Getting to meetings in Hawaii usually requires a layover on the West Coast. Soon, however, meeting attendees will be able to fly direct from New York to Honolulu thanks to new nonstop service that's being launched next year by Hawaiian Airlines, the carrier announced last week.
"We are bringing Hawaii to New York," said Hawaiian Airlines President and CEO Mark Dunkerley. "There's nowhere like Hawaii and no airline like Hawaiian. With the best service on the ground and in the air, with 150 flights a day among our islands and with our warm Hawaiian hospitality, Hawaiian Airlines is always the best value-for-money ticket to paradise. We're the airline of choice for millions of people on the West Coast and in Asia, and we're excited to be bringing the Hawaiian experience to New York."
Starting June 5, 2012, Hawaiian Flight 51 will depart New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport daily at 10 a.m. and arrive at Honolulu International Airport at 3 p.m. The new route will be inaugurated from Honolulu the day before on June 4, with the departure of Flight 50 ("Hawaiian 5-0"). Flight 50 will depart Honolulu daily at 3:05 p.m. and arrive in New York City at 6:55 a.m. the following morning.
"Hawaiian's new service will generate an estimated $156 million in direct visitor spending and $17 million in state tax revenue annually for our tourism economy and will provide much desired direct air service to New York City making it more convenient and accessible for travelers from the East Coast," said Mike McCartney, president and CEO of the Hawaii Tourism Authority. "This flight is of strategic importance to promoting the Hawaiian Islands brand to our second largest market, and we look forward to welcoming our guests."
Hawaiian will be the only airline operating a nonstop flight to Honolulu from JFK, although Continental flies direct from Newark.