Honolulu (TAN): Hawaiian Airlines created history as it operated its inaugural flight from Honolulu to Boston.
The airline’s newest route became ‘the longest regularly scheduled interstate route in U.S. history’ with flight HA90 flying between Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport and Boston Logan International Airport.
Hawaiian Airlines President and Chief Executive Officer Peter Ingram said: “As Hawaii’s airline, we take great pride in sharing our love of these Islands, and as we welcome our newest guests from the East Coast, we are confident they will find that their vacation begins and ends with us.”
[ALSO READ: Uber to buy Middle East rival Careem for USD 3.1 billion]
“We also want to help Hawai‘i residents get to where they want to go, and we know that people here travel to New England frequently,” he added.
Boston was the largest U.S. market that did not have a nonstop service to Hawaii before the launch of this flight, although 250 odd people flew between eastern New England and the islands each way daily, the airline said. In fact, the route earned Hawaiian about USD 79 million in ticket sales last year.
Passengers will fly 5,095 miles for about 11.5 hours while going west from Boston to Honolulu. The flight from Honolulu to Boston will take around 10 hours. The route will operate nonstop five times each week.
Hawaiian Airlines will deploy its 278-seat Airbus A330 widebody aircraft with 18 lie-flat seats in the front cabin to serve the route.
Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh said the new service will “strengthen our old ties, and forge new ones”.
“I congratulate Hawaiian Airlines for launching this exciting new flight and I thank our hometown airline for giving us – and visitors to Hawai’i – the best way to get to, from and between the islands. Having Hawaiian open new routes like Boston spreads the spirit of aloha to more of the planet,” said Hawaii Governor David Ige.
[ALSO READ: Alpacas can now be guests at your wedding at a UK hotel]
The carrier’s newest route could boost tourism in both regions. According to the Hawaii Tourism Authority, around 127,000 people from New England visited Hawaii in 2018.
Chris Tatum, president and Chief Executive Officer of the Hawaii Tourism Authority said: “Providing nonstop service from one of our largest mainland markets will be a welcomed opportunity for our residents and visitors who will now have more options to travel. We congratulate Hawaii’s hometown airline and look forward to helping make this route successful.”
Apart from tourism, the route is also expected to help the seafood industry in both states. The Honolulu-bound flight from Boston left with about one and half tons of live lobster.
“On behalf of the Commonwealth, we are pleased to welcome Hawaiian Airlines to Massachusetts. This new service will provide access to new markets for businesses and connect two exciting destinations for travelers in both states,’’ said Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker.
This year, Hawaiian Airlines is celebrating 90th year of operation.
Related posts:
IndiGo’s new flight route: Istanbul to become airline’s 16th international destination
SpiceJet to fly nonstop daily to Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah from Kozhikode, India
New route coming up this summer: Emirates will fly to Porto in Portugal
SilkAir to operate nonstop flights between Singapore and South Korea’s Busan four times a week
