Hawaiian Airlines to Launch Taipei-Honolulu Service in July

Hawaiian Airlines today announced plans to launch nonstop service between Taipei, Taiwan and Honolulu in July 2013, further extending the airline’s strategic expansion into Asia.

The new service, which would operate three times a week, capitalizes on the extension of the U.S. Visa Waiver Program to cover citizens of Taiwan.

“We have long known that there is demand for a Hawaii vacation in Taiwan, but visits have been impeded by the cost, complexity and time it has taken its citizens to apply for a U.S. visitor visa," said Mark Dunkerley, Hawaiian’s president and chief executive officer. "Now that Taiwan is part of the U.S. Visa Waiver Program, we are delighted to be adding Taipei as the latest city in Hawaiian’s growing Asia network. Our new service will also offer a convenient new way for many in Hawaii and in our mainland U.S. cities to connect with family, create new business relationships or visit Taiwan.”

Hawaiian will operate the Taipei-Honolulu route using its new 294-seat, wide-body Airbus A330-200 aircraft, adding nearly 46,000 new air seats to the market annually to the benefit of Hawaii’s visitor industry. According to the Hawaii Tourism Authority, the economic impact of restoring nonstop service from Taipei will be significant for Hawaii.

We anticipate reaching 10,642 visitors from Taiwan in 2012 and this new flight will help to further increase arrivals from this region," said Mike McCartney, president and CEO of the Hawaii Tourism Authority. ““Following Korea’s entrance to the Visa Waiver Program, arrivals from Korea have increased by double-digits year over year. With the re-establishment of nonstop service, we would anticipate seeing similar growth from Taiwan.”

Taipei is the capital city of Taiwan and its economic center, with the surrounding metropolitan area of Taipei, New Taipei and Keelung being home to nearly seven million people. Taipei will be the ninth new gateway that Hawaiian has introduced or announced new service to since November 2010, following Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka and Sapporo, Japan; Seoul, South Korea; New York City; Brisbane, Australia; and Auckland, New Zealand (March 13, 2013).

Visit www.hawaiianairlines.com.