This fall,?Hawaiian Airlines?will make significant adjustments to its transpacific route network by suspending underperforming flights¡ªincluding the longest domestic flight in America¡ªand adding more capacity to its more popular routes.?
The Honolulu-based carrier said it would end its service on three long-haul routes from Honolulu to Seoul, South Korea, Fukuoka, Japan, and Boston, which at 5,095 miles was the longest flight within the United States.?
Demand in those three markets never really bounced back after the pandemic, according to airline officials. ¡°It¡¯s always a difficult decision to suspend a route, especially in cities like Seoul, which we have enjoyed serving for over 14 years," said Hawaiian Airlines CEO Joe Sprague. "However, despite our team¡¯s best efforts, soft post-pandemic travel demand from Asia, combined with various market challenges, have persisted in Seoul, as well as in Fukuoka and Boston, both of which we entered in 2019."?
The airline will operate its final flights from Fukuoka and Boston on November 19, while its final service from Seoul Incheon to Honolulu will fly on November 21. Hawaiian will reach out to affected passengers with the option to rebook on another flight or receive a refund.?
Aircraft that had operated the three routes¡ªwhich had service 3x (Fukuoka), 4x (Boston), and 5x (Seoul) per week¡ªwill be redeployed on a handful of the airline¡¯s routes with higher demand. All of the routes were operated by single-aisle Airbus A330-200 planes.
Four of the airline¡¯s destinations will receive added capacity from the redeployed planes, including Sydney, Australia, Papeete, Tahiti, Los Angeles, and Seattle, all of which Hawaiian serves from its hub in Honolulu.
The carrier will add daily flights to its Honolulu-to-Sydney service, up from five flights per week, from December 18 to January 31. The freed-up planes will also allow Hawaiian to double its service to Papeete, where it will begin operating two weekly flights in March 2026. Elsewhere, the airline will use the planes to launch a fifth daily flight between Honolulu and Los Angeles during the peak holiday travel season, from November 21 to December 1 and December 19 to January 6. Hawaiian will also add capacity to its Honolulu-Seattle route, adding a fourth daily flight between late November to mid-April.
¡°We remain committed to continuing to provide robust Hawaiian Airlines service between Asia and Hawai¡®i through our nonstop Japan flights, and via one-stop connections to and from Incheon and beyond with our global partner airlines,¡± Sprague said. ¡°These adjustments will ensure we are meeting strong demand for travel to Hawai?i ¨C both internationally and domestically ¨C while providing all our guests access to more destinations.¡±
The carrier is also set to launch a new route from Seattle to Seoul in September as part of its combination with Alaska Airlines.
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
