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My best friend and I are traveling to Honolulu in Jan, around 13-20th...How far in advance should one book a flight to Hawaii? One month, two months?
How far Booking in Advance--to Hawaii
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Once you find a price you can live with, you should book it. I have booked Hawaiian and/or European flights 5 to 6 months out.
There's no right answer to the question. You just need to start pricing, see what the trends are for your dates on various airlines. If you travel days are flexible that can help bring the cost down. I'm flying Hawaiian Air this week and got a much lower price because I can fly weekdays (well Sun to Wed insteaad of Thur to Sat).
If you want to go during a holiday like Christmas, I would recommend either booking 11 months ahead or at the last minute for the best price.
Agree with Suze to monitor the airlines' low fare calendars around your dates. We only just booked our flight to Kauai in early Dec. (islands generally quieter after Thanksgiving and before Christmas) We held out because there used to be late Oct sales but not this year. Luckily prices stayed stable. First time we've ever booked and paid for our return flight first!!! (was a non-stop sale fare on another carrier) And as Wally said, when planning peak time Christmas family holidays, we'd book almost a 1 year ahead.
Early Jan also good for low prices, high flight availability, but as you get closer to February, more demand. February traditionally popular with snowbirds. For your dates I'd start monitoring but Honolulu has more flight choices than outer islands. Good luck!
I am on the e-mail list at Hawaiian Air, they send out their best deals frequently. I watched that for a few months because I wasn't sure my exact dates. Turns out I did get the lowest price I'd seen (by a few bucks) when I was ready to book.
Just remember that American and United have food for purchase on flights to Hawaii and often they run out. If you want a meal on your flight, consider Continental, Delta or Hawaiian Airlines.