Hawaiian Airlines ends one of its newest — and longest — routes
It will soon be harder to trade the palm trees of Florida for the palm trees of Hawaii.
Hawaiian Airlines is suspending its flight between Orlando International Airport (MCO) and Honolulu's Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL). The final departure from Orlando is on Sept. 7, while the final departure from Honolulu is Sept. 8.
The thrice-weekly flight began service in March 2021, and was the only nonstop link between the Sunshine State and the Aloha State. The 4,757-mile flight, operated with an Airbus A330-200, is currently the fourth-longest route in Hawaiian's network.
The route seemed to have performed well during peak travel times, though data suggests it struggled during other times of the year.
Last July, the flight saw a 90% load factor, meaning 90% of the seats on the flight were filled on average, according to data Hawaiian reports to the U.S. Department of Transportation. Last December saw a 73% load factor. On the other hand, in September 2021, just 45% of seats were filled on average.
In a statement, an airline spokesperson attributed the decision to end the service due to a network re-alignment. Hawaiian has announced plans to resume service this summer to international destinations — such as Tokyo and Auckland, New Zealand — that were put on hold during the pandemic.
"We made the decision to suspend our Orlando service after more than a year of serving the Central Florida market," the spokesperson said. "This is a result of re-aligning our network to better meet strong demand in North America and resurgence of international travel. We are grateful for the support from the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority and the residents of Central Florida who warmly welcomed us."
Read More: Hawaiian Airlines launching 4 new routes to 3 new cities
While Hawaiian codeshares with JetBlue, the airline has decided to offer refunds to passengers who have booked the flight in lieu of reaccomodating them via JetBlue with a connection to another Hawaiian flight.
"Unfortunately, there are no options to reschedule flights on Hawaiian Airlines," the spokesperson said.
While Hawaiian bids Aloha to Orlando, it is maintaining service at the other new airport it announced long-haul service to at the time: Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS).
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