Hawaiian adds 54,000 new seats with new South Korea flights

Hawaiian Airlines announced the planned launch of a new Honolulu to Seoul South Korea flight to begin in January (2011).  The announcement coupled with the airlines plans to begin daily service between Honolulu and Haneda International Airport in Tokyo later this year, is a significant step towards overseas expansion to Asia.  The Korea Flight will operate four times per week and is expected to add more than 54,000 new air seats annually.  The flight is also expected to offer potential for growth with its recent addition to the U.S. Visa Waiver program. 

Image courtesy: Hawaiian Airlines.

“The addition of Incheon is an important step in our vision to expand Hawaiian’s business into the fastest growing region in the world. This new nonstop service from one of the world’s largest gateway cities will increase visitors to Hawaii not only from Korea, but from all of Asia,” said Mark Dunkerley, Hawaiian’s president and CEO in a company press release today.

Incheon (ICN) International Airport in Seoul, South Korea is one of the largest air traffic hubs in Asia.

Hawaiian will initially operate its new service four times weekly using 264-seat Boeing 767-300ER aircraft.  The company plans to increase service on the route in 2011 as its long range fleet expansion progresses.

Flight #459 is planned to depart Honolulu International Airport on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays at 1:15 p.m. and arrive at Incheon International Airport at 8:00 p.m. the following day. Flight #460 will depart Incheon on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays at 10:00 p.m. and arrive in Honolulu at 10:45 a.m. the same day. South Korea is 19 hours ahead of Honolulu and the flight crosses the International Dateline. The 11-hour flight between Honolulu and Incheon will cover a distance of approximately 4,500 miles.