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Hawaiian Airlines adds 3 routes, 1 new city as it bolsters service to mainland

Nov. 30, 2023
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3 min read
Kona Airport KOA Hawaiian Japan Airlines JAL
Hawaiian Airlines adds 3 routes, 1 new city as it bolsters service to mainland
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Hawaiian Airlines is saying aloha to its 16th destination on the U.S. mainland.

The Honolulu-based carrier announced Wednesday that it will touch down in Salt Lake City next year. Hawaiian will start a new route from Honolulu to Salt Lake City on May 15, 2024, operating on a daily basis using a 189-seat Airbus A321neo aircraft.

Flight 84 will depart Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) at 6:50 p.m. and arrive at Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) at 5:15 a.m. the following day. Flight 83 will depart SLC at 7 a.m. with a 9:55 a.m. arrival at HNL — giving travelers full days at either destination.

Hawaiian will go up against Delta Air Lines on this new 2,994-mile route, so it'll be interesting to see what happens to fares in the market once this new entrant commences service, especially since Delta operates a much larger Boeing 767 wide-body aircraft on the route.

With an additional 189 daily seats in the market thanks to Hawaiian, Delta might try to more aggressively funnel connections through SLC to fill its Boeing 767s.

In addition to the new Salt Lake City route, Hawaiian is expanding its route portfolio from Sacramento International Airport (SMF) with two new flights to Lihue and Kona.

Hawaiian Airlines Boeing 717 Honolulu
ZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUY

Service from Sacramento to Lihue will operate on a three-times-weekly basis on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. It'll mark the first service between these airports, giving travelers heading to Lihue more flight options than ever before.

Meanwhile, service to Kona will operate four times a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays. No other airline currently operates flights on this route after Southwest Airlines exited the market in September 2022, Cirium schedules show.

Hawaiian already flies between Sacramento and both Honolulu and Maui/Kahului.

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Hawaiian's expansion is the first mainland-focused route announcement the carrier has made since 2020, when it added new pandemic-era service to Austin; Ontario, California; and Orlando. Hawaiian no longer flies to Orlando, but it still serves the other two cities.

In terms of the onboard experience, Hawaiian's Airbus A321neos offer 16 leather recliners in the business-class "Premium" cabin, 45 extra-legroom economy seats and 128 standard economy seats.

The airline is currently outfitting these jets with high-speed Starlink satellite internet access. Once the service is enabled early next year, expect streaming-quality speeds on all Starlink-enabled flights.

Related reading:

Featured image by ZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUY
Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

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