Southwest Airlines Announces Hawaii Service in 2018

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Southwest Airlines announced they’re finally going to be headed to Hawaii! The airline will begin selling tickets in 2018 pending government approval, however specific routes haven’t yet been announced.

However, the airline hasn’t announced which cities in California will be the first to see the new Hawaii flights, however LAX is guaranteed. I wouldn’t be surprised though to see flights from SAN, OAK, and even SNA being launched once their routes are up.

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Here’s a note Southwest shared:

We’re going to Hawaii, baby! That’s right—the day is finally here that we can say we’re going to add some Aloha to your world-famous Hospitality, as Southwest Airlines will soon serve the Hawaiian Islands! It’s probably the question I get asked the most, and I finally have an answer—I’ve heard you all loud and clear!

We intend to begin selling tickets in 2018, and while we’re not quite ready to offer our Customers specific schedule or market information, tonight’s announcement is going to be big news within the industry. Those Southwest shockwaves of our terrific value and your bar-setting Customer Service will be a game-changing addition in the U.S. transpacific market.

I know you’ve heard us purposefully changing our language ahead of tonight’s announcement to say it’s a matter of when, and not if we serve Hawaii. Why now? We need to take our Extended Operations (ETOPS) work to the next level and gain FAA certification of ETOPS-equipped aircraft in our fleet and establish required operational processes to offer our Customers nonstop service they expect from California to one of the world’s top leisure destinations. The MAX will be our Hawaii aircraft but, as Mike explained tonight, we’ll start with our ETOPS-equipped -800 fleet to accelerate our service launch date. The rest of the work is lined up to bring the performance enhancements of the MAX to what we intend to build into a multi-market offering among our West Coast cities and the Hawaiian Islands.

We will work together to bring America’s Most Loved airline to the shores of Hawaii—and I find it fitting that’s about as far Southwest as you can go in the U.S!

When it comes to airlines serving Hawaii from California, all the big one including American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Hawaiian Airlines, United, and Alaska Airlines offer nonstop service to the islands.

I’m thrilled to hear that Southwest will finally be launching service to Hawaii and look forward to hear what routes will be initially offered.

See related: California Residents: How to Score Southwest Airlines Companion Pass for Free

Feel free to comment below about Southwest Airlines launching service to Hawaii. Mahalo. 

Editorial Note: Opinions, analyses, reviews or suggestions expressed on this site are those of the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed.

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