When it comes to redeeming miles for vacation, for a lot of travelers, Hawaii has always been a dream destination. Probably that's the reason why Hawaii is also one of the hardest award tickets to redeem. While Avios is recognized as the best option to redeem miles to Hawaii, you can also choose other airlines that offer different flights.

Reader CLH posted in the "Ask Lucky" forum asking for help planning a trip to Hawaii. The reader claimed, "I am trying to book DFW-LIH for next summer - exact dates July 20-30 (or 18-28 or 19-29). BA website ALWAYS tells me there is no availability for any dates around what I have selected (not just for this proposed trip but every time I search). I actually called BA directly because I thought there was a glitch in the system and surely there must be some availability somehow somewhere."

She allegedly checked other airlines and found availability on United/American/Delta/Virgin, but she couldn't purchase a first/biz class honeymoon trip for her sister and her sister's fiancé. And because she cannot use the 450k+ points to buy 2 ticket, this left her very frustrated. In fact, award availability in Hawaii is ultimately disappointing, especially in booking flights to small islands.

According to Fodor's Travel,  the first thing to do before booking a flight is to decide which Hawaiian Island you desire to visit. From the continental United States, you can take the nonstop flight to Kahului, Maui (OGG); Kona (KOA) or Hilo (ITO) on the Big Island; Honolulu, Oahu (HNL); and Lihue, Kauai (LIH). Other than that, you can also have connecting flights to other islands, including Lanai and Molokai from the larger Hawaiian airports.

Reportedly, the next thing to know is how to decide which miles to use and know which wards represent the best value. As mentioned in Mile Value, a lot of airlines offer various services from the United States to Hawaii. For flights to Hawaii, American Airlines miles can be redeemed on Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, and US Airways.

And although a lot of travelers think that Avios was the best option for redeeming miles to Hawaii, British Airways awards in Hawaii get a lot of screen time, and Avios are easy to ensue. Moreover, Avios also offers a great value to Hawaii in economy class, and on direct flights. A flight from Los Angeles to Lihue on either American or Alaska would be just 12,500 miles one-way.

But when it gets to premium cabins, the value drops severely. British Airways charges at least two times the Avios for business class, and at least three times for first class. Because of how partner flights are coded, a traveler may shell out 50,000 Avios for a one-way first class flight between Los Angeles and Lihue. 

Meanwhile, when all of the options of redeeming miles to Hawaii fail, you can ask a pro company to assist you, especially that searching for frequent flyer reward seats can be time consuming and frustrating. Reportedly, there are several companies run by mileage gurus that will book frequent flyer tickets, including two of the most reputable, PointsPros and Book Your Award.