By Alfred Acenas
EBC Hawaii Bureau

HONOLULU (Eagle News) – Hawaiian Airlines announced on Wednesday, July 1, that it will resume a reduced schedule between Hawaii and most of its U.S. mainland gateway cities starting August 1, when Hawaii begins welcoming travelers who participate in a pre-travel COVID-19 testing program that is currently being developed.

Hawaiian Airlines will also increase neighbor island flights between Oahu, Kauai, Maui and Big Island.

“The layered safety measures put in place to protect the health of our local communities promise to make travel to and from Hawaii more accessible than in recent months,” said Peter Ingram, the airline’s president and chief executive officer. “We look forward to welcoming onboard guests who support and observe the protocols in place for responsible travel, including our visitors and kama’aina [local residents] reconnecting with family and friends on the U.S. mainland.”

Since late March, due to pandemic restrictions, Hawaii Airlines has operated on a reduced neighbor island network and once-daily service between Honolulu and Los Angeles, Seattle and San Francisco to support flights for essential purposes and critical cargo transportation.

In May, the airline required customers and employees to wear face coverings and observe airport and onboard spacing. It also implemented enhanced cleaning measures and created a short video to inform travelers what to expect when flying on Hawaiian.

Effective immediately, the carrier will begin once-daily service between Honolulu and Portland while adding once-daily service to San Diego and Sacramento on July 15.

As the Aloha State begins waiving its quarantine requirement for travelers who test negative for COVID-19 prior to departure on August 1, Hawaiian Airlines will also reinstate nonstop service from six U.S. mainland cities to Honolulu, including Boston, New York, Las Vegas, Phoenix, San Jose, and Oakland.

Hawaiian also will resume flights to select U.S. West Coast cities such as Los Angeles, Oakland, San Francisco, San Jose and Sacramento to Kahului, Maui; Los Angeles and Oakland to Lihue, Kauai; and Los Angeles to Kailua-Kona on the Big-Island.

Hawaii’s largest airline plans to resume weekly service between Honolulu and American Samoa on August 6. Passenger service for the carrier’s remaining international markets will remain suspended due to restrictions on inbound travel.

(Eagle News Service)