Hawaiian Airlines to Begin Service to China in 2014; Manila Service Discontinued

REPORT FROM HAWAIIAN AIRLINES – Hawaiian Airlines today 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 to11 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.

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