Hawaiian to Fly to the Big Apple

HONOLULU, Nov. 16, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Start spreading the news: Hawaii's flag carrier will be launching daily nonstop service between New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport and Honolulu starting June 4, 2012, and is promoting the new service with introductory fares.

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"We are bringing Hawaii to New York. There's nowhere like Hawaii and no airline like Hawaiian. With the best service on the ground and in the air, with 150 flights a day among our islands and with our warm Hawaiian hospitality, Hawaiian Airlines is always the best value-for-money ticket to paradise. We're the airline of choice for millions of people on the West Coast and in Asia, and we're excited to be bringing the Hawaiian experience to New York," said Mark Dunkerley, Hawaiian's president and CEO.

Starting June 5, 2012, Hawaiian Flight 51 will depart JFK daily at 10:00 a.m. and arrive at Honolulu International Airport at 3:00 p.m., in time to get settled and enjoy a first dip in the balmy Pacific and sunset on the beach.

The new route will be inaugurated from Honolulu the day before on June 4, with the departure of Flight 50 ("Hawaiian 5-0"). Flight 50 will depart Honolulu daily at 3:05 p.m. and arrive in New York City at 6:55 a.m. the following morning.

Hawaiian's new flights from New York will add more than 107,000 new air seats annually to Hawaii's tourism industry from the Eastern U.S., the state's second-largest geographic source market for visitors.

"New York is an important part of our growth strategy. Hawaiian is the leading airline in Hawaii's largest tourism market, the U.S. West Coast, and we are expanding in Hawaii's third largest market, Asia. Adding service to the largest market in the Eastern U.S., Hawaii's second largest tourism market, was a logical step," Dunkerley added.

Mike McCartney, president and CEO of the Hawaii Tourism Authority, said, "Hawaiian's new service will generate an estimated $156 million in direct visitor spending and $17 million in state tax revenue annually for our tourism economy and will provide much desired direct air service to New York City making it more convenient and accessible for travelers from the East Coast. This flight is of strategic importance to promoting the Hawaiian Islands brand to our second largest market, and we look forward to welcoming our guests."

Hawaiian will operate its New York-Honolulu route using its growing fleet of new Airbus A330-200 aircraft that seat 294 passengers, with 18 seats in First Class and the remainder in Economy Class.

Travelers on the new flights between New York and Honolulu will enjoy Hawaiian's signature "Hawaii Flies With Us" inflight hospitality program showcasing Hawaii's culture, natural beauty, and the Aloha Spirit of its people. They will also enjoy complimentary hot meals in all cabins, Hawaiian being the only carrier serving Hawaii that still offers this amenity.

Hawaiian's wide-body, twin-aisle A330s offer the comforts of a spacious interior, new generation seats with increased legroom, and the enjoyment of a state-of-the-art, on-demand entertainment system in every seatback offering a wide variety of movies and video programs, audio channels and video games. Each system also offers a USB port allowing system connectivity for personal media players. First Class customers enjoy larger in-seat LCD screens and iPOD compatibility.

Special New York-Honolulu Introductory Fares

In celebration of its new service, Hawaiian is offering special introductory fares of $212 each way in Economy Class and $808 each way in First Class (212 and 808 being the area codes of New York City and Honolulu, respectively).

The introductory fares are available for purchase from today through November 20, 2011 and are valid for travel between June 4 and June 30, 2012. Seats are limited. Additional taxes and fees apply. Tickets can be purchased on Hawaiian's website at HawaiianAirlines.com, by calling Hawaiian's reservations department toll-free at 1-800-367-5320, or through any professional travel agent.

About Hawaiian Airlines

Hawaiian has led all U.S. carriers in on-time performance for each of the past seven years (2004-2010) as reported by the U.S. Department of Transportation. In addition, consumer surveys by Conde Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure, and Zagat have all ranked Hawaiian the top domestic airline offering flights to Hawaii. Hawaiian was also the nation's highest-ranked carrier for service quality and performance in the prestigious Airline Quality Rating (AQR) study for 2008 and 2009.

Now in its 82nd year of continuous service in Hawaii, Hawaiian is the largest provider of passenger air service to Hawaii from the state's primary visitor markets on the U.S. mainland. Hawaiian offers nonstop service to Hawaii from more U.S. gateway cities (10) than any other airline, as well as service to Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Australia, American Samoa, and Tahiti. Hawaiian also provides approximately 150 daily jet flights between the Hawaiian Islands.

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).

SOURCE Hawaiian Airlines