Hawaii’s bellwether airline is shoring up its presence in Southern California, with a new maintenance base coming to Long Beach Airport. Currently, Hawaiian Airlines flights are offered to both Honolulu (HNL) and Maui (OGG), with basic economy, main cabin, and first-class service and airfare starting at a best price of $119 each way, including taxes and fees.
We wouldn’t at all be surprised to see them extend that Long Beach reach to both The Big Island and Kauai when possible, and that availability would provide for more tickets and cheap flights to Hawaii. A press release from Long Beach’s mayor said “Hawaiian Airlines making this long-term investment in Long Beach is a real testament to the strength of our airport.”
BOH: We concur that this is a good sign of economic recovery for Hawaii travel while providing local jobs in California. It is a strategic opportunity to improve performance and presence, both in terms of all-important Los Angeles area-to Hawaii travel, and to better compete with newcomer Southwest.
The LGB airport is an undeniably popular gateway serving Hawaii visitors that sits strategically placed for residents of both LA and Orange counties.
Strategic Location in Southern California.
Long Beach Airport is located three miles north of downtown Long Beach. Its other names are Daugherty Field and LGB. The airport’s largest airline presence is that of Hawaiian’s competitor Southwest Airlines since JetBlue Airways pulled out of Long Beach two years ago. Southwest also offers nonstop flights to Hawaii from Long Beach.
It’s just twenty miles from LAX, yet a world away from having less traffic and within-airport congestion. Guests love that and we’ve tried it and concur.
The new scheduled and non-scheduled maintenance facility (the fourth Hawaiian Airlines maintenance depot) was previously within a hangar of JetBlue. It will also house a significant supply base and warehouse for the airline. Already operational, it houses mechanics who perform inspections including brake, fluid checks and tire services, and electrical work, among other things.
Major airport improvements underway.
A major construction project to improve the airport’s safety started earlier this year and will go through August.
“The $25 million project, primarily funded by grants from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), will bring the airport in line with the latest FAA standards,” according to a recent city statement.
Among strictest noise ordinances in U.S.
It’s interesting to note that Long Beach Airport also has one of the strictest noise control ordinances in the nation, requiring that all flights be scheduled between 7:00AM and 10:00PM. Return flights with an arrival time from Hawaii between 10:00PM and 11:00PM are only permitted when delays are caused by weather, air traffic or mechanical issues.
Airbus A321 service facility.
The new facility will provide service for Hawaiian’s Airbus A321 fleet of narrow-body aircraft and gives the airline greater operational flexibility. Hawaiian began Honolulu Oahu service there nearly four years ago, and last year added its second daily flight to and from the beautiful island of Maui. It’s believed Hawaiian, Hawaii’s longest-serving airline, has an interest in obtaining supplemental flight spots at the historic terminal at Long Beach to serve Southern California travelers with more local presence (it has two permanent flight slots currently).
We love using LGB to Hawaii over LAX anytime we can on either HA or SWA. I think HA is unhappy with being forced to move to Bradley International satellite terminal LAX last year. Not great experience for passengers either. Might make LGB more attractive to HA as their main SoCal base. Im all for more direct Hawaii flights from LGB!
This is also good news for Hawaii tourists coming from the Northeast, Midlantic and Southeast, who use Southwest for the first leg of their journey. Over the years, my wife & I travel Southwest from BWI to a West Coast airport and then fly Hawaii Air to the Islands.
Makes sense to me…very convenient for the folks south of LAX. Besides geographically closer, it’s a way easier drive to and park deal. As always, Hawaiian is the gold seal for travel to Hawaii.
We fly to Maui often to visit family. Usually we fly from LAX but our last trip went from LGB. Same great service. I prefer the A33O but that is only from LAX at this time. I have a short video on YouTube comparing LGB on the A321n against LAX and the A330.
This is exciting, Long Beach is 10 times easier and less stressful than LAX. Hopefully they add many more flights
As one may know, LGB was also the key airport used by McDonnell Douglas when they had their Long Beach assembly facility operational. LGB with its long runway would also be able to handle larger jets, so maybe the A321s are just the start and with a larger facility, the A330s will also fly in for service. This development is worth keeping an eye on not only as a base of operations but whether Hawaiian chooses LGB as its key HQ for West Coast operations moving forward.
A Perfect Airport for Hawaii people to arrive in the LA area, highly recommend people in Hawaii to use the Long Beach Airport less L.A. traffic to deal with, less stress, you will look forward to do another arrival there when making a trip to L.A. area. try it!
This is really good news for travel from SoCal. As an SD north county resident, I use SAN, SNA, LGB and PSP often. LAX is always a last resort.