Big news in Hawaii travel: Southwest Airlines has officially opened its new Hawaii flights for booking. In its latest update, the carrier reports that its inaugural flight to the state will take place March 17 between Oakland and Honolulu, followed by the airline’s first flight between Oakland and Kahului on April 7. After that, the airline will begin two routes from San Jose: to Honolulu starting May 5 and to Kahului starting May 26.
Southwest will also begin operating its first inter-island service within Hawaii, between Honolulu and Kahului. The service will operate four times daily in each direction, starting April 28. The carrier will also begin flying four times daily in each direction between Honolulu and Hawaii Island starting May 12. Southwest says that the additional inter-island service will enable connecting service between Kona and both Oakland and San Jose.
Additional service details, including plans for previously announced gateways of San Diego and Sacramento, and for Lihue on Kauai, will be announced in the coming weeks, Southwest said.
The move will bring a major low-cost carrier to the destination’s travel market. Southwest first announced its intention to begin Hawaii service in October 2017, followed by a number of discussions with local community leaders regarding its service to the market.
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