This week Hawaiian Airlines announced New York to Honolulu service and corresponding great Hawaii travel deal. I’m pretty stoked since I got tickets.
Hawaiian to Expand Beyond New York.
Hawaiian is now working on an agreement with another airline, currently unnamed, to provide local and regional east coast connections to feed the NYC service. Watch for an announcement on that to be forthcoming soon.
Could Chicago be next? Perhaps so. It’s another under served hub. Bottom line, this is an entry into an entirely new market for Hawaiian. Future expansion will be predicated on how well the New York route does.
While there are no immediate plans to expand beyond New York, that must certainly loom large in Hawaiian’s thinking. With ever-increasing competition from its traditional west coast markets using smaller planes, the carrier needs to find unique business propositions to enhance its profitability. It’s new planes are well suited to east coast and Asian expansion including a new route to Fukuoka Japan which starts in April.
Hawaiian’s Airbus Fleet.
Alaska Commences San Diego Route.
This week also saw the inaugural flight for Alaska’s new San Diego to Honolulu service in direct competition with Hawaiian. Tickets are widely available at $159, including for most of Spring break. The service followed their successful San Diego to Maui route, which launched last year.
Continental Stops Orange County Service.
United/Continental will cease John Wayne to Maui service starting January 2, leaving only one Hawaii route to Honolulu. You may recall that previously, Aloha Airlines occupied the SNA spot with service to all the major islands.
Kaelo J. (6 months ago)
If Hawaiian Air is looking to expand into the Upper Midwest area, they would better serve the populace that would utilize the service by going into Des Moines, Iowa or Minneapolis, Minnesota and NOT Chicago.
Chicago is one of the worst airports to fly in and out of with even worse customer care. Why not go into a Midwest FRIENDLY airport like Des Moines, Iowa?? More people would drive to Des Moines to pick up a HA flight from the neighboring states of Minnesota, North and South Dakota, Missouri and Kansas. It is doubtful that people would drive from these states to Chicago just to get a flight on Hawaiian.
Nadege S. (6 months ago)
It is a great deal and I am glad you got tickets. I still think that Richard Bramson should bring his” Virgin Pacific” fleet to your shores. I put him on a list to be on “DWTS” but I don’t know if that will happen.
Jeff (6 months ago)
Hi Nadege,
I’m with you on any new service and if you can talk Richard into it, please do.
Happy thanksgiving.
Aloha,
Jeff
Liedeke (6 months ago)
Thanks you two for continued great travel news. What about flights between New York and Kauai/Honolulu until June?? I will be looking for March…
Happy Thanksgiving you two!!
Jeff (6 months ago)
Hi Liedeke,
It isn’t looking good. If it were me, I’d watch for any sales to the west coast and then see about a separate ticket from there to New York. Otherwise, from Lihue is nearly $900 in March. It’s Spring Break which doesn’t help and makes sales unlikely.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Aloha,
Jeff
Patty (6 months ago)
When are they going to post a sale for SMF HNL? Need it for Feb.
Jeff (6 months ago)
Hi Patty.
The first half of February is $441 on Delta via LA or $424 on Hawaiian ($369 from Oakland). After that it’s more. Not sure if it will get better.
Aloha,
Jeff
David (5 months ago)
“Hawaiian is now working on an agreement with another airline, currently unnamed, to provide local and regional east coast connections to feed the NYC service.”
Being that the new JFK-HNL service is going to be in teh Jet Blue terminal at JFK, I wouldn’t doubt that it would be Jet Blue that would feed the NYC service. Now if HA wants to have feeds further overseas, then I see Lufthansa as the possible candidate.
Jeff (5 months ago)
Hi David.
I concur that Jet Blue is the likely candidate, and overseas connections apparently won’t be part of this next phase.
Aloha,
Jeff
Joe (5 months ago)
Hello everyone,
I live in Chicaog and haate being at the mercy of AA and United to to to Hawaiil. Hawaiiangiving us an option>>>> Im’ in! !!
Colleen (5 months ago)
I agree, Chicago is my least favorite airport to fly in/out of. How about KC or IND? STL would be great and it is our home airport, but it no longer offers decent non stop flights anywhere except maybe Orlando. We’d rather drive to another airport and spend a night in a hotel than hop up and down 2-3 times to get somewhere.
Looking forward to something from Southwest next year for us Mid-westerners. Des Moines is an 8 hour drive from us – and the winters can be brutal – we are from Iowa. We usually travel in winter.
And sadly, now that we are full time caregivers – we don’t have any flexibility as far as nabbing last minute or sale fares. So, we just keep dreaming about our next trip to Hawaii and wondering if it will ever be reality.
But, thanks for all the updating, Jeff.
Kaedee (5 months ago)
How long do you predict it will be until Hawaiian services JFK-OGG? Also, since when did they start flying into BKK?! Just spotted it on the website last night by chance.
Jeff (5 months ago)
Hi Kaedee.
Hawaiian doesn’t fly into BKK, their partner Korean Air does. As for OGG, I don’t expect there will be service there for a long time, if ever, other than via connection through Honolulu.
Aloha.
Jeff
alba (5 months ago)
Eh, I don’t mind ORD but I prefer MKE, just 90 minutes north. I would like to see some Hawaiian competition somewhere in the midwest.