Jeff took his first flight to Hawaii in 1970 and has had a foot on the ground here on Kauai ever since. Rob first ventured to the islands in 1989. While he doesn’t remember his United Airlines flight that much, he does remember feeling an immediate connection to Kauai on arrival.
When was your first flight to Hawaii? Let us know in your comments. Jeff is an aviation groupie and decided to do a recap of historic air travel to Hawaii. After all, it was air travel that transformed Hawaii and made it accessible to the world.
How Air Travel Transformed Hawaii.
Flights to Hawaii from the US Mainland began in 1936, when Pan Am carried passengers from San Francisco on the Martin M-130 “Hawaii Clipper.” The navigator on that flight was Fred Noonan who later disappeared with Amelia Earhart on their 1937 round-the-world flight. The Clipper flew once a week and brought mostly cargo and mail with its 8 or 9 passengers who paid a premium price to be on board. More than anyone would pay today.
Prior to that, James Dole (yes, the pineapple king), offered $25,000 to the first crew who could fly from Oakland to Honolulu. A dozen people died in what was called The Dole Derby, before it was called off. Dole’s interest began with the 1927 Lindbergh solo flight across the Atlantic.
But the first flight in Hawaii, and not across the Atlantic, was done by Bud Mars, who took off from a polo field in Honolulu. His aircraft was a Curtiss pusher and the year was 1910. Thousands of people watched his demonstration flight. Six months later a man by the name of Clarence Walker became the first to crash in Hawaii using a similar type of aircraft. He survived after hitting a barn, a tree and a telegraph pole.
Traveling to Hawaii has always been and remains exotic.
You are still to this day venturing to some of the most remote islands on earth when you travel to Hawaii. With the ease and frequency generally associated with modern day travel, it is easy to forget the complexity of navigating oceans, where any error or technical problem could spell complete disaster. Let alone the fact that from the Hawaiian Islands, the nearest land is over 2,500 miles away.
Travel has helped define the Hawaii of today.
Even before flights to Hawaii began, the allure of the islands foretold what was to come. In the 1800’s, travelers first sailed, then steamed by ship to Hawaii. As word spread about Hawaii, interest grew in what was then called the “Paradise of the Pacific.” As early as 1920, the rich and famous had already found Waikiki Beach and were traveling here by luxury ship. The first hotels included the Moana (Surfrider), which opened its doors in 1901. And then came air travel, which changed everything.
Hawaiian Airlines enters in 1929.
The first commercial inter-island flights were born when a company that was to become Hawaiian Airlines began flying from Honolulu to Hilo via Maui, on a three hour flight. Originally a steamship company subsidiary, their operations actually began with short sightseeing flights on Oahu. Later, Inter-Island Airways Ltd., as it was known then, acquired a fleet of two 8 passenger Sikorsky S-38 amphibian planes. That was followed, in 1935, by 16 passenger, Sikorsky S-43’s, to permit more traffic and inter-island mail service.
In 1941, Hawaiian’s first DC-3 Goony Birds joined the fleet, some of which remained with the company for nearly three decades. In 1966, the company added DC-9’s inter-island, which many of us still remember well. Those were replaced in 2001 by the current Boeing 717 fleet, also a DC-9 derivative.
The airline began scheduled trans-Pacific flights with Lockheed L-1011’s Tri-Stars starting in 1985. Those were later followed by various aircraft including DC-10’s, 767’s and the current Airbus A332 fleet. Those to be joined next year with 10 new Hawaiian Boeing 787 Dreamliners.
Pam Am opened Hawaii to the world.
With a global route from San Francisco to China, Pan Am simultaneously started service to Honolulu, Midway and Wake islands, Guam, and the Philippines. It was 1936 when the Pioneer Clipper first landed in Hawaii. The flight from the Bay Area was nearly 18 hours long! Hawaii travel was born.
Later, larger Boeing Clippers joined the fleet, some of which included passenger lounges and cabins on the bottom floors, men’s and women’s restrooms, and bridal suites. During World War II, however, air travel to and within Hawaii was suspended.
Fast forward to the early 1960’s, when Pan Am began direct flights from California to Hilo. It was at that point the now oversize airport received a runway long enough for jets, and a new terminal to accommodate visitors. In 1970, they started historic twice daily Boeing 747 service to Honolulu. Those continued until 1985, when Pan Am sold their Hawaii routes to United Airlines.
United Airlines Hawaii flights since 1947.
United began service to Hawaii with Honolulu flights starting in 1947, and Hawaii is a big part of the airline’s history ever since. They started with DC-6 Mainliner, then Stratocruiser flights from San Francisco. In 1964, United was first to install in-flight movies on Hawaii flights.
Starting in the 1960’s, United flew DC-8 planes to Hawaii on what were and still are some of the longest flights in the United States. Those included nonstop from Chicago and New York to Honolulu, starting in 1969. Later aircraft included a range of DC-8’s, DC-10’s, plus Boeing 737, 747, 757, 767, 777 and 787.
So many aviation memories! These are just the start of how air travel transformed Hawaii.
Please share yours in the comments below. Mahalo!
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Dave R says
1955: Flew on a DC-4 with a couple of high school buddies to surf Town in the summer. What a trip – about 12 hours of noise and vibration. Had great fun surfing all the Waikiki breaks. Bought a 1950 DeSoto with bad brakes for $49 and drove all over O’ahu surfing and bodysurfing where we could. It had a leaky exhaust so (1) the floorboards would get really hot and (2) the air in the car got pretty toxic. When we left we just parked it at the airport and flew on another DC-4 back to the mainland. Maybe it’s still there! (After that car, the DC-4 seemed pretty nice.)
It was so different then. the area around Queen’s was called the Jungle and it really wasn’t too safe at night. We were just kids so we stayed in at night anyway – not old enough to go to any of the multitude of cheap beer bars in the area.
Edward R. says
Our family traveled to Hawaii for the first time in 1972. Mom had set up a two week whirlwind tour of Hawaii, Maui, Kauai and Oahu. We boarded the United flight at SFO, somehow we got bumped to first class and it was memorable. We landed in Hilo and back then there were no Jet ways. After a night in Hilo we drove over to Kona, while driving we noticed a boy on the roadside with a long stick poking a tree. Intrigued, Dad stopped and asked what he was doing. Mangos! We bought a couple for .25 each, wow were they good. We body surfed at Magic Sands (no body boards back then), well the truth is we ate a lot of sand while being pounded along the bottom. Still I was hooked. Other highlights of the trip were the road to Hana and the “Seven Sacred pools” which was much different back then. Kauai was marvelous, we had bikes and I went everywhere, no traffic, just a million dead flat frogs. The last stop was Oahu and it was so different. Mom had written the Navy and arranged a Pearl Harbor tour that has us land on the Arizona, which at that time was the only way you could. My memories of a Hawaii that is long gone, in substance and spirit. I miss it.
Christina C says
1964 – transferring from tour of duty in Japan to McGuire AFB, NJ – my parents and I had 10 glorious days at Ft. Derussy, right on the beach. Dad insisted I buy a bikini (I was 14) and we took surfing lessons, then he and went out on our own. Ooops the tide was going out and I was not strong enough to paddle fast (never have been) so it took hours lying on our boards to get back to the beach. Super bad sunburn on virgin areas of my back made the 12 hours flight to San Francisco rather painful. Loved being met with Leis, performing at a Luau, eating fresh pineapple. Could not eat pineapple from a can for years after that, and of course the stores in the mainland did not get fresh pineapple back then. 1992 – Holistic veterinary conference to be held on Kauai, then Inki came through and devastated it. In two weeks we were able to relocate to Maui, so my husband, 3 year old daughter and I had a glorious week there, and a second on Hawaii – turtles, decorating coconuts to mail back to amazed friends of hers in Maryland, black sands, beginning to appreciate the old ways. Next trip was a week at Poipu with husband and 10 year old daughter, then Oahu to teach a class on homeopathy for animals, then flew back to Kauai. As I stepped off the plane, as Rob said, I felt a deep connection to this island, as if it were a long lost home. Too many wonderful memories from that and other trips to Kauai as I began learning the old ways from Iokeppe and Inette Miller’s books – Grandmothers Whisper and The Return Voyage. I was in the first protest against GMOs that was held at Poipu (still have the tshirt and my white sandals turned red!). Greeted with a lovely lei when on the radio with Dr. Ihor Basko, an amazing holistic veterinarian on the island. Many plans to return frequently.
Bonita C says
A first time flyer scared out of my mind, I flew to Honolulu to meet my husband for R&R in 1970. I don’t remember much about that trip! BUT, I flew to Kauai to visit my sister who lived there in 2010, heard Delta was starting ground handling in LIH, and got a job – moved immediately! I did return to South Carolina after a few years, but returned to live in Kauai once again for a few years. Now I keep in touch with my Ohana – the friends you meet in Hawaii stay with you as Ohana all your life! I’ll be back to visit as soon as my airline (AA) and the other airlines are able to get back on track.
Debi S says
After all of these years of seeing the Matson containers on the back of trucks and sitting in the port of Oakland, I find out that they are Hawaii’s premiere shipping company. And here I thought I knew all there was to know about the Bay Area, not realizing the very special relationship we have with Hawaii. Interesting read, thank you. Aloha!
Beat of Hawaii says
Hi Debi.
Thank you.
Aloha.
JohnW says
Little known fact, after WW2 Matson Steamship Company started an airline with DC 4’s. The famed author Ernest Gann flew for them.
They offered inflight service far superior to the competition. PanAm had the political clout to stop them in their tracks in the then highly regulated airline industry so they lasted less then a year.
Speaking of regulation, the airline industry was deregulated in 1978 to allow for open competition. Every prederegulation airline in the U.S since then has either disappeared or merged to survive the competitive environment the industry became, every single airline but one….Hawaiian Airlines. They are the lone survivor of the airline deregulation era.
Larry B says
On several of our first flights to Maui involved an inter island flight from Honolulu to Maui on a two engine 6 passenger plane . The GREAT thing about it was the small A framed terminal on Kaanapali beach. The pilot would spot humpbacks and dive down to get a better look. Fun times back then. We could walk to the hotel from that terminal. Wish it was still there.