Hawaiian Starts Ticket Sales for New Kona-Haneda Route

Hawaiian Airlines announced today a new non-stop service between Hawai’i Island’s Kona International Airport (KOA) and Tokyo’s Haneda International Airport (HND). The inaugural flight will depart Kona on December 20, 2016.

Hawaiian Airlines has been operating daily flights between Honolulu International Airport (HNL) and Haneda since November 2010. In May, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) approved Hawaiian’s application to provide three-times weekly service between KOA and HND airports, along with a second frequency four-times weekly from HNL to HND beginning on December 21.

Passengers on Hawaiian Airlines’ inaugural flight from Honolulu to Tokyo’s Haneda Airport were presented with a fresh flower lei upon boarding. (2010)Hawaiian is offering daily, nonstop service between the two destinations, the only U.S. carrier to do so. (PRNewsFoto/Hawaiian Airlines, Inc. by John De Mello)

“Since launching our first daily service to Haneda six years ago, Hawaiian has had the pleasure of carrying nearly 1 million visitors to Honolulu,” said Mark Dunkerley, Hawaiian’s president and chief executive officer. “As Hawai’i’s largest international market, it is clear Japanese travelers have chosen Hawaiian as their carrier of choice when visiting our beautiful islands. We are excited to offer even more choices for service with a second flight option from Haneda, the option to fly nonstop to Kona, and our new nonstop daily service from Narita launching later this month.”

The new flight schedules for both routes are as follows:

KONA (KOA)-TOKYO HANEDA (HND) SCHEDULE

HONOLULU (HNL)-TOKYO HANEDA (HND) SCHEDULE

The DOT is still deciding which five of eight remaining applications from four other U.S. airlines it will approve for daytime slots, and Hawaiian Airlines has urged the DOT to confirm its existing daily Honolulu-Haneda service be considered.

Dunkerley previously stated that flights between Hawaii and Japan are the most traveled and most beneficial to the U.S. economy, and being able to expand the number that Hawaiian can offer to Tokyo’s Haneda airport is especially important.

The new Kona-Haneda and Honolulu-Haneda services will be operated by Hawaiian Airlines’ wide-body Airbus A330-200 aircraft, which seats up to 294 passengers.

Amenities for guests traveling between Hawai’i and Japan include an expanded selection of entertainment, including Hawaiian music starring award-winning performers, classic artists and emerging new talent as well as original Japanese-language programming showcasing the best of Hawai’i on Hawai’i Local News.

On inbound flights from Japan, travelers in all cabins can expect the best of modern Hawai’i cuisine with regional and global fusion dishes provided by renowned local Chef Lee Anne Wong, owner of Koko Head Café on O’ahu. When booking flights, families with children ages 12 and under can also pre-order keiki meals, which include a Hawaiian-print drawstring snack bag.

Hawaiian’s Honolulu to Haneda service served as a springboard for an expanding Japan network that today includes: Osaka which began in July 2011 and Sapporo back in October 2012. On July 22, 2016, the airline will start service to its fourth destination in Japan, with daily non-stop service between Tokyo’s Narita Airport (NRT) and Honolulu.

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