LONDON – In July, Hawaiian Airlines will resume services between Auckland and Honolulu, after more than a 2-year hiatus from the country.
HA445 will resume on July 2, departing HNL Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays at 2:25 p.m. and arriving at AKL at 9:45 p.m. the next day. Beginning July 4, HA446 will depart AKL on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays at 11:55 p.m. with a 10:50 a.m. same-day arrival at HNL.
The route will be serviced by the carrier’s Airbus A330 aircraft, offering 18 seats in Premium Cabin, 68 in its Extra Comfort Cabin, and 192 in the Main Cabin.
Auckland Represents Completion of Oceania Market Reopening…
Commenting on the route resumption was Andrew Stanbury, the Regional Director for Australia & New Zealand at Hawaiian Airlines:
“Our July return comes at just the right time as Kiwis looking to get away this winter can now take a much-needed tropical escape to the Hawaiian Islands or visit the continental United States.”
“We look forward to welcoming them back with our authentic Hawaiian hospitality and unparalleled onboard service,”.
“The resumption of our New Zealand service, along with the restart of our Sydney service in December, completes the reopening of our Oceania market – an integral piece of our company’s post-pandemic recovery.”
Moving To Normality Internationally…
For Hawaiian Airlines, the route restarts will no doubt offer that vision of returning to normality internationally, particularly in the Oceania region.
Australia & New Zealand have had some of the most stringent COVID-19 rules throughout the pandemic, and the relaxation of rules indicates a step forward for international carriers.
The thrice-weekly service to Auckland also represents a considerable add-on of strength to New Zealand’s tourism, and the same with Hawaii as well.
Such a route like Auckland-Honolulu offers great reciprocity in tourism links, which is probably why Hawaiian are keen to return back to the New Zealand capital.
Looking Ahead…
It will be interesting to see how the route restart goes, and whether it will have the same level of success that it did pre-pandemic.
With that in mind, the carrier will probably see enhanced success, especially with travel demand being pent up at the expense of the COVID-19 pandemic.
But for Hawaiian, normality is returning, and it can continue its expansion back to pre-pandemic levels and beyond, especially with its Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft offering the option of going to faraway places.