How to Fly to the Philippines From Hawaii With Points: A Beginner's Booking Guide
Aloha ʻohana. This is a big one, and it is personal for so many of us in the islands. So I wrote this as a real guide, not just news. If you have never used points before and you have no idea what Qatar Airways has to do with flying home to the Philippines, you are exactly who I wrote this for. Take it slow, follow the steps, and you can book this yourself.
The 30-second answer
As of May 18, 2026, you can book Philippine Airlines flights, including the Honolulu to Manila nonstop, by using Qatar Airways points called Avios, booked right on qatarairways.com. You collect those points through your bank's everyday rewards program, move them over to Qatar, and use them to grab a Philippine Airlines seat. Economy prices at about 50,000 Avios one-way and business at about 100,000 Avios one-way, plus roughly $200 in taxes either way.
For most families, I would start with economy. It is the practical play, the points price is the lowest, and it is the easiest way to cover the whole ʻohana on one trip. Business class is a wonderful splurge and a genuine deal right now, and I will show you that too. But economy is where the everyday wins are. Let me unpack the whole thing so it actually makes sense.
Open award dates: Honolulu to Manila and back
Here is the part everyone wants first: the actual open dates. As of late May 2026, these are the days with award space on the nonstop, both directions. Economy runs about 50,000 Avios one-way, business about 100,000, plus roughly $200 in taxes. Tap a button to switch direction and cabin. Brand new to points? Scroll down for the full walkthrough, then come back here to hunt for your dates.
Why book a Philippine Airlines flight through Qatar?
This trips up almost everyone, so let me say it plainly. You are still flying Philippine Airlines. Same plane, same crew, same nonstop from Honolulu. Qatar Airways is just the program you use to pay with points.
Airlines team up in partnerships. When two airlines are partners, the points from one can often be spent on the other. Philippine Airlines and Qatar Airways became loyalty partners this month, so Qatar's points, Avios, can now be cashed in for a seat on a Philippine Airlines flight. The reason we go through Qatar instead of Philippine Airlines directly is simple: Qatar's points are easy to collect here in the U.S., and Philippine Airlines' own points are not. Think of it like this:
Points and miles, the quick beginner version
If you are brand new, here are the only three ideas you need for this trip.
- Bank points are flexible. The big bank rewards programs let you move your points to lots of different airlines. That flexibility is what makes this whole thing possible. You are not locked into one airline.
- Avios is the currency Qatar uses. Several airlines share the Avios currency, including Qatar Airways and British Airways. When you move your bank points into one of those programs, they become Avios.
- An award seat is a real seat paid with points. When an airline opens up an award seat, you can book it with points instead of cash. You still pay a small amount of taxes and fees in money, but the bulk of the fare is covered by points.
That is the entire foundation. Once those three ideas click, the rest of this guide is just following the steps.
Step by step: booking economy with points
Here is the exact order I would do it in. Read all the way through once before you start, because the order matters. In particular, do not move any points until you have actually found your seat.
How to get the Qatar Avios you need
Good news: Avios is one of the easiest currencies to build because the major bank rewards programs feed right into it. There are two paths, depending on which program your points sit in.
Path A: straight to Qatar
- These bank programs move directly into Qatar Privilege Club Avios: American Express Membership Rewards, Capital One, Citi ThankYou Rewards, and Bilt. One transfer and you are done.
Path B: through British Airways first
- Chase Ultimate Rewards and Wells Fargo Rewards do not go straight to Qatar. You send them to British Airways Avios first, then move those Avios from British Airways over to Qatar. Because Qatar and British Airways share the Avios currency, that second hop is allowed.
- The fine print on Path B: your British Airways and Qatar accounts must be linked, the linking only opens 30 days after the account is created, and your name, date of birth, and email need to match on both. Set this up well ahead of time so it is ready when you find a seat.
What it costs, and why economy is the smart play
Economy on this route prices at about 50,000 Avios one-way, plus around $200 in taxes. That is exactly why I tell most families to start here. The seat gets you home, the points price is the lowest, and you can cover several tickets without draining your whole balance.
It also helps to know what the cash fare looks like, so you can see the value. Round-trip economy on this route often runs in the ballpark of $1,100 to $1,400 in the quieter months and climbs hard around the holidays, when every family wants to be home. Here is a live cash snapshot:
The beauty of points is the price does not spike like cash does. A holiday economy seat that costs a fortune in dollars can be the same 50,000 Avios as an off-season one, as long as award space is open. That is the real win for kamaʻāina who can only travel during school breaks or the holidays.
Want the dream trip? Business for about 100,000 points
Now for the fun one. If you want to lie flat on the way home, the business class award is genuinely one of the best deals out there right now. Honolulu to Manila in business prices at around 100,000 Avios one-way, plus that same roughly $200 in taxes. A cash ticket in that cabin often sells for well over $3,000 one-way, and Honolulu is actually the priciest U.S. gateway for business class to Manila, so the points value here is excellent.
How does that compare to other cities? Because the price is distance based, Honolulu actually comes in a touch cheaper than the mainland gateways. Here is the lay of the land in business class, one-way:
And the seat itself is the real thing, not an old recliner. Here is what you are getting:
What to expect on the A330 tri-class cabin
Philippine Airlines is the only airline flying nonstop between Honolulu and Manila, running it about five times a week as flight PR101 leaving HNL and PR100 coming back. It is roughly an 11 hour flight to Manila and a little under 10 hours on the way home with the winds.
Here is something a lot of folks do not realize: the Honolulu route is flown by Philippine Airlines' refreshed Airbus A330 in a "tri-class" cabin, meaning three sections instead of two. Up front, business class is a true full-flat bed with direct aisle access from every seat, so nobody has to climb over a neighbor on an overnight. In the middle sits a real premium economy cabin with extra legroom and recline. And the main economy cabin rounds it out. That premium economy section is a smart middle ground if you want more room than economy without paying the business price.
One note for the points planners: the newest enclosed business suites with doors that you may have seen online fly some of Philippine Airlines' other U.S. routes on the A350. The Honolulu A330 business is still a lovely full-flat seat, just set your expectations on which cabin you are stepping into.
What about Atmos Rewards and the others?
Fair question, since a lot of us in Hawaii are now holding Atmos Rewards points after the HawaiianMiles transition. Alaska's Atmos Rewards announced a Philippine Airlines partnership that was supposed to bring even better pricing, but it is not bookable yet and the signals on whether it fully launches have been mixed. ANA used to allow Philippine Airlines bookings by phone, but those were largely shut off. American Airlines has a partnership that does not include award redemption at all.
And to be clear, this is not the very first way to use points on Philippine Airlines. PAL has its own program, Mabuhay Miles, and its own award prices can actually be lower than the Qatar number. The problem has always been earning them. No major U.S. bank rewards program transfers to Mabuhay Miles, not American Express, Chase, Capital One, Citi, and not even Marriott. The only realistic way to build them here is by flying Philippine Airlines itself. So unless you already fly PAL often, a useful Mabuhay balance is hard to come by. That is the whole reason this Qatar partnership is such a big deal: it is the first easy way to book these seats with the everyday bank points most of us already earn.
So for today, right now, Qatar Avios is the path that actually works online for most people. If Atmos Rewards opens its version later with a better rate, I will walk you through it the moment it goes live. Curious where your islands points stand after the switch? See what happened to HawaiianMiles.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. As of May 2026, you can book the Philippine Airlines nonstop from Honolulu to Manila with Qatar Airways Avios, right on qatarairways.com.
About 50,000 Avios one-way in economy and about 100,000 one-way in business class, plus roughly $200 in taxes.
The two airlines are partners, so Qatar's Avios can be spent on Philippine Airlines flights. Qatar's points are easy to collect in the U.S., while Philippine Airlines' own points are not.
Several bank rewards programs transfer in. American Express, Capital One, Citi, and Bilt move straight to Qatar, while Chase and Wells Fargo route through British Airways first.
You can, and PAL's own award prices can be lower than Qatar's. The catch is earning them: no major U.S. bank rewards program transfers to Mabuhay Miles, so most people here cannot build a useful balance without flying Philippine Airlines often.
Yes. The route uses Philippine Airlines' refreshed A330 tri-class cabin, with full-flat business seats and direct aisle access, plus a premium economy cabin.
The real secret is not one lucky booking. It is earning the right kind of bank points, the ones that transfer to Qatar, so seats like these are within reach every year and not just once. If you want a hand setting that up for your ʻohana, book a free discovery call and we will map out a plan together.
Book a Discovery CallScottie's Take
Here is my honest bottom line. For years there was simply no realistic way for a Hawaii family to use points to fly home to the Philippines. Now there is, you can book it yourself online, and the taxes are low. Start in economy at around 50,000 Avios, because that is where the practical, repeatable wins are, especially when you are covering more than one ticket. Then, when you want to make a special trip feel special, that business class seat for around 100,000 points is waiting.
If you are brand new to this, do not let it overwhelm you. Make the free Qatar account today, link a British Airways account if you will need Path B, and just practice searching HNL to MNL so you get comfortable seeing what is out there. When the seats and a transfer bonus line up, you will be ready. And if you would rather have someone help you build the points to do this every year, that is exactly what we do, so reach out or drop a comment below. For the bigger picture on flying out of the islands, start with our pillar guide, Atmos Rewards and flying from Hawaii, and if Japan is also on your list, here is how to fly to Japan from Hawaii with points.
A hui hou.
