p class="Text">It’s getting even easier to reach Hawaii’s Big
Island from the East and West, thanks to new Delta Airlines service
from its Atlanta hub. In mid-December, The Big Island welcomed
Delta’s inaugural flight to sunny Kona from Atlanta via Salt Lake
City.
In typical Hawaiian style, passengers were greeted
at Kona International Airport with hula dancers, leis and a warm
welcome from The Big Island Visitors Bureau. The launching capped a
record year that found year-to-date arrivals to The Big Island up
16.7 percent through October 2005.
The new one-stop service has no change of aircraft.
Flight 343 departs Atlanta daily at 10:10 a.m. (EST) and arrives in
Kona at 6:29 pm (HST). Return service aboard Flight 344 departs
Kona at 11 p.m. and arrives in Atlanta at 3:30 p.m. the following
afternoon. The westbound departure from Salt Lake City to Kona is
at 2:55 p.m. (MST), with the eastbound departure to Atlanta at 9:50
am the following morning after the red-eye Big Island segment.
“We’re thrilled to partner with Delta Vacations and
Delta Airlines for this momentous occasion,” said George Applegate,
executive director of The Big Island Visitors Bureau. “The year
2005 was one of record growth for The Big Island, and it is an
honor to have the opportunity to introduce our beautiful island to
even more visitors. We take pride in showing them the authentic
meaning of ‘Aloha Spirit.’”
Delta Vacations has a long and distinguished
history of providing value-priced vacation packages to the world’s
most popular leisure destinations. A mainstay on the Hawaiian
tourism scene for nearly 50 years, the wholesale arm offers
air-inclusive vacation packages to some 68 resorts, including the
Outrigger, Marriott, Hyatt, Radisson and Starwood chains.
800-221-1212
www.delta.com
www.deltavacations.com
