Hawaiian Airlines Gets Final Go-Ahead on Sydney Flights

Hawaiian Airlines announced today that it has received its International Airline License from the Australian Department of Transport and Regional Services, the final government approval needed to initiate its new nonstop service between Sydney and Honolulu.

Hawaiian's inaugural service, flight HA22, will depart Sydney at 9.20pm on Tuesday, May 18, crossing the international dateline and arriving in Honolulu at 11.10am the same day. The airline will then fly four times weekly, departing Sydney on Sundays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.

"We are delighted to have received final approval from Australian authorities to commence scheduled flights between Sydney and Hawaii," said Mark Dunkerley, Hawaiian's President and Chief Operating Officer. 

"In recent weeks, we and our travel industry partners have introduced the most competitive range of fares and holiday packages from Australia to Hawaii in more than a decade, and the response has been overwhelming," said Mr Dunkerley.

"From a standing start, we have put Hawaii back on the map as a holiday destination for Australians, attracting solid bookings from individuals, couples, families and groups, not just from Sydney, but throughout the eastern seaboard and as far afield as Western Australia." 

Apart from competitive pricing, a major reason for strong bookings on the new services by Hawaiian Airlines is the convenient evening departure, which enables passengers from throughout Australia to connect with the flights.

"Our passengers can fly from Australia in the evening, arriving in Hawaii at 11.10am the same day," said Mr Dunkerley. "That means those staying in Honolulu can be on the beach by early afternoon, while those traveling further afield can connect very quickly with onward flights to neighbour islands, or to eight destinations on the US mainland - Seattle, Portland, Sacramento, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix and Las Vegas."

As well as the evening departure from Australia, the return service - flight HA21 - will depart Honolulu every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday at the convenient time of 1:00 p.m. and arrive in Sydney the following day at 7:35 p.m. 

Hawaiian will fly the new Sydney route with Boeing 767-300ER wide-body aircraft. The twin-aisle, twin-jet B767 seats 252 passengers, 18 in Business Class and 234 in Economy Class, featuring the comfort and convenience of a 2-3-2 seating configuration that offers either window or aisle seating to 86 percent of the passengers.