Hawaiian Airlines cuts Boston, 2 Asia routes from Honolulu — but adds more South Pacific, West Coast service
Hawaiian Airlines is pulling back flights to Asia and cutting its longest domestic U.S. route. Instead, the airline will fly more frequencies to Australia, Tahiti — and, above all else, between Honolulu and the U.S. West Coast.
Hawaiian announced the network shakeup late Tuesday, revealing plans to suspend its nonstop service between Honolulu's Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) and three destinations:
- Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), effective Nov. 19
- Incheon International Airport (ICN) in Seoul, South Korea, effective Nov. 21
- Fukuoka Airport (FUK) in Fukuoka, Japan, effective Nov. 19
Instead, Hawaiian will increase the number of weekly flights it operates on a handful of domestic and international routes during the peak Hawaii travel months.
Why is Hawaiian cutting flights?
Tuesday’s route cuts are simply economics, Hawaiian said: those three flights had underperformed expectations, the carrier explained in a statement announcing the news — specifically pointing to lagging travel demand from Asia to Hawaii ever since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Visitors to the Aloha State from Japan were down 54% in 2024 versus 2019, according to data from the Hawaii Tourism Authority — due in part to weakness in the yen.
South Korea visitors to Hawaii were down by nearly a third compared with 2019.
“It’s always a difficult decision to suspend a route, especially in cities like Seoul, which we have enjoyed serving for over 14 years,” Hawaiian CEO Joe Sprague said Tuesday, while noting the carrier does “remain committed” to its remaining Japan services from Honolulu.
Hawaiian still flies from its HNL hub to Tokyo via Haneda Airport (HND), as well as to Osaka’s Kansai International Airport (KIX).
As for Boston, Hawaiian had stiff competition from Delta Air Lines on the longest domestic U.S. route from HNL to BOS.
More flights to the South Pacific and the U.S. West Coast
While Hawaiian may be shrinking its route map, the carrier is adding additional flights to a handful of cities during the Hawaii travel months.
Between mid-December and the end of January, the airline will make its HNL flights to Sydney Airport (SYD) a daily fixture. It’ll also add a second weekly flight to Faaa International Airport (PPT) in Papeete, Tahiti beginning in March.
Travelers can also expect to see Hawaiian’s planes flying a lot more frequently between HNL and the U.S. West Coast: The carrier will add a fifth daily flight to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) during the peak holiday rush. And, it will stack on a fourth daily wintertime flight from Honolulu to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), the home base of its new sister airline, Alaska Airlines.
Post-merger shakeup
The extra SEA and LAX flights are part of a larger network shakeup at Hawaiian after being acquired last year by Alaska Air Group — including an effort to connect more Hawaiian flights with Alaska’s West Coast hubs.
This winter (between October and March) Hawaiian’s total departures on the HNL-SEA route had already been set to rise some 226% versus a year ago, according to data from aviation analytics firm Cirium.
Other changes are in the works, too.
As TPG reported, Hawaiian’s brand-new Boeing 787 Dreamliners will soon be repainted with Alaska Airlines livery. Those planes will soon stop flying to and from Hawaii, and will instead be deployed on Alaska’s new long-haul international flights out of SEA.
Alaska has said Hawaiian’s older Airbus A330s — which will be its main long-haul aircraft, going forward — will get cabin facelifts in the coming years, including a new business-class and premium economy product.
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There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
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- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.