Hawaiian Airlines First Class “Leihōkū Suite”: LAX-HNL B787-9

Hawaiian Airlines started flying their brand new Boeing 787 Dreamliner in April 2024 and I was able to give it a try recently. I’ve previously flown their A330 wide body plane in First Class, but the B787 is their first Boeing plane. The new First Class seat are Suites and a major upgrade over the previous seats on the A330. “The 34 Leihōkū (garland of stars) Suites feature lie-flat seating, 18-inch in-flight entertainment screens, personal power outlets, wireless cell phone charging and direct aisle access. Set in a 1-2-1 configuration with doors, the suites offer privacy or a shared experience with combinable double suites, allowing couples to fall asleep while gazing at a starlit ceiling inspired by the constellations that guided early Polynesian voyagers.”

Using 40,000 HawaiianMiles (transferred from AMEX) and $5.60 in taxes, I was able to book a one-way in First Class from LAX to HNL. Hawaiian is only currently flying the 787 on select LAX & PHX flights to Honolulu. I’d expect them to use these for long haul international flights in the future.

Check-in at LAX for Hawaiian Airlines was located in the Tom Bradley International Terminal. The walk from the check-in counter to the gate was over 15 minutes as it was located in the new West Gates of TBIT. I grabbed a bite and drink at the AMEX Centurion Lounge prior to heading to the gate. We boarded N781HA (Kapuahi) from Gate 206.

Boarding commenced on time and I found my seat at 1A. The Leihōkū Suites looked amazing while walking down the aisle. Hawaiian Airlines outdid themselves! Suites with doors, wireless phone chargers, mood lighting, personal lamp, large 18″ TV, etc. Notes: The footwell area in the bulkhead (Row 1) is the same size as other seats. Avoid Row 6 as there isn’t a window.

Prior to departure, we were offered a beverage. I opted for the Signature Mai Tai by Kō Hana which is a local rum distillery on Oahu. It had a different taste as there wasn’t much sugar added, but still tasty. We were off to Honolulu in no time.

Breakfast was offered after takeoff. They served macadamia nuts with a drink of choice to get started. I tried the Summer Club Pogmosa which is a POG Mimosa and it was excellent. For my main course, I select the Roasted Broccoli, Mushroom and Cheese Frittata with Chicken Sausage. The frittata was a generous portion and was above average for a breakfast entree on a flight in domestic First Class. The TV systems did fail during the meal service so they had to reboot the entire system which is powered by Android. I was watching a movie so I had to start over. I noticed that the suite door doesn’t fully close so not 100% private, but still a nice touch to obscure the foot traffic in the aisle. After watching the movie, I took a 1hr nap in the lie flat seat which was comfy and plenty of room.

There wasn’t an amenity kit offered, but new Leihōkū kits are now available on international Hawaiian flights in Business Class. Another missing feature was inflight WiFi. Starlink WiFi isn’t yet available on the 787, but all Hawaiian Airbus planes have Starlink installed as of September 2024. I’d expect Starlink to be installed by early 2025 on the 787’s. We landed into Honolulu after an uneventful flight which was a perfect way to start my Hawaiian vacation.

 

As I was traveling in First Class, I was offered Premium Airport service for $350 or 50,000 HawaiianMiles if I needed Premium handling upon arrival or departure from Honolulu. I didn’t take them up on the offer as I couldn’t justify the costs, but for a family with kids or the elderly this would be a nice option.

 

Conclusion: I’d highly recommend flying Hawaiian’s 787 in First Class if you are traveling on the routes they are offering it on at the time of your travel. It’s a solid hard product and the service is top notch.