Hawaiian Airlines celebrates start of Maui-Vegas flights
Corinne Marfil of Kula (clockwise from front) and Vlad Diaz of Kahului put their entries for free flights to Las Vegas in a drum with Hawaiian Airlines’ Jeff Helfrick and Leona Duarte helping. LINN NISHIKAWA photos
The winners of Hawaiian Airlines’ Maui to Las Vegas flight giveaway are Godfrey Akina (from left), Nadine Bagda, Maurice Bediamol and Geraldine Oliveros. They came to the drawing Sunday at the Maui Sunday Market at the old Kahului Shopping Center with their bags ready to fly on the route’s inaugural flight.
Corinne Marfil of Kula (clockwise from front) and Vlad Diaz of Kahului put their entries for free flights to Las Vegas in a drum with Hawaiian Airlines’ Jeff Helfrick and Leona Duarte helping. LINN NISHIKAWA photos
The winners of Hawaiian Airlines’ Maui to Las Vegas flight giveaway are Godfrey Akina (from left), Nadine Bagda, Maurice Bediamol and Geraldine Oliveros. They came to the drawing Sunday at the Maui Sunday Market at the old Kahului Shopping Center with their bags ready to fly on the route’s inaugural flight.
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The Maui News
Hawaiian Airlines' first direct flight from Kahului Airport to McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas in seven years took off Sunday night with Hawaiian music and lei for fliers.
The airline kicked off its four-time-weekly service with a drawing for trips at the Maui Sunday Market at the old Kahului Shopping Center. Entrants had to show up with packed bags ready to board the inaugural flight HA 32 to depart at 8:50 p.m. if selected.
The winners were Godfrey Akina, Nadine Bagda, Maurice Bediamol and Geraldine Oliveros. The winners drawn from a barrel of names could be accompanied by a guest and received a complimentary Avis rental car and hotel provided by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.
"Our nonstop OGG-LAS service represents our commitment to offer our guests the most convenient network between the Hawaiian Islands and the U.S. West Coast, and strengthens Hawaii's ties with the Las Vegas community," said Brent Overbeek, Hawaiian's senior vice president of network planning and revenue management.
HA32 departed OGG at 8:50 p.m. and arrived at LAS at 4:30 a.m. The return flight, HA31, has a 6:30 a.m. departure with an 11 a.m. arrival at Kahului. The Kahului-to-Las Vegas flight leaves Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. The return flights leave Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The flights use Airbus A321neo aircraft.
Hawaiian first launched service between Las Vegas and Daniel K. Inouye International Airport on Oahu in September 1985 with Lockheed L-1011 aircraft, and previously operated Maui to Las Vegas flights from October 2010 to October 2012 with Boeing 767 aircraft.
Hawaiian, which also offers up to three daily nonstop flights between Honolulu and Las Vegas with Airbus A330 aircraft, carried more than 470,000 guests between the two cities in 2018, the airline said.
Las Vegas is the ninth Mainland city that connects with Kahului. The other West Coast destinations are Los Angeles; Oakland, Calif.; Portland, Ore.; Sacramento, Calif.; San Diego; San Francisco; San Jose, Calif; and Seattle.