Hawaiian Airlines is to begin a nonstop seasonal service between Phoenix (PHX) and Kahului, Maui (OGG). The route will be offered 4X-weekly from May 21 through Aug. 15 using Airbus A321neo aircraft.

Flight HA57 will depart Phoenix at 7 a.m. on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, arriving in Kahului at 10:25 a.m. The flight from Kahului to Phoenix, HA58, departs at 10:40 a.m. on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, with a 7:25 p.m. arrival.

PHX-OGG

Hawaiian’s summer PHX-OGG flights complement the carrier’s daily nonstop service to Honolulu (HNL), originally launched in 2002. The airline operates the most nonstop flights between the US mainland and Maui, including via Long Beach (LGB), Los Angeles (LAX), Oakland (OAK), Portland (PDX), Sacramento (SMF), San Diego (SAN), San Francisco (SFO), San Jose (SJC) and Seattle (SEA),

Analysis of data provided by OAG Schedules Analyser shows that Hawaiian will face competition on the new PHX-OGG route from American Airlines, which serves the market 2X-daily. Both of American’s services are red-eyes from OOG, departing at 10.14 p.m. and 11.40 p.m., making their arrival in PHX timed for onward connections from the oneworld alliance member’s hub.

By contrast, Hawaiian’s services between PHX and OGG are both daytime flights, making them better suited to the leisure market for travelers originating in Phoenix.