Hawaiian Airlines Announces New Routes, New Plane, Cheaper Routes?
Joe Cortez January 09, 2018
A321neo to fly between Hawaiian islands and three West Coast cities
Flyers looking for an island getaway will have three new routes to Hawaii aboard one of the most modern aircraft in the skies. Hawaiian Airlines says they will introduce three new city pairs in early 2018, all flown with the Airbus A321neo aircraft.
The new city pairs will take flyers from Portland International Airport (PDX) to Maui, Oakland International Airport (OAK) to Kaua’I and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Kona. While the inaugural A321neo flight took place on January 8, 2018, between OAK and Kahului, Maui (OGG), regular service for the three flights will stagger.
The PDX-OGG service will begin on January 18, while flights from OAK to Kauai will begin April 11. Flyers from LAX headed to Kona will be flown on widebody aircraft starting on March 11, with the A321neo replacing the aircraft in the summer. All routes are now available for sale at Hawaiian Airlines website.
The next-generation aircraft will be outfitted with modern amenities for travelers, featuring three classes of service: first class, Extra Comfort premium economy, and economy (pitch 31-32″, width 17.3″). First class features wide slimline seats that are limited to 16 per aircraft (pitch 45-46″, width 18″), while Extra Comfort seats (pitch 36-37″, width 17.3″) offer more legroom and an additional power source to charge devices.
There are no in-flight screens (as these seem to be going the way of the dodo) but there are tablet holders integrated into the seat backs and USB power at every seat. Flyers can choose to stream the Hawaiian library on their personal devices or watch their own entertainment options.
And the dawn of the smaller A321neo will undoubtedly mean more direct flights to the island which may drop the prices on flights to Hawaii in the near future.
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I would not expect lower airfares; they aren’t going to happen. I also wouldn’t expect Hawaiian to add “basic economy” fares. Years ago, they offered a similar service to/from Hawaii in a 3 class (F/Y/K) on United and Pan Am; it didn’t work because the flight is 5 1/2 hours or longer, depending on the route, and certain amenities are expected on such a long flight (i.e., reserved seats, beverage service, etc.). Just my thoughts
18" seats is "first" class? seriously?
they also just added long beach to Honolulu