![Many Advanced Hawaiian Airlines Technologies Are Upsetting Passengers](https://beatofhawaii.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/PSX_20230419_222303.jpg)
Typically, Southwest Airlines can’t catch a break when it comes to technology problems, which we saw again this Tuesday. But on Wednesday, bellwether Hawaiian Airlines took issue with an unprecedented multi-faceted technology meltdown that isn’t even over yet. If you read on, it appears that some of these may take a lot of time to resolve.
The airline said it was all part of a planned system upgrade (probably lost), but their passengers and we were caught unawares of the event that took place, and of course, the magnitude and impact which it can do.
Widespread, ongoing problems and widespread flight delays.
Their technology problems quickly escalated Wednesday to include the following:
- Booking tickets online was not available, and the call center was flooded with calls.
- Travelers have told us that confirmation codes have stopped working on all platforms.
- Flight check-in online or at the airport lobby kiosk stopped working.
- The only check-in is to speak to an agent at the airport. One person reported that only four agents are available to handle all mainland flights at Honolulu Airport.
- Changes to reservations are not available online. Hawaiian said, “To make changes to existing tickets after April 19, 2023, please contact our Reservations Department. We will be implementing new, improved self-service flight changes on our website and app in the future. “
- The fares are gone. The ability to hold a reservation is suspended until further notice.
- The use of advance travel credits will move to be online soon. In the past, it was necessary to call the airline.
- Credit card savings are gone. After April 19, 2023, any saved payment methods will not transfer to our upgraded system. “
- App Saved Travelers is no longer available. “The ability to select travelers saved in My Account is temporarily unavailable.” It remains available on the HA website.
- The companion fare offers are no longer on the website. It will now be sent “as a discount code via email instead of through the HawaiianMiles member dashboard.” Should be coming soon.
Wednesday’s Hawaiian Airlines flight delays include:
- Honolulu: 114 flights were delayed, or 75% of all flights. 6 flights were cancelled.
- Maui: 55 flights were delayed, or 74% of all flights. 2 flights were cancelled.
- Lihue: 28 flights were delayed, or 75% of all flights. 0 flights were cancelled.
- Kona: 29 flights were delayed, or 76% of all flights. 2 flights were cancelled.
The Hawaiian Airlines website is not working properly.
As of 10 p.m. Wednesday, heading to the Hawaiian Airlines website still gave a bright red warning flag.
The banner indicates that at least the scope of the outage is planned, which we’re not sure is, in fact, the case. Their technology page about the issues was just published today.
Anyway, the image above is hard to read, but here’s what it says.
“Scheduled system outage: April 18-19
Our scheduled system outage is complete, but booking new tickets on HawaiianAirlines.com or our mobile app is not yet available while we bring our systems back online. You can book new tickets through your preferred online travel agency.
We are also experiencing intermittent check-in errors on our website. For best results, you can use the mobile app to check-in for your flight or find an agent at the airport.
Our contact center experiences high call volumes, and you may experience longer than usual hold times. Thank you for your patience and please click here for more information on our technology upgrade. “
Hawaiian Airlines’ Facebook page went radio silent after not mentioning the plan at all.
Hawaiian Airlines’ normally busy Facebook page went radio silent starting Tuesday at 11 a.m. Noticeably absent is any warning of an upcoming “planned upgrade.” Non-moderated comments since then reflect the frustration of passengers and include:
“What happened to Hawaiian Airlines?! Why don’t you post about system problems and this is a national issue.
Also, “How can you concentrate with the ridiculous number of flight delays that have occurred.”
Light at the end of the tunnel.
It looks like the changes will greatly improve the areas where Hawaii’s technology lags behind its competitors. We look forward to their settling into this and passengers will have all the new capabilities found here.
Airport agents were amazed at the number of passengers that had to be accommodated. If you are stuck in airport lines or online, please add your comments below.
Photo credit: Makani Tabura.
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