Hawaiian Increases Seoul Flights to Daily

HONOLULU – July 15, 2012 – Starting today, Hawaiian Airlines is increasing the frequency of its nonstop flights between Honolulu and Seoul, South Korea to daily service. The airline has been operating four flights per week since launching the route in January 2011.

By increasing to daily flights Hawaiian is adding more than 40,000 new air seats annually to the Honolulu-Seoul route, and will provide more than 96,000 air seats in total over a full year.

“Demand for our Korea service grew steadily over its first year as we expected, and we couldn’t be more pleased about expanding to daily service and the increasing benefits this will bring to Hawai‘i’s visitor industry,” said Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer Peter Ingram.

The added flights will help meet growing demand for Hawai‘i from travelers in Korea and other Asian countries that make connecting flights through Seoul. During the first five months of 2012, total air seats on the Seoul-Honolulu route increased by 33% to nearly 140,000 seats year-over year compared to the same period in 2011, according to the most recent visitor statistics reported by the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority.

Hawaiian has helped contribute to the growth in traffic from Korea, both with its service and celebration of the Hawai‘i travel experience during the flight. Travelers from Korea are treated to Hawaiian’s distinctive ‘Hawai‘i Flies With Us’ inflight hospitality and its showcase of the culture, natural beauty, people, and Aloha Spirit of Hawai‘i. Hawaiian complements its service with Korean entertainment options and special onboard amenities for the enjoyment of the Korean traveler.

Hawaiian Flight HA 459 departs Honolulu International Airport daily at 12:00 p.m., crosses the international dateline, and arrives at Seoul’s Incheon International Airport at 4:35 p.m. the following day. The return Flight HA 460 departs Seoul daily at 10:00 p.m., crosses the international dateline, and arrives in Honolulu at 12:05 p.m. the same day.

Hawaiian will continue to operate the route using its wide-body, twin-aisle Boeing 767-300ER aircraft that comfortably seats 264 passengers, with 18 in Business Class and 246 in the Main Cabin. Hawaiian plans to introduce its newest and largest aircraft, the 294-seat, wide-body twin-aisle Airbus A330-200, on the Seoul-Honolulu route at a later date.