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Destination Maui

Southwest to make first flight April 7; airline launches sales

A Southwest Airlines jet approaches the Kahului Airport runway during the airline’s first test flight to Maui on Feb. 18. Southwest launched ticket sales and announced its first flights from California to Hawaii on Monday. The airline’s inaugural flight to Oahu will be on March 17; its first flight to Maui will be on April 7. The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photo

Southwest Airlines will begin its service to Maui on April 7 with a flight from Oakland International Airport to Kahului Airport, the airline announced on Monday. But its first official flight to the islands will be on March 17 with an inaugural flight from Oakland to the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu. That flight is already sold out, according to the airline. Southwest will begin interisland service with flights between Honolulu and Kahului on April 28. With the official announcement of its Hawaii service startup dates on Monday, Southwest launched a two-day sale for one-way travel with airfares as low as $29 one way interisland and $49 one way from Hawaii to California with various travel windows. The sale ends today at 9:59 p.m. Hawaii Standard Time, or 11:59 p.m. Pacific Standard Time. The announcement and deals only pertain to flights involving Honolulu, Kahului and Kona, along with Oakland and San Jose in California. In the coming weeks, the airline said it will announce plans for its other gateways of San Diego, Sacramento and Lihue. "Beyond these introductory fares that celebrate our significant initial investment in serving the islands, our Hawaii customers will experience our everyday value in low fares that offer everybody the same brand standards; no fees to change your ticket and two checked bags fly free," said Tom Nealon, Southwest Airlines president. Chairman & Chief Executive Officer Gary Kelly added: "As we answer the call for Southwest in Hawaii with an initial schedule of service that speaks to a long-held hope of our customers, I applaud and congratulate our people for their steady and impressive work to bring our world-famous hospitality and game-changing value to the islands." The announcement ends more than a year of waiting by Hawaii residents as Southwest announced in October 2017 that it planned to enter the Hawaii travel market. The airline had hoped to begin service to Hawaii by the end of 2018, but the 35-day federal government shutdown stalled its certification process. On Feb. 27, the FAA announced it had granted approval for the airline to operate long, over-water flights and launch service between California and Hawaii. "As our first flights go on sale, I want to thank our people who successfully obtained FAA authorization to operate this service across the Pacific between the Mainland and the Hawaiian Islands," said Mike Van de Ven, Southwest Airlines chief operating officer. The Kahului-Oakland route begins once daily on April 8, with the route flown twice daily in each direction beginning April 10. The interisland service between Honolulu and Kahului will be four times daily in each direction. San Jose-to-Kahului service begins May 26, once daily in each direction. The service between San Jose and Honolulu begins May 5. Hawaii's largest interisland carrier, Hawaiian Airlines, said in an email following Monday's announcement of Southwest's introductory offers: "Fares fluctuate on a daily basis in the airline industry and introductory fares are especially typical. We have responded to some of Southwest's introductory offers, and as we do every day, we will continue to offer guests throughout our network competitive fares and superior value with award-winning Hawaiian hospitality throughout our cabin, complimentary meals and leading punctuality." As for Southwest's regular airfares once the celebration ends, an airline spokesman said Monday that "pricing is dynamic and varies by date, flight, season -- many factors. We don't discuss our pricing except to say our lowest fare is always on Southwest.com, and low fares are something we've famously offered for nearly 50 years." "We're entering Hawaii to offer something different by bringing the authentically Southwest experience and value our customers know and love. We've aimed to offer a range of fares from Business Select product to our Wanna Get Away fares -- all with bags fly free and no change fees -- that introduces a unique combination of value, comfort, product and hospitality." In January, the airline said it will employ around 30 people at Kahului Airport. A spo-kesman Monday was not able to confirm that information. Service between Honolulu and Kona at the Ellison Onizuka International Airport at Keahole will be four times daily in each direction beginning May 12. The additional interisland service will make possible connecting service between Kona and both Oakland and San Jose, the airline said. * Melissa Tanji can be reached at mtanji@mauinews.com. [gallery ids="727159"]

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