3 airlines prep return of Hawaii, Bay Area flights

Southwest, Hawaiian, Alaska carriers plan routes starting in November

SAN JOSg >> Three airlines — Southwest, Alaska, and Hawaiian — are all planning to resume flights connecting Hawaii with Bay Area cities starting in early November, disclosures that offer a welcome counterpoint to the dreary travel picture ushered in by the coronavirus.

The flights being planned by Southwest Airlines, Alaska Airlines, and Hawaiian Airlines would restore coronavirus- disrupted trips that had connected the tropical islands with San Jose and Oakland.

The three air carriers have set Nov. 1 as the target date to resume the service.

Prior to the coronavirus outbreak, Southwest Airlines was a catalyst that triggered an airfare war for trips connecting Hawaii and California airports.

“On Nov. 4, we’ll return to our pre- COVID level of service for Hawaii, including a new nonstop trip between San Diego and Honolulu each day,” a Southwest Airlines spokesperson said.

Southwest Airline’s pre-coronavirus flights included trips that connected San Jose and Oakland with Honolulu on Oahu, Kahului on Maui, Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii, and Lihue on Kauai.

Similarly, Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines disclosed plans to resume regular f lights between airports in the Bay Area and Hawaii.

With the coronavirus outbreak underway, Hawaii state officials had imposed restrictions such

as a 14- day quarantine for all visitors from outside the islands in a quest to combat the deadly bug. A resulting collapse in tourism also eviscerated Hawaii’s economy.

In mid- September, Ha

waii officials, alarmed by the state’s moribund economy, declared that travelers from the U.S. mainland could bypass a 14-day quarantine if they tested negative for COVID-19 within 72 hours of their arrival on the islands.

“We’re encouraged by the positive response to the state’s decision to welcome travelers back to Ha

waii, and we are resuming service to key markets to give our guests more options to visit our islands,” said Brent Overbeek, a senior vice president with Hawaiian Airlines.

Starting Nov. 1, Hawaiian Airlines will offer direct nonstops connecting Oakland and San Jose with Honolulu. By Nov. 18, Hawaiian expects to be serv

ing 10 West Coast cities, including flights connecting Maui with San Jose and Oakland.

Alaska Airlines intends to resume service between San Jose and Hawaii on Nov. 1.

To bolster trips between the U. S. mainland and Hawaii, Alaska Airlines has teamed up with Carbon Health to launch pop- up

and full- ser v ice clinics for rapid COVID-19 tests in a number of mainland cities.

“Our guests have been eager to return to the Hawaiian Islands,” said Sangita Woerner, an Alaska Airlines senior vice president.