New Alaska Air Service and Sale Mark Aggressive Hawaii Expansion

Right on schedule, Alaska announced a new flight today between San Diego and Honolulu. It marks the ongoing rapid expansion into Hawaii by the Seattle based carrier, which now has eighteen direct flights to the islands from the U.S. Mainland.

$149 Introductory Fare from San Diego to Honolulu

The new flight will operate daily starting November 17. For seats purchased by July 25, a $149 one-way fare is being offered through December 15. The new service features no overnight flying, departing at San Diego at 9:15am, arriving 1:15pm and departing Honolulu at 3:40 pm, arriving 11:15pm.

Alaska’s Aggressive Stance

The Honolulu flight comes on the heels of their service from San Diego to Maui, which commenced last fall. Alaska’s Hawaii service now consists of eighteen direct flights:

Big Island. Oakland, San Jose, Portland and Seattle.

Honolulu. San Diego, Portland, Seattle, Bellingham and Anchorage.

Kauai. San Jose, Oakland, Seattle.

Maui. San Diego, San Jose, Oakland, Sacramento, Portland and Seattle .

What’s Next?

It’s a hot race to Hawaii between Alaska and Southwest. Stay tuned, as we’ll likely see more expansion announced shortly, including additional West Coast cities as well as Hawaii inter-island service. There isn’t much choice in how this plays out. Southwest will take whatever positions aren’t fully subscribed when they enter the Hawaii airline fray sometime in 2012. All in all, it appears that better times lie ahead for visitors and Hawaii residents looking for Hawaii airfare deals.

P.S.

To celebrate, Alaska has partnered with San Diego radio stations and is giving away a free plane full of tickets on the new flights at various San Diego locations this week. See their press release for more details.