Airfares to Hawaii Drop to As Little as $133 between the Mainland and the Islands

Slash and burn.

That's been the strategy of the major airlines in the past two years, as they've pruned back the number of flights to pretty much every destination on the planet in an effort to better monetize the remaining flights.

(Photo by Rhett Maxwell)

Hawaii, however, seems to be the exception. In the last year, its added 13% more flights from Los Angeles, 7% more from Canadian gateways and new flights from all over the US on Continental Airlines and Allegiant Air.

Hmmm...wondering if the airlines are now worrying that was a mistake? Because as airfares to other places keep going higher, we're seeing more and more sales to Oahu, Maui, Kauai and the Big Island.

Case in point are the current price slashers being reported by BeatofHawaii.com. According to that savvy Aloha specialist, folks who book now will be able to get the following, excellent prices:

• Chicago and Denver to Oahu: $161 each way
• Cincinnatti, Atlanta, Dallas, Detroit and Memphis to Oahu: $174 each way
• Seattle to Maui, the Big Island, Kauai or Oahu: $133 each way
• Phoenix to Maui: $140 each way
• San Francisco to Oahu: $150 each
• San Jose and Oakland to Oahu: $163 each way

The major players in the war are Delta and United, so play 'em off against one another if you decide to book. That is, unless you live on the West Coast, where Hawaiian Airlines is beating the competition. Fares seem to be reaching their nadirs between mid-January and late February, though the ones for Chicago and Denver go all the way through summer.

All in all: lots of confusion but lots of options so shop around, but do it fast. There's no telling how long these low prices will last.