Southwest Airlines launches flights to Hawaii from $49

The new service begins on 17 March

Southwest is launching flights to Hawaii (iStock)

Southwest Airlines is launching flights to Hawaii, beginning service on 17 March, from $49 one-way.

The no-frills Dallas-based airline will fly initially between Oakland and San Jose, California, and the Hawaiian islands of Honolulu and Maui.

The inaugural flight from Oakland International Airport to Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu, Oahu, will depart on 17 March; the service to Kahului Airport, Maui, will begin on 7 April.

The San Jose to Honolulu service will take off on 5 May, and the Kahului service on 26 May.

Southwest will also fly between the Hawaiian islands, beginning its first service between Honolulu and Kahului on 28 April, and between Honolulu and Kona on 12 May.

Flights from Californian hubs San Diego and Sacramento to Hawaii will be announced in the coming weeks, Southwest said.

“As we answer the call for Southwest in Hawaii with an initial schedule of service that speaks to a long-held hope of our customers, I applaud and congratulate our people for their steady and impressive work to bring our world-famous hospitality and game-changing value to the Islands,” said Gary Kelly, Southwest Airlines’ chairman and CEO.

Tom Nealon, Southwest Airlines’ president, added: “We’re focused on bringing Hawaii an authentically Southwest experience with comfort across all seating – for every customer – along with in-cabin snack enhancements for our flights between the State of Hawaii and the US mainland.”

The $49 fares will be available until 5 March.