In preparation of the October 15th rollout of their preflight and at-home COVID-19 testing program, Hawaiian Airlines is increasing flights between the U.S. mainland and Hawai’i. The carrier will offer service to/from 10 U.S. West Coat destinations by mid-October.
On Wednesday (September 30, 2020), Hawaiian Airlines announced an expansion of their network in preparation for the rollout of their preflight COVID-19 testing program. The carrier plans on offering service between Hawai’i and 10 U.S. West Coast gateways from mid-November. From October 15th, guests traveling to Hawai’i can avoid the state’s mandatory 14-day quarantine by presenting a negative pre-travel COVID-19 test result. Starting November 1st, 2020, Hawaiian will resume nonstop flights between Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) and McCarran International Airport (LAS) in Las Vegas as well as weekly service to Tokyo-Narita (NRT) starting today (October 1st, 2020).
From November 1st, the airline will restart flights between Honolulu and Oakland, Phoenix and San Jose. Hawaiian Airlines will expand their network with service to 10 U.S. West Coast cities by November 18th including flights between Maui and Los Angeles, Oakland, Portland Seattle, San Jose and Sacramento. Frequencies will also be increased on six existing routes between HNL and Los Angeles, Portland, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco and Seattle. In Wednesday’s announcement, Hawaiian Airlines’ Senior Vice President of Revenue Management and Network Planning, Brent Overbeek, said,
“We’re encouraged by the positive response to the state’s decision to welcome travelers back to Hawai’i, and we are resuming service to key markets to give our guests more options to visit our islands. While our onboard experience may look a little different these days, we’re excited to share our signature Hawaiian hospitality with our guests and encourage everyone to travel pono (responsibly) to keep each other and our communities safe.”
Hawaiian Airlines’ guests departing LAX and SFO will have access to convenient drive through testing so they can avoid Hawai’i’s 14-day quarantine and begin enjoying the islands upon arrival. As previously announced, the tests are facilitated by Worksite Labs with drive-through PCR testing available for $90 for results within 36 hours and $150 for express day-of-travel service.
In a separate announcement today (October 1st, 2020), the carrier announced an expansion of their preflight COVID-19 testing program with a convenient self-administered at-home testing option. Guests can pre-order the mail-in saliva test online through Vault Health for $150.00. The test will be express mailed overnight and guests will self-collect their saliva sample with the assistance of a testing supervisor through a video call. The test is then sent overnight to Vault’s lab and guests will receive their results within 24 hours electronically. All tests must be conducted within 72 hours of the final departure leg to qualify for Hawai'i's mandatory 14-day quarantine exemption. Commenting on the carrier’s new at-home testing option, Hawaiian Airlines’ Vice President of Marketing, Avi Mannis, added,
“We are excited to offer our guests at any of our U.S. mainland gateway cities a convenient way to take a pre-travel COVID-19 test that meets the state of Hawai’i’s requirements, and we look forward to welcoming them onboard and to our islands soon. In addition to expanding testing availability and options, we have adopted comprehensive health and safety protocols throughout the travel journey to protect our guests, employees and community.”
Hawaiian Airlines, Hawai’i’s hometown airline, has been the number one U.S. carrier for on-time performance for the past 16 years (2004-2019). The carrier has been in business for 91 years and is Hawai’i’s largest and longest-serving airline. Prior to the pandemic, Hawaiian offered more nonstop connectivity between Hawai’i and the U.S. mainland, serving 13 gateways. The carrier also connects the islands with Japan, South Korea, Australia, American Samoa and Tahiti. Hawaiian Airlines is a subsidiary of Hawaiian Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: HA).
Source: Hawaiian Airlines