Not Southwest, Not Delta: This Airline Ranks Highest For Easy Economy Check-Ins

For many travelers, a trip begins with checking in at the airport, and when the check-in process is a slog, it can sour your excitement for what's to come. If you're flying with Hawaiian Airlines, you won't have to be as concerned about a cumbersome check-in, though, according to findings published by Consumer Reports. The research organization surveyed over 17,000 of its members about flights taken in 2022 and early 2023 to analyze passengers' experiences with things like checking in, cleanliness, and timeliness. On the check-in ease metric for economy passengers, Hawaiian Airlines got a top score. If check-in convenience is a priority, then choosing a flight with Hawaiian Airlines could be a good choice, especially if you're flying to Hawaii — it's the airline that can save you tons of money flying from San Diego to Honolulu, too.

The Consumer Reports findings come specifically from passenger experiences, not from an objective measure of check-in processes or wait times. But the high score for Hawaiian Airlines aligns with some of the airline's other known strengths. It was named one of the best airlines in America in 2025, to start with. One factor that could tie into people having better experiences with checking in is reliable customer service. Hawaiian Airlines got the top spot for customer service across airlines in the U.S. in a 2025 Newsweek study. Good customer service means someone's there and willing to help resolve issues with checking in. One Reddit user shared, "The check in, check luggage people were great for [Hawaiian Airlines] at JFK-we ended up with paper boarding passes even though I had them on the app but it was still smooth."

These days, checking in for a flight with Hawaiian Airlines is almost all digital. While the airline had already rolled out some features for a self-service check-in process in previous years, it's only as of March 2026 that a press release stated it was "shifting to mobile and web check-in as the primary way for guests to obtain their boarding passes." The all-digital system is one change from when Consumer Reports conducted its survey, and it could be a newer, potential drawback. Some Reddit posts have shared frustrations with the digital check-in system, citing error alerts or messages telling them to go to the physical counter. For some, the digital-first method can be limiting if you don't have an internet connection, but there is a hack to access a boarding pass on your phone with no cell service.

Assuming you don't get an error code that requires you to get help, digital check-in can save you some time at the airport. With Hawaiian Airlines, you can check in up to 24 hours before the scheduled departure time using the airline's app or website. Just don't do it too close to the flight, since digital check-in has a cut-off time — for domestic U.S. flights, for example, it closes 50 minutes before departure.

The press release from Hawaiian Airlines also shared that it's rolling out more self-service bag check-in stations. With these, you bring your digital boarding pass and scan it at the station. Then, it prints out bag tags for you, which you stick on the bags before dropping them off, no back-and-forth with an agent required.