Hawaii is a dream destination for many people and from a travel rewards perspective there are a lot of “sweet spot” redemptions to help get you there for fewer than the ‘normal’ 45,000 airline miles that United, American and Delta charge for a round-trip award flight.
One of the best of those sweet spots is to use British Airways Avios miles to fly on either Alaska Airlines or American Airlines for only 13,000 Avios for a one-way flight between 2,001 – 3,000 miles in actual distance. That means a round-trip costs 26,000 Avios instead of the normal 45,000 you’d expect to pay with other currencies.
British Airways Avios are readily available through the British Airways Visa Signature Card, Chase Ultimate Rewards transfers as well as transfers from American Express Membership Rewards points.
There are 10 different US cities with direct service to Hawaii that fit this sweet spot:
- Anchorage, Alaska
- Bellingham, WA
- Los Angeles, CA
- Oakland, CA
- Phoenix, AZ
- Portland, OR
- Sacramento, CA
- San Diego, CA
- San Jose, CA
- Seattle, WA
See below for all Hawaiian airports served through these 10 cities plus tips on how to book American Airlines and Alaska Airlines flights with British Airways Avios miles.
Anchorage, Alaska (ANC) to:
- Honolulu International Airport, Oahu (HNL) on Alaska Airlines
- Kahului Airport, Maui (OGG) on Alaska Airlines (seasonal flight)
- Kona International Airport, Big Island (KOA) on Alaska Airlines (seasonal flight)
(Map source: Great Circle Mapper. The essential tool for British Airways Avios flight distances)
Bellingham, Washington (BLI) to:
- Honolulu International Airport, Oahu (HNL) on Alaska Airlines (seasonal flight)
- Kahului Airport, Maui (OGG) on Alaska Airlines (seasonal flight)
Los Angeles, California (LAX) to:
- Honolulu International Airport, Oahu (HNL) on American Airlines
- Kahului Airport, Maui (OGG) on American Airlines
- Kona International Airport, Big Island (KOA) on American Airlines
- Lihue Airport, Kauai (LIH) on American Airlines
Oakland, California (OAK) to:
- Honolulu International Airport, Oahu (HNL) on Alaska Airlines
- Kahului Airport, Maui (OGG) on Alaska Airlines
- Kona International Airport, Big Island (KOA) on Alaska Airlines
- Lihue Airport, Kauai (LIH) on Alaska Airlines
Phoenix, Arizona (PHX) to:
- Honolulu International Airport, Oahu (HNL) on American Airlines
- Kahului Airport, Maui (OGG) on American Airlines
- Kona International Airport, Big Island (KOA) on American Airlines
- Lihue Airport, Kauai (LIH) on American Airlines
Portland, Oregon (PDX) to:
- Honolulu International Airport, Oahu (HNL) on Alaska Airlines
- Kahului Airport, Maui (OGG) on Alaska Airlines
- Kona International Airport, Big Island (KOA) on Alaska Airlines (seasonal flight)
- Lihue Airport, Kauai (LIH) on Alaska Airlines (seasonal flight)
Sacramento, California (SMF) to:
- Kahului Airport, Maui (OGG) on Alaska Airlines
San Diego, California (SAN) to:
- Honolulu International Airport, Oahu (HNL) on Alaska Airlines
- Kahului Airport, Maui (OGG) on Alaska Airlines
- Kona International Airport, Big Island (KOA) on Alaska Airlines
- Lihue Airport, Kauai (LIH) on Alaska Airlines
San Jose, California (SJC) to:
- Honolulu International Airport, Oahu (HNL) on Alaska Airlines
- Kahului Airport, Maui (OGG) on Alaska Airlines
- Kona International Airport, Big Island (KOA) on Alaska Airlines
- Lihue Airport, Kauai (LIH) on Alaska Airlines
Seattle, Washington (SEA) to:
- Honolulu International Airport, Oahu (HNL) on Alaska Airlines
- Kahului Airport, Maui (OGG) on Alaska Airlines
- Kona International Airport, Big Island (KOA) on Alaska Airlines
- Lihue Airport, Kauai (LIH) on Alaska Airlines
Booking American Airlines and Alaska Airlines Flights with Avios
When using Avios miles, it’s important to note a few things:
- You pay by the flight segment, so you need to find a direct flight in order to book for 13,000 Avios one-way.
- You need to find “Saver” award availability in order to book with a partner’s mileage currency.
- In order to get top value out of your Avios, you really need to book Economy seats. BA raised the mileage requirements on partner Business and First class awards and we do not recommend them.
To find Saver award availability for these two airlines, we highly suggest you use American’s site AA.com to find award seat availability. You aren’t booking here with your BA miles, you are simply confirming the availability of the Saver seats.
Once you find the MileSAAver Economy award seats (the MileSAAver Economy seats will show up as 22,500 miles each way on AA’s website), you will note the date, time and flight number and then book your award seats to Hawaii using British Airways Avios. To book:
- Log into your BA Executive Club account and book online with your miles