budget.
How good are the deals?
With fuel surcharges plus taxes and fees running as much as $500 (or more) on flights to Europe, Hawaii is a relative steal if you look purely at the distance of flights. Plus, in many cases, airfare to the islands is cheaper than prices you'll find to many popular Caribbean destinations.
Check out the tables below. The first looks back at prices to Hawaii in 2008, when oil was last surging. Note that today's airfares are tracking even higher. By the way, that drop in prices at the end of 2008 was a precursor to the recession; such a drop is less likely this year
The bottom table looks back at 2006 when there were no fuel crises or recessions (those were the days!). This is a more typical price pattern of prices — up in the summer, then down again, before the big run-up to the holiday season.
Finding the best flight deals to Hawaii
