Many mainland cities left reeling from a pullback in Hawaii flights.
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86 thoughts on “Three Airlines Fast-Chopping Hawaii Routes In Shakeup”
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Many mainland cities left reeling from a pullback in Hawaii flights.
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Comments are closed.
I wonder if this is in anticipation of Hawaii putting regulations on numbers of tourists it is going to allow.
Chris Hawaii cannot Officially put limits and restrictions on the amount of people entering the State or any individual Island. I’m Certain that the cutbacks have some Hawaiian fingerprints here and there. Most of these Government Types in Hawaii are very manipulative, did they ever work at a casino?
I’ve had a direct flight to Maui from DFW onAA booked for a couple of months. Received an email last week that my flight had changed. Return flight changed from a direct flight to a flight to LAX, with a 45 minute layover connection to DFW! LiKe that’s going to happen!! I had booked Prem Economy seats at a really good price, feel I got bumped for someone with more points, or more money!
Like many who have commented before me, I find myself bouncing around from airline to Airline trying to get to Hawaii from Sacramento. I agree with the comment that we feel like we’ve taken a 20-year step backwards. I was so excited when I saw non-stop flights on Alaska to Kona. Then they got dropped. Then, Along Comes Southwest, and they too the non-stop to Kona. The point of this comment is that I hope the airlines are listening when we say it is poor marketing to throw us around like this. Airline loyalty only goes so far.
In a non competitive environment and low return margins the airlines really don’t care about your discomfort in finding your perfect flight conditions. Loyalty Points can typically only be redeemed on their airlines, is there any other choice for you and others? No.
So disappointed that Southwest pulled its direct flights from Sacramento to Maui. What are they thinking? No one wants to fly backwards to Vegas before starting their transpacific flight adding hours to the trip.
Maui is a huge market and there was never an open seat on that nonstop flight so you can’t say they were under utilized! I have been a loyal Southwest customer for years but will surely start looking for other options. Please reconsider and bring back direct flights from Sacramento to Maui!
It seems natural that airlines will pull back if they can’t reliably manage their flight operations. It does appear suspicious when multiple airlines abandon a city like Sacramento at the same time. I am supposed to believe they came to the same strategic decision and ther is no collusion?
I always flew Alaska to Sacramento as we have an RV and family there. There are only 6 am returning flights to maui and no more non stop. Why????
So many tourists come to Maui.
Make it easier for locals to go visits the mainland please!
Hi Bob L, when it comes to connecting flights to get to Hawaii the problem that we encounter is always the same, the ability to make the connection. We look for connections that give enough time to make it work, I’m Disabled. Most give me an hour and forty minutes, problem is that they change it and then need to find transportation to get to the gate that’s getting us to the gate when they’re almost closing the airplane door! If walking you will not make it as it’s about the furthest gate that they could find. A few times, as we got off, we asked where the gate was and were told that they’re boarding already and we had better run and we may still miss the flight! No Connections are Best.
What is the reasoning for all these cancellations? I see no explanations. Flights are full, so what is really going on? Is someone paying the airlines not to fly these routes, or is it to be able to raise prices for demand?
Time is money people! Most CA locations involve a drive of some time to an airport as well as getting through security, airtime, and then getting off and collecting your checked bags. Wasting my time, energy and resources (such as extra vacation time off for travel) both before and after my vacation? It’s sounds more like a chore than something I want to do.
Kelsi,
So do you only go to drive-to locations for vacation?
Our closest airport with a nonstop to HNL is about 90 minutes away. When I saw all those gate surrenders, I was surprised my SoCal airport wasn’t on the list. One single aisle flight a day. Round II maybe.
If direct flights are going away from from Sacramento and Oakland, then my family will just travel to another destination and take Hawaii off the plate. Time is precious and wasting more time in the air due to removed straight flights becomes a headache and a waste of valuable time.
Southwest what the heck is going on??? We’ve flown from Long Beach to Maui and now that we live in Maui have gone Maui to LB with ease! Some flights full some this past late January not so much. LB is a dream for a traveler to get into & out of ! I know Many of my Huge extended family Loves this route – LAX is a 100% nightmare & is avoided at all costs by everyone I know!!! Please reconsider Southwest!!!
You got to be kidding me! Just looked at flights today from Sacramento to Maui!! Main Cabin is $2500.00 ! Yes main cabin not first class! This is the only direct flight to Maui on Hawaiian Airlines!!!
What a shock! Guess they need to make more money! Where has the Costumer Service gone ? This will sure not bring people to Maui.
Looks like mostly Calf. Routes, Did Calf. Sneak in some surprise taxes? Maui still struggling from pandemic lots of travelers and airport is a mess, just arrived back. Is this also part of Maui asking visitors to scale back?
I think Hawaii has to take the blame for much of this pull back. If a place will go into complete lock down for an extended period of time, it’s not a good business decision to run routes to these locations.
I used to be very loyal to Hawaiian Air, but changing a flight (often needed due to business travel) is horribly difficult. I am so grateful Southwest has entered the interisland market. There app allows you to quickly change flights and apply the credit to the new flight immediately.
Could this have something to do with much higher oil- and jet fuel prices? Hawaiian and Southwest must have been loosing boat loads of money with their $29 interisland fare war and the buck has to stop somewhere, I guess.
OK. I have to say that this whole discussion reminds me of the Louis CK bit “Everything’s amazing and nobody’s happy!”. For goodness sakes! You are able to take a flight that costs peanuts (well, depending on when you go) to a tropical destination and get to your destination between 5 and 8 hours and we are all up in arms about the fact that we have to take a connection to get to our favorite island? Let’s all remember that unless you live in a hub city you typically have to take a connection to almost anywhere you go in the US when flying this far. Why should the Hawaii route be any different than just about any other city pairing in the US of equal distance??
Bob,
“…we are all up in arms about the fact that we have to take a connection to get to our favorite island?”
Of course! A connection adds time 2 the flight. By the time you arrive, you lost a good part of a day. That’s if both flights are on time. One serious delay and you are going the next day – maybe.
Luckily, I have many nonstop options with different SoCal airports.
I’ve been to 5 islands – in the 1970’s. Since then, it’s Oahu, and one forgettable vacation in Maui. The problem with the low-population islands is they are all “slow” moving. Now, if you want that, Oahu has slow – it’s not all Waikiki and Honolulu. Half an hour from HNL to North Shore or Kailua and an hour to Turtle Bay. Give them a try. It’s Waikiki for me!
If these are good routes, some will be taken up by others.
What about United, American, and Delta? Surely, they will be looking at some of those routes.
We are closer to LAX, but to avoid that zoo we were flying from San Diego to HNL. But for the last trip and the one in Sep we are taking the Ontario > HNL nonstop. The aircraft sucks, but Ontario is the closest airport to us. And, I won’t take a connecting flight, so it’s nearly perfect.
Seems like there are some good nonstop routes now up for grabs.
As tourist unfriendly as Hawaii became during the C-19 attack, it is no wonder airlines are pulling out. Tourists would rather stay in The United States and enjoy freedom in States such as Florida or Texas.
I wonder if others appreciate the two levels of sarcasm. One, of corse, is comparing Texas or Florida to Hawaii. The second, naturally, using Texas and Florida in the same sentence as freedom.
It appears that nature and natural beauty can only occur in one State out of Fifty for some odd reason, most realistic people know better than that. Beauty is truly in the eyes of the beholder as evidenced by the amount of Tourism across the mainland, people vacationing within a few hours of Home and enjoying where they are, and not paying exorbitant prices and a half day in the air. Many people know beautiful places that compare and beat Hawaii hands down, just a shame that politics need to be interjected in a manner typical of radical craze.
John, Hawaii is the United States, and during Covid we were protecting the residents of these beautiful Islands like all the other 49 states were doing at the same time.
It’s a “Possibility” that the airlines considered the unfriendly attitude and “Punishment” that Tourists are experiencing from the “Aloha” State, however, the “Probability” is at Best in the “Medium/Low Range. Airlines do perform Assessments of Risk on all of their routes, Hawaii must be seen as one that will be declining for at least several quarters to cut back this much. Hawaii is Ultimately to Blame along with the Hawaiian Residents that don’t know what “Aloha” Truly Means! Flights from “Other” Countries will be Flooding the Islands Soon to make up the Losses from fellow Citizens! The “Aloha” isn’t showing anymore, it’s Hiding in the lava tubes with the Ancient Chief’s of Hawaii, Their Hidden Burial Chamber’s.
Longtime Alaska Oakland to Lihue flyer here. So sad they pulled the plug on Oakland. And now cant find a nonstop out of the Bay Area to Lihue. Flying out of Seattle is unacceptable. I dont get it. Flights were full and brought in a lot of revenue. What gives?
Longtime Alaska Bay Area to Lihue flyer. I’m at wits end. First Alaska stopped flights out of Oakland. Now its impossible to find an Alaska nonstop to Kauai anywhere in the Bay Area. Flying out of Seattle is unacceptable. I don’t understand. Those flights were full, and brought in a lot of revenue.
I am so disappointed that Alaska Airlines pulled their OAK-OGG nonstop. Alaska completely pulled all Non Stops from Oakland. I would rather have my fingernails pulled out than fly Southwest Airlines (saving money just isn’t worth the absolute torture of a Southwest flight, not kidding!) so I’ve had to change over to Hawaiian Airlines direct OAK-OGG. Hawaiian has a nice service but its fares and mileage are much more expensive than Alaska Airlines. Alaska, please come back to OAK!
I actually Love flying Southwest, so much so that I will gladly take them over any other airline! Their seat pitches are better and I actually have a shot at getting an exit row seat without having to pay a king’s ransom for it!!
Hawaiian hasn’t canceled Long Beach-Maui…still out for sale through 2023
We were loyal frequent customers on the Alaska to Maui direct flights from Sacramento and pray they will reinstate them. I always felt Southwest would probably bail at some point because the flights I was on were never full. Alaska please bring back the flights from SMF to OGG
Try flying interisland that takes 4 hour for a 20 min flight.
I cancelled my Alaska Air CC after they removed the non stop from Sacramento to Maui. Hope they bring it back so Hawaiian doesn’t have a monopoly and prices get even higher
Portland to Kona on Alaska is gone. Not sure when/if it will return.
Still shows available non stop for me in March 2023
I suspect two of the three airlines will merge in the near future.
It’s doubtful, however, is there a slight chance that with Hawaiians resentful remarks about tourism has made a lasting impact? Be careful what you wish for, reduced tourism will be coming sooner than expected! I believe that profit motivation is driving these changes and could tighten the belt on the entire process of flying to Hawaii. Until I am ready to book another Hawaii Vacation I’m just going to sit and watch, should be an interesting time for everyone.
We invested in a Maui condo in large part because of Southwest’s significant entry into that market. I am very disheartened by the contraction. It feels like a bait-ans-switch. Southwest is making a huge mistake going so all-in on interisland flights. Travelers want nonstop directly to the outer islands!
We did too. I have a large family with many little ones now I worry it will be too hard for them to even visit us. I was comforted with the fact that I could fly back relatively quickly in an emergency. Now I just don’t know.
Most likely that pent up demand thing is coming to an end. The price rises were just too steep for most people to live with and airlines don’t like to fly empty planes.
Aloha
A few times we were booked on a wide body, United, and due to snow and ice storms incoming flights never landed on time. Imagine 17 people on the entire plane, First Class had Ten Passengers while Seven People had the Rest of the Plane. Pulled up the seat arms and had a Wonderful Sleep most of the way to Oahu!
We used to fly directly from Portland to Lihue and back, but that flight was canceled and we had to fly to Seattle and change planes recently, which gives Alaska another chance to lose our luggage, although they didn’t.
They have eliminated most of the direct flights to Maui, also, which is sad. Direct flights to both islands and back were always full before.
BOH, do you think that will change in the future once this mass of tourists flooding Hawai’i calms down, or is this a permanent thing? We’ve been going to Kaua’i for years and have never seen it so crowded. Our family who lives there said it was famine before, but now it’s feast, with some unintended consequences.
Mahalo.
Hi Nancy.
Not sure which change you’re asking about? The consolidation flights or the elimination of the PDX-LIH nonstop. If it is that flight, then it will be back at least starting the end of November.
Aloha.
We’ve never taken a non-stop to Kauai. No matter whether we left from LA, Las Vegas or Phoenix (our usual for the last # of years), we always had a stopover in Honolulu. We actually enjoy it – it breaks up the sitting and gives us time to have lunch (on the way over) or breakfast (on the way back). We’ve never missed a non-stop so we won’t miss it now! (We’ve always flown Hawaiian since about 1997.)
I agree the stopover was nice when we did fly Hawaiian now it is a plane change in Las Vegas still a full day in each direction and more leg room on Southwest.
This has more to do with airline staffing than lack of business. Just look at all the airline complaints this summer. Do you want bad service or good service? Unfortunately until the staffing issues subside,Hawaii won’t be the only area to suffer.
Still disappointed that Alaska pulled out of Oakland. Neither SFO or SJC is convenient from where we live. We took many flights on Alaska from Oakland to Kona. SWA does not have convenient times, nor the same in-flight experience as Alaska.
Changes on everything now is the norm. My burning question is what is it Really like flying from LAX to HNL on Southwest? I can’t imagine.
It is better than coach on Hawaiian or American.
Do they have at least a business class section or premium economy?
We did twice and it was fine.
Echoing all the Sacramento to Hawaii comments. It’s so convenient to fly out of Sacramento and it looks like all of the nonstop flights are gone. We have a toddler amd it’s silly for us to drive down the the bay area and stay in a hotel to be up super early. My question is can Honolulu airport handle being a hub for all the layovers?
HNL has been an international hub for decades (almost since inception actually), it can handle a few extra mainland flights – especially with the newly expanded interisland terminal, interisland flights are once again plentiful.
We always fly Hawaiian Air. They have always been on time and have a great crew. Until a few years ago it was a common thing to land in honolulu then shuttle to Maui. We are now spoiled and hope Hawaiian Air benefits from the loss.
I have to laugh. Hawaiians wanted less tourists. Airlines are listening. Hawaiians don’t want you there. Find other places to go. They will be happy. You will be happy. The Airlines will be happy to cut more routes. Once again, good luck Hawaii. Your economy thanks only you.
Do you really think that airlines care about Hawaii tourism? The carriers are in the game for the $$$. The route cutbacks are because of cost saving measures Only!
We have a flight scheduled from Los Angeles to Kauai in the beginning of September. After reading above, I called the airline and was told, that route has Not been canceled. I guess only time will tell. Thanks.
Hi Sue.
The last nonstop flight is September 5 in both directions. It has been canceled.
Aloha.
Hmm. That’s interesting. Guess we got lucky, we fly on September 5th!!!