Hawaiian Airlines launches flights from Sacramento to another Aloha state island

Hawaiian Airlines today launched daily nonstop flights from Sacramento to Maui, setting up a competition with Alaska Airlines to the popular “Valley Isle.” Hawaiian also offers nonstop flights to Honolulu on the island of Oahu.

Brent Overbeek, a Hawaiian Airlines vice president, said the airline’s current flights from Sacramento to Honolulu are more than 90 percent full, and that nearly half of those fliers are continuing on from Honolulu to neighboring islands. Purchases of new A321neo jets allow the company to extend its reach.

“West Coast disposable income has been strong, and we see it in the growth in leisure travel from metropolitan centers,” he said. “Now we have the right airplane to deliver the right product, service and schedule.”

Sacramento airport marketing chief Mark Haneke said the airline has positioned itself well by also providing service connections from Maui to Kauai and the big island of Hawaii.

“They are basically staking their claim prior to Southwest entering the market,” Haneke said.

Southwest Airlines has announced plans to enter the Hawaii market soon with daily flights from Sacramento, a move that likely will offer reduced fares amid three-carrier competition.

Southwest has not yet announced which Hawaiian island it will serve from Sacramento, or exactly when it will launch.

This story was originally published April 2, 2019 at 2:40 AM.