Hawaiian is just one airline hoping
to bring more visitors to the
islands. // (c) Hawaiian Air
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Airlines are continuing to make adjustments to their schedules and fleets to encourage clients to fly to Hawaii.
Alaska Airlines, for example, is in the midst of its seasonal service between Kahului, Maui, and Anchorage, Alaska. Flights between those two cities are available until April 25, 2009. Planes depart Anchorage on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 2:20 p.m., arriving into Maui at 6:35 p.m. Return flights leave Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 8:45 p.m. and land in Anchorage at 5 a.m.
Travelers flying to and from Hawaii on Alaska Airlines enjoy a Hawaiian-themed beverage and meal service. In the main cabin, guests get complimentary macadamia nuts and a mai tai or passion orange juice, plus a $5 meal-for-purchase option. First-class service includes island-inspired meals such as macadamia nut-encrusted mahi mahi. Passengers can also rent personal entertainment systems with various movies, television shows and music (www.alaskaair.com).
Hawaiian Airlines, meanwhile, has announced that it has acquired another new wide-body Airbus A330-200 aircraft, which joins two other A330s announced two weeks prior. The company has negotiated delivery of two of the new aircraft in the second quarter of 2010, beginning Hawaiian’s transition to a new long-range fleet two years earlier than originally planned.
“These commitments to increasing the size of our fleet and to bringing the new aircraft to Hawaii two years earlier than planned deepen Hawaiian’s already substantial investment in our home state and its economy. This is great news for the future of our company, our employees and Hawaii’s visitor industry,” said Hawaiian president Mark Dunkerley.
The wide-body twin-aisle A330 seats 298 passengers in a two-class configuration and has an operating range of 6,050 nautical miles, allowing Hawaiian to fly significantly farther nonstop than what is allowed by its current fleet of Boeing 767-300ER aircraft. Hawaiian’s A330 aircraft will have the ability to fly nonstop to all of North America and points in eastern Asia, while offering increased seating capacity and improved fuel efficiency at the same time (www.hawaiianair.com).