Southwest Airlines Flights to Hawaii Could Begin As Soon As This Year
Southwest thinks it could launch its long-awaited flights to Hawaii as soon as this year. In the company's earnings call on Thursday, Southwest CEO Gary Kelly announced that the carrier's plans to fly to Hawaii are on track from the airline's end, and they could end up launching as soon as the end of 2018.
"I think there is a chance that we could be flying by the end of the year and that will be our goal," Kelly said. "I'll be happy [if it happens]. If we don't, it won't be the end of the world."
If the Hawaii flights don't launch by the end of this year, Kelly thinks Southwest will be able to begin operations to the 50th state in early 2019. At this point, Kelly said that when the carrier is allowed to begin operations is out of its control. But, in terms of what it does control, Kelly said that the carrier is "right on target."
So, what's the big hold up? Southwest needs to get approval from the FAA to operate the over-ocean flights, a process that could take one year or longer. The approval process, which is already underway, includes special training for flight crew and additional equipment for Southwest's all-737 fleet of aircraft.
Even if Southwest doesn't get the necessary approval to begin operations in 2018, Kelly said that he's confident the airline will begin selling tickets this year.
Southwest made news when it first announced that it would begin Hawaii operations in October 2017. Since then, there's been little news as to specific routes and what fares would look like. However, we do know that Southwest's Hawaii service will launch with its 737-800s before switching to its newest 737 MAX. In addition, the carrier has said that it will start with operations from California, a huge market for the low-cost carrier.
While we wait for more details on Southwest's Hawaii operations, get caught up on the aircraft that it will soon be flying to Hawaii by reading this review of the 737 MAX 8.
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The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
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- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
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- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
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- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month