Surprising New Hawaii Flights Launch As Tourism Slump Gets Questioned

More air seats are now set to be coming to Hawaii this fall—and they’re not coming from where you might expect. Not only that, but one well-placed hospitality CEO says the islands including Maui are already on the upswing.

This one caught us by surprise. Despite continued concerns about the Hawaii visitor economy, new service is resuming next from multiple Canadian cities. Yes Canada. Most notably, 320-seat Boeing 787 widebody flights are coming back to Maui from Calgary starting November 28, after more than a year away. We have the whole list of service changes below.

And it’s not just the airlines who seem to be seeing a shift. Outrigger CEO Jeff Wagoner recently said Hawaii is “performing well,” despite some Canadian softness He also called out signs of recovery in West Maui specifically. “That West Maui market is starting to return now,” he said, noting a stronger than expected summer outlook. That’s a very different tone than what we’ve heard lately from other industry voices.

It’s a bold move on Westjet’s part, and not just because of the aircraft size. These flights are being restored in the middle of a still-uncertain market, especially related to both Maui and Canada. But someone clearly thinks the demand is there.

Flying against the trend: Hawaii flying grows.

While some airlines are looking at back Hawaii service, this is going the other way. The returning Calgary to Maui flight is part of a broader route rebuild. Flights from Calgary to the Big Island and Kauai are also scheduled to return later in 2025. Vancouver flights to Honolulu and Maui have been continuing year-round. And in a surprise twist, Edmonton service is coming back earlier than expected.

• Edmonton to Maui returns on November 1
• Edmonton to Honolulu returns November 9
• Calgary to Maui returns November 28 on Boeing 787
• Calgary to Honolulu continues year-round
• Calgary to the Big Island returns in late 2025
• Calgary to Kauai returns late 2025
• Vancouver to Maui continues year-round
• Vancouver to Honolulu continues year-round

That’s a full rebuild of Hawaii air service from Western Canada, with routes to all four major islands. And it adds hundreds of additional seats per week, right as other airlines see trimming.

Why now?

It’s a fair question and one we’re asking ourselves. Canadian travelers have faced rising costs in Hawaii, unfavorable exchange rates, and mixed political signals. On Maui especially, the tone around tourism has remained unsettled. Some longtime visitors say they’re unsure whether they’re still welcome.

But airlines don’t base their decisions on guesswork. They are the masters of supply and demand. So if they’re restoring widebody flying in particular, it’s because the numbers told them to. Airlines thrive or falter based on load factors and yield projections. And evidently, someone ran the models and saw a great opportunity.

The sentiment shifting back and forth has been going on for months. In a popular article, Hawaii Got the Slowdown It Asked For, Now It’s Running Scared, we explored what happens when visitors start pulling back. Many of the Canadian reactions in this article came directly from that comment thread. It has been widely read and has more than 250 engaged comments.

Maui is still a high-stakes market.

Maui has been at the center of Hawaii’s tourism transformation. It’s where the visitor sentiment story hit hardest. It’s where vacation rental rules have seen the most significant swings. And it’s also where widebody planes are about to start landing again.

There’s no way to look at that without acknowledging the contradiction. But it also says something about the island’s sheer staying power. Even with all the challenges, Maui still draws.

For travelers, more choices are coming, but not from everywhere.

These new flights aren’t about boosting options for U.S. travelers. They’re coming from Canada at a time when many Canadians have said they’re sitting this year out, if not several. Even so, it’s a very interesting fact that more competition is returning to Hawaii’s skies, especially during the holiday and winter seasons. Whether it’s Vancouver, Calgary, or Edmonton, airlines are betting that long-haul demand hasn’t disappeared by any means.

The more interesting signal might be for Hawaii residents and travel professionals. The market is clearly not as weak as some headlines have implied. These flights suggest that there’s still resilience left, especially among travelers who are willing to pay more to keep coming back, both from the U.S. and from other countries.

This could become a test case for what’s next.

A lot is riding on how well these routes perform. If bookings go according to plan, it could inspire additional service from the mainland US. If they flop, it could add fuel to the narrative that Hawaii’s cost and complexity are driving visitors elsewhere.

For now, though, it’s an unusual moment of growth in a season of unknowns. And it may be the clearest sign yet that for some, Hawaii is still worth the effort and the airfare.