Hawaiian
Airlines announced it plans to launch non-stop service between
Honolulu and Beijing, China in April 2014, pending approvals by U.S.
and Chinese regulatory agencies.
The
new service, Hawaiian's tenth new international destination since
November 2010, will allow visitors from China's capital city to
access Hawaiian's extensive network, serving the Hawaiian Islands and
U.S. mainland.
"A
scheduled flight between China and Hawai'i has long been an
aspiration of Hawaiian and the travel industry in our state, and as
the barriers to visitor travel from China to the United States slowly
come down, we believe there will be significant demand for a Hawai'i
vacation and Hawaiian Airlines," said Mark Dunkerley , Hawaiian
Airlines' president and CEO. "With our network of flights
between the islands and from Hawai'i to 11 cities in the U.S.
mainland, Hawaiian is in a great position to offer the multi-stop
itinerary that many visitors from China prefer."
"I
want to congratulate Hawaiian Airlines for its continued expansion
into the Pacific Rim," said Gov. Neil Abercrombie . "Hawai'i
is the anchor of the Asia Pacific region and this non-stop service to
Beijing will give China greater access to Hawai'i, which will become
one of China's most important visitor destinations. Both China's and
Hawai'i's economies will be the direct beneficiaries. I have every
confidence this non-stop service by Hawaiian Airlines will enhance
the cultural understanding that already exists between China and
Hawai'i."
The
Hawai'i Tourism Authority estimates the new service will generate $81
million in annual visitor expenditures and $8.47 million in tax
revenue for Hawai'i.
"This
new non-stop service will help to significantly grow visitor arrivals
and expenditures from our highest spending visitor market," said
Mike McCartney , president and CEO of the HTA. "The China market
continues to grow year-over-year, and we anticipate further growth in
2013, targeting double-digit increases in arrivals (+25% to 144,910
visitors) and expenditures (+27% to $348 million)."
The
new service will be launched from Honolulu on April 16, 2014 and will
operate three times each week using a 294-seat A330 aircraft. It will
be the only non-stop service between Honolulu and Beijing, which has
a population of more than 20 million.
Subject
to government approvals, Hawaiian's Flight HA 887 will depart
Honolulu International Airport at 1:30 p.m. every Wednesday, Friday
and Sunday, cross the international dateline, and land at Beijing
Capital International Airport at 7:30 p.m. the following day.
Hawaiian's
Flight HA 888 will depart Beijing at 9:30 p.m. every Monday, Thursday
and Saturday, cross the international dateline, and arrive in
Honolulu at 1:05 p.m. the same day.
Travelers
on Hawaiian Airlines enjoy an inflight experience not offered by any
other airline. From the moment travelers board their Hawaiian
Airlines flight, the airline's renown ' Mea Ho 'okipa' (translation:
I am host) onboard hospitality engages customers throughout the
flight with its warm and friendly celebration of the culture, people
and Aloha Spirit of the Hawaiian Islands.
Manila
Service Discontinued
Hawaiian
Airlines also today announced it will discontinue its underperforming
non-stop Manila service this summer.
Hawaiian
Airlines flight HA 455 will make its final trip from Honolulu to
Manila on July 31, and HA 456 will make its final return from Manila
to Honolulu on Aug. 1, 2013. The service, which operates four times
per week, was inaugurated in April 2008.
The
airline's reservations department will make arrangements with other
airlines serving Manila to accommodate customers who have ticketed
reservations after Aug. 1, and will be contacting affected passengers
with new accommodations.
The
airline will continue to accept reservations for travel prior to the
discontinuation date, provided all travel is completed by Aug. 1,
2013.
"High
fuel prices and low fares have plagued this particular route and
while we have made several efforts to improve the economic
performance of our Manila service, including adjusting our flight
schedule to optimize connections and upgrading to newer A330
aircraft, we've concluded that the route will not be a commercial
success," explained Peter Ingram , Hawaiian's chief commercial
officer.
