If you’re flying nonstop between Honolulu (HNL) and Kansai International Airport (KIX), chances are you’ve booked Alaska Airlines flight AS849 (outbound) or AS850 (the return leg). It’s the most popular direct option on this route, and the “in-flight meal” is certainly something you’ll want to know about.
So here’s the real question: does Alaska Airlines serve meals in economy on AS849/AS850, and when do they bring the food around? I flew this route myself in August 2026, and I’m breaking down exactly what showed up on my tray table and when.
AS849 & AS850 Flight Basics
| Detail | AS849(HNL→KIX) | AS850(ホノルル→関西) |
|---|---|---|
| Operated by | Alaska Airlines (codeshare: JL4604) | Alaska Airlines (codeshare: JL4605) |
| Aircraft | Airbus A330-200 | Airbus A330-200 |
| Scheduled departure | 2:40 PM (Hawaii time) | 8:45 (Japan time) |
| Scheduled arrival | 6:45 PM (Japan time) | 10:15 (Hawaii time) |
| Flight time | 9 hours 5 minutes | 8 hours 30 minutes |
| Seat count | approx. 210 seats | approx. 210 seats |
Japan is 19 hours ahead of Hawaii. Therefore, if you depart from Honolulu at 2:40 PM on August 5th, for example, it is already 9:40 AM on August 6th in Japan, and you will arrive at 6:45 PM on the 6th.
For the return trip, if you depart from Japan at 8:45 PM on August 10th, the time in Hawaii is still 1:45 AM, and you will arrive in Honolulu at 10:15 AM on the same day (meaning that, due to the time difference, you arrive at a time that is “earlier” than your departure time).
AS849 Meal Service (Honolulu → Kansai)
On the outbound leg from Honolulu to Kansai, Alaska Airlines economy passengers get two meal services. Soft drinks are free, but alcohol (beer, etc.) will cost you extra.
First meal: served about an hour after takeoff, roughly 3:40 PM to 4:30 PM Hawaii time. You get a choice of chicken or beef pasta, plus a dinner roll, cookie, and cut fruit. My photo shows the chicken option — the pasta comes as shell-shaped conchiglie. Both options were genuinely tasty.
Second meal: served about an hour before landing, around 5:15 PM to 5:45 PM Japan time. Even though this is a daytime flight, the crew dims the cabin between meals for a rest period. Fair warning: a daytime long-haul flight has its own special kind of boredom. The second meal is a light, paper-bag snack: a mixed sandwich and macadamia nut chocolate, plus a pretzel snack. The sandwich was solid.
AS850 Meal Service (Kansai → Honolulu)
Now for the flight home to Honolulu: AS850, Kansai to Honolulu, economy class. Same setup as the outbound — two meal services, and alcohol is a paid add-on.
First meal: served about an hour after takeoff — roughly between 9:45 PM and 10:30 PM Japan time.
The first meal was a proper taste of the islands: loco moco, steamed vegetables, and a Honolulu cookie. The loco moco’s fried egg had a beautifully runny yolk — genuinely one of the better airline meals I’ve had.
Second meal: served about an hour before landing — around 9:15 AM Hawaii time. Between the two meals, the cabin lights were dimmed, same as the outbound leg. Some passengers watched movies on the seatback screens, others streamed shows on their own phones using the onboard Wi-Fi. Flight attendants also came through regularly with water refills.
The second meal is a light snack packed in a paper bag: a muffin, yogurt, sliced apple, and an “iwa-okoshi” (a crunchy Japanese rice cracker). The sliced apple came pre-packaged and was still nice and fresh.
Bottom Line
Whether you’re flying AS849 from Honolulu to Kansai or AS850 back home to Hawaii, economy passengers get free meal service on both legs — typically a full main meal followed by a lighter snack later in the flight.
AS849 sets the tone for the whole trip: getting a hot chicken or beef pasta dinner mid-flight gives you time to rest up before you land in Kansai ready to hit the ground running — think Osaka street food, Kyoto temples, and everything else on your Japan itinerary.
If you’re planning a Honolulu–Kansai trip, hopefully this gives you a good idea of what to expect on the food front. Safe travels, and enjoy exploring Japan!
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