Hawaiian resumes US mainland and Japan services

Hawaiian Airlines has resumed scheduled passenger flights to Las Vegas and Tokyo following the state of Hawaii’s partial reopening.

On Oct. 1, the airline restarted service from Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International (HNL) to Las Vegas McCarran (LAS) and Tokyo Narita (NRT). Flights to Japan’s capital will be weekly.

The carrier has been operating cargo-only flights between HNL and NRT since June. Hawaiian suspended passenger operations in March as COVID-19 spread.

Routes from HNL to Oakland (OAK), Phoenix (PHX) and San Jose (SJC) will resume on Nov. 1. By mid-November, Hawaiian said it would be serving 10 West Coast cities, including Los Angeles (LAX), San Francisco (SFO) and Seattle (SEA).

“We’re encouraged by the positive response to the state’s decision to welcome travelers back to Hawaii, and we are resuming service to key markets to give our guests more options to visit our islands,” Hawaiian SVP of revenue management and network planning Brent Overbeek said.

More COVID-19 news

The state of Hawaii will begin to welcome back international visitors from Oct. 15, on condition that they must test negative for the coronavirus 72 hrs. before arrival in order to bypass a 14-day quarantine.

Hawaiian said it would offer passengers departing from LAX and SFO access to drive-through COVID-19 tests, meaning they would be exempt from quarantine measures from the moment they arrive. The tests will cost $90 for results within 36 hrs or $150 for day-of-travel express service.

In September, Aviation Week Network reported that Hawaiian anticipates shedding 2,501 jobs—or 33% of the total workforce—unless Congress extended the Payroll Support Program, which expired midnight Oct. 1. That total comprises 2,316 contract employees, including 101 pilots, in addition to 185 administrative positions.

Photo credit: Hawaiian Airlines

David Casey

David Casey is Editor in Chief of Routes, the global route development community's trusted source for news and information.