Originally Posted by
alex999
Sad to see HNL/FUK go, because I think it is one of the best destinations in Japan, and I strongly believe it could be successful under different circumstances.
As a frequent user of the service (six roundtrips since 2012), I can offer a few reflections:
1) Head on competition with Delta flight 598, which serves the very same route (HNL/FUK) at about the same time of day (leaves FUK early evening), for about the same fare. This flight seemed more established ... I see many more passengers waiting/boarding the Delta 767.
I actually took Delta 598/599 last October, and although it was full in one direction, there were a lot of empty seats in the other. When I first heard something about a flight to Fukuoka being cut, I thought it was the Delta one. Demand might be pretty seasonal - and it's not like something smaller than a 767 could make the trip.
Of course, I only took the flight because I was heading to Kumamoto, and routings from Hawaii through NRT to KMJ were complicated and expensive. It was easier to go to Fukuoka and take the Shinkansen the rest of the way. If a direct flight didn't exist, I'd just go through NRT or KIX or whatever.