Summary
- A total of 1,000 flights will be operated between Honolulu and Kahului this month.
- Hawaiian Airlines will operate 65.9% of the flights and offer 84,352 seats on this route. Boeing 717-200 aircraft will be used.
- Southwest Airlines will operate 34.1% of the flights and offer 59,675 seats on this route with the larger Boeing 737 MAX 8.
Last year’s most popular domestic route in the United States, Honolulu – Kahului, has 1,000 flights scheduled in August alone. These flights will be operated by two airlines, Hawaiian Airlines and Southwest Airlines, which together offer tens of thousands of seats on this short but extremely popular route.
1,000 flights in August
The route connects Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) to Kahului Airport (OGG) has grown in popularity in recent years. While it wasn’t among the top 10 most used domestic routes in the U.S. in 2019, it took the top spot last year.
|
Year |
position held |
info |
|---|---|---|
|
2019 |
Not in the top 10 |
|
|
2022 |
Sixth largest domestic route in the USA |
|
|
2023 |
The most frequently used domestic route in the USA |
3,612,212 million seats |
Related
Over 3 million seats: The 5 most popular domestic flight routes
There are changes in the list compared to before the pandemic.
Data from Cirium shows that the route remains popular and operations on this route between Hawaiian Airlines And Southwest Airlines add up to an incredible 1,000 scheduled flights in the month of August alone.
Photo: Steve Heap | Shutterstock
Due to the massive flights of the two airlines on this route this month, a total of 144,027 seats are available. Data further shows that Kahului is the second largest airport in Hawaii after Honolulu. and transports over seven million passengers annually.
Hawaiian Airlines flight operations
Hawaiian Airlines from Hawaii operates the majority of the flights scheduled on this route with 659 flights (65.9%). The airline operates between 20 and 23 flights depending on the day of the week.
These flights will be operated exclusively with the airline’s smaller Boeing 717-200s, which offer 84,352 seats (58.57%) on this route. Hawaiian’s 717s are designed to carry up to 128 passengers.
|
Cabin class |
capacity |
configuration |
|---|---|---|
|
First class |
8 |
2-2 |
|
Main cabin |
120 |
2-3 |
Although the aircraft type is quite old, Hawaiian Airlines underwent an interior refurbishment of its entire Boeing 717 fleet in 2015, incorporating new seats and other features such as new tray tables and color schemes.
Photo: MKPhoto12 | Shutterstock
Although it is a small aircraft, this type of aircraft allows the airline to offer fast and frequent inter-island flights in the surrounding region, which is an essential part of Hawaiian’s operations.
Southwest Airlines operations
Southwest Airlines is the second airline to offer passenger flights on this route, with the remaining 341 flights (34.1%) scheduled for this month. However, since the airline only uses the larger Boeing 737 MAX 8, it can offer a total seating capacity of 59,675 seats (41.43%) on this route.
Because Southwest is a true low-cost carrier, the airline’s 737 MAX 8s have only one cabin and can accommodate 175 passengers in the standard 3-3 configuration, with some seats offering extra legroom.
Photo: dorengo5 | Shutterstock
Southwest offers 11 flights daily on this route. Since the flights to Kahului are just one of many that Southwest offers, the airline has been the second largest airline in Hawaii as of 2021.
Related
After 2.5 years, Southwest is now Hawaii’s second largest airline
It is possible that Southwest will face increased challenges and competition in the near future due to the merger of Hawaiian with
Alaska Airlines
.
In addition to Hawaiian and Southwest, numerous cargo services are also offered on this route by Aloha Air Cargo Airlines, which uses Boeing 737 cargo aircraft.
