Hawaiian is gearing up to head to Tokyo, with a new approval from the DoT. (Photo by Phil Derner, Jr.)
The U.S. Department of Transportation on Wednesday gave final approval to Hawaiian Airlines’ application to offer nonstop daily service between Tokyo’s Haneda Airport and Honolulu International Airport, the airline said.
Hawaiian’s first-ever commercial service to Japan is scheduled to begin October 31, 2010, and will add approximately 100,000 new air seats annually to Hawaii from its second-largest tourism market.
Flights are tentatively scheduled to depart Tokyo shortly before midnight and arrive in Honolulu around noon the same day, allowing travelers in Tokyo’s surrounding metropolitan area to leave after a full day of work and land in time to check in to a hotel and enjoy a first afternoon in Hawaii.
The return flight will depart Honolulu in early evening, allowing customers to enjoy a full last day in Hawaii, and arrive in Tokyo in late evening the next day.
Hawaiian will initially serve Haneda Airport with its Boeing 767-300ER aircraft seating up to 264 passengers, before introducing its new and larger 294-seat Airbus A330-200 aircraft onto the route.
As part of its expansion of international service, Hawaiian announced on June 30 that it will begin flying four weekly routes to Seoul-Incheon, South Korea in January 2011.
