I wasn’t on this exact flight, but I flew Hawaiian’s A321neo from the West Coast to Maui a couple years ago and remember thinking mid-flight, This feels a bit too slim for so much ocean. It was a smooth trip, but after reading about this recent A321neo turning back mid-Pacific due to a backup AC system failure, I’ve got second thoughts. I know ETOPS rules are there for safety, but it’s still unnerving to think how quickly things can shift out there.
After that experience and now this story, I’m leaning toward booking widebodies like the A330 or 787 when heading to the islands. The extra space, redundancy, and comfort just feel better for long-haul flights especially when you’re over open water for hours. Anyone else get anxious flying narrowbodies to Hawaii?
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