Hawaiian Airlines Seeks Immediate Award of Tokyo-Honolulu/Kona Route

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May 05, 2016, 06:33 ET

HONOLULU, May 5, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Hawaiian Airlines, Inc. has asked U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx to immediately approve its application to provide split service between Honolulu, Kona and Haneda Airport in Tokyo.

In a motion filed yesterday afternoon, Hawaiian pointed out that it was the only applicant for the single available night-time frequency to serve Haneda Airport that will be available to U.S. airlines when a February 2016 agreement between the U.S. Government and Japan takes effect later this year.

The Honolulu/Kona service would be the second Haneda route operated by Hawai'i's flagship airline, joining the successful Honolulu-Haneda daily service Hawaiian inaugurated in November 2010. The airline has also sought confirmation that it will continue to operate its existing service during the daytime hours under the latest agreement.

"It is long-standing DOT practice to grant an airline a route when no other airlines are competing for the same limited opportunity," noted Mark Dunkerley, president and CEO of Hawaiian Airlines. "When you couple the lack of other applicants with our demonstrated knowledge of the Japanese market, it is clear that granting Hawaiian the right to operate this lone night-time slot from Haneda to Kona and Honolulu is in the best interest of the United States and the traveling public."

In its motion, Hawaiian pledged to initiate service to Honolulu four times a week on or about Oct. 30, 2016 – the first day the amendment takes effect. Service from Haneda to Kona three times a week would commence on or about Oct. 30, 2016 but at least 90 days following the DOT's grant of the authority.

Gov. David Ige has been joined by Hawai'i's congressional delegation and Hawai'i Island Mayor Billy Kenoi in supporting service between Tokyo and Kona. Information on how to support Hawaiian's application can be found at action.hawaiianair.com.

About Hawaiian Airlines
Hawaiian® has led all U.S. carriers in on-time performance for each of the past 12 years (2004-2015) as reported by the U.S. Department of Transportation. Consumer surveys by Condé Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure and Zagat have all ranked Hawaiian the highest of all domestic airlines serving Hawai'i.

Now in its 87th year of continuous service, Hawaiian is Hawai'i's biggest and longest-serving airline, as well as the largest provider of passenger air service from its primary visitor markets on the U.S. Mainland. Hawaiian offers non-stop service to Hawai'i from more U.S. gateway cities (11) than any other airline, along with service from Japan, South Korea, China, Australia, New Zealand, American Samoa and Tahiti. Hawaiian also provides approximately 160 jet flights daily between the Hawaiian Islands, with a total of more than 200 daily flights system-wide.

Hawaiian Airlines, Inc. is a subsidiary of Hawaiian Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: HA). Additional information is available at HawaiianAirlines.com. Follow updates on Twitter about Hawaiian (@HawaiianAir) and its special fare offers (@HawaiianFares), and become a fan on its Facebook page (Hawaiian Airlines).

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SOURCE Hawaiian Airlines