Hawaiian Airlines lept to the east coast on Tuesday as it launched the first ever daily nonstop service between Honolulu and New York’s JFK Airport.
Flight 51 arrived under sunny skies from Hawaii just before 7:00 AM New York time. Passengers for the outbound flight were greeted by hula dancers and live ukulele players inside JetBlue’s Terminal 5, where Hawaiian is parking the new flights. The two airlines also recently began a codeshare agreement.
The new once-daily round-trip is operated aboard the carrier’s Airbus A330-200 aircraft. 294 seats are divided between 18 in First Class and 276 in Economy Class.
Hawaiian Flight 51 departs JFK at 10:00 AM, arriving at Honolulu International Airport at 3:00 PM. The return trip, Flight 50, departs Honolulu at 3:05 PM and arrives in New York City at 6:55 AM the next morning.
“There’s no place like Hawai’i and for New Yorkers, there’s no better way to get here than Hawaiian Airlines,” said Mark Dunkerley, president and CEO of Hawaiian Airlines. “Our great schedule, authentic aloha service and partnership with JetBlue will allow visitors to Hawai’i from all over the East Coast convenient access to their dream vacation.” In a brief chat with NYCAviation at an event later that evening, Dunkerley said he was pleased with sales so far on the new route, and pledged to add flights should more service be warranted.
New York marks Hawaiian’s 11th US mainland city. The airline also links Hawaii to destinations in Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Australia, American Samoa and Tahiti.