It seems that Hawaiian’s newer continental U.S. flights aren’t faring all that well. Of the three announced during COVID, only one will remain in the near future, as Hawaiian is discontinuing AUS service. However, the loss of a direct flight isn’t nearly as impactful as it once was now that Hawaiian is part of the Alaska Air Group.
As travel reopened domestically, Hawaiian Airlines sought to redeploy its fleet amidst non-existent Japanese demand. This resulted in three new domestic routes – Honolulu to Austin (AUS), Ontario (ONT), and Orlando (MCO). Austin and Orlando both launched in 2021 as twice-weekly flights aboard an Airbus A330, while Ontario launched that same year with four weekly frequencies using an Airbus A321neo.
However, just 18 months after it began, Hawaiian cut MCO. On the flip side, AUS eventually saw an upgrade to thrice-weekly service, along with a bump to four flights per week in the summer. Alas, something else seems to be brewing, as Hawaiian is discontinuing AUS service in the near future.
Hawaiian is Discontinuing AUS Service
In an effort to reoptimize the combined Alaska-Hawaiian network, Hawaiian is discontinuing AUS service in March 2025. According to KXAN Austin, a company rep said that the move is to free up an A330 for use elsewhere. Moreover, now that Hawaiian is part of the Alaska Air Group, passengers needing to travel between Honolulu and Austin can do so via a one-stop connection at Alaska Air hubs, such as Seattle and San Francisco. Once Hawaiian joins Oneworld, flights on alliance partner American Airlines are also an option.
The specific end date appears to be March 25, 2025, after which the only flights showing up on Hawaiian’s site are those with connections operated by Alaska Air. Rather peculiarly, these connecting flights all contain two stops, one of which is in either Lihue, Kona, or Kahului. Moreover, they’re not available every day. So, hopefully, something will change in the near future, especially since Alaska Air already sells one-stop options via SEA, SFO, and SAN on its own website, including with connections operated by Americans.
What’s Next
I haven’t dug into hard numbers, but it seems as if the HNL-AUS flight wasn’t exactly performing to expectations. I’ve seen a lot of anecdotes of the route having lower load factors. And I’m sure that this is part of the reason that Hawaiian is discontinuing AUS service. However, I’ve heard from multiple sources that Alaska Air Group is also trying to free up widebody frames to open new routes. What would these routes be? Scouring the rumor mills online, it seems like SEA to Europe is under consideration.
Should this come to pass, that begs the question – will these be Alaska Air flights operated by Hawaiian Air aircraft? Or will they be Hawaiian Air flights? This later option isn’t as far-fetched as it may seem, as the upcoming second HNL-SEA frequency includes over 12 hours of downtime in SEA. Two aircraft could easily operate an HNL-SEA-EU-SEA-HNL itinerary.
All that said, I highly doubt this new flight will be on an “Alaska Air” jet. Sure, they could repaint the aircraft quickly, but the interior is another matter altogether. Yes, they could update the look with the same seats, but if they swap out the seats, they need to involve the FAA, which takes time. Yes, doing so isn’t out of the realm of possibility. But I also see this as being the least likely option.
Hawaiian is Discontinuing AUS Service, Final Thoughts
I always thought that this route was a little odd, especially with American serving HNL and OGG direct via DFW, while United flies direct between IAH and HNL. So, to me, the fact that Hawaiian is discontinuing AUS service isn’t all that surprising. This is especially true now that it has Alaska Air to provide connectivity across the continental U.S. However, what will be interesting is to see what they do with these freed-up birds. Is EU flights really on the table? I guess we’ll have to just wait and see.