Hawaiian Creates Maui Hub

Posted 16/01/2012

Hawaiian Airlines is expanding its operations to create a Maui hub that will offer improved connections between The Valley Isle and other points within the Hawaiian Islands as well as flights to and from the West Coast, the airline announced last week.

Hawaiian is increasing its daily neighbor island schedule by an additional 23 to 25 flights over the next several weeks.  More than half of the added flights will serve the new Maui hub with one-third providing additional non-stop service between Maui and both Hawaii Island and Kauai.  Hawaiian is supporting the expanded flight schedule with the three Boeing 717-200 jets that it recently acquired.

In addition, Hawaiian is reintroducing non-stop service to Maui from Los Angeles in June 2012, which will bring to five the number of US mainland gateway cities that Hawaiian is providing non-stop service to Maui, along with Seattle, Las Vegas, Oakland, and San José.

“This investment in our core business here in Hawaii will increase service between Maui and other neighbor islands by 25 per cent, and answer a need identified by our kama‘aina travelers,” said Mark Dunkerley, President and Chief Executive Officer, Hawaiian Airlines.  “We appreciate the support of our state lawmakers, the Department of Transportation, and Maui County in helping us to move this project forward to the benefit of Hawaii’s air travelers.”

The new Maui hub recognises Maui’s growth as a visitor destination and its development as a transit point for travel to neighbouring islands and to the mainland.  Maui state lawmakers expressed their appreciation for the initiatives being taken by Hawaiian to boost its neighbor island service and the associated benefits to the community.

“Hawaiian’s expansion plan for Kahului Airport is good news for neighbour island residents and will make air travel between our islands easier while also increasing opportunities to showcase Maui as a visitor destination,” said State Senator J. Kalani English, Chair of the Senate Committee on Transportation and International Affairs.

Under the revised strategy Hawaiian is increasing its neighbour island service statewide to 180 flights daily from 157 flights on peak travel days, and to 168 flights from 143 flights on off-peak travel days giving residents and visitors more schedule options for flying between the islands.  Daily services to Maui will increase to 36 flights from 29 on peak travel days and to 34 from 27 flights on off-peak travel days.  Hawaiian is also adding daily flights between Honolulu and Kauai, Hilo and Kona to boost its service during busy periods of the day.

The new daily Maui – Los Angeles flight will operate between June 21, 2012 and August 18, 2012, giving travelers from southern California more schedule choices for visiting Maui and making flight connections to other islands.  The service will operate the link using its wide-body, twin-aisle Boeing 767-300 aircraft seating up to 264 passengers, with 18 seats in First Class and 246 in Economy.

An estimated 443,000 O&D passengers already travel between Maui and Los Angeles every year, with US carriers American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines currently offering six daily rotations on the route.

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