Southwest Airlines - announcement coming..

[kalakoa]

Word from "customer service" is that SWA will be flying to HNL first, then maybe the others.

Oh well.

[TomK]

I'm not sure what the argument is about middle seats. Yes, they suck, but the United flight from Hilo to LAX has 3 x 3 seating as well in coach. Same with Virgin America/Alaska (via HNL) and Delta (again, via HNL).

[Allenl]

Interesting article on SF newspaper today about SW eyeing the inter island market. Didn't realize more people flew from HNL to OGG than from Boston to New York.

http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/S...344530.php

[PaulW]

Not quite true, it says BOS-LGA, but still very impressive numbers. HA is taking full advantage of its monopoly, hope they enjoy it while it lasts.

[Mimosa]

We just came back from visiting ohana on mainland and flew on Southwest Airlines as part of our itinerary .Fantastic service and very professional flight safety officers .
It would be an absolute joy if Southwest Airlines started an inter-island service instead of just Hawaiian Airlines in and out of Hilo to Oahu .
Mrs.Mimosa

[terracore]

"Southwest may find that its 737s are too large to work inside Hawaii economically, Mesa CEO Jonathan Ornstein said on Tuesday. "I think it's going to be hard to make that work," he said, citing "finite demand" in the local markets, even if fares were to drop."

Not necessarily. Passengers are only part of the equation. The B717s that Hawaiian flies inter island has limited air cargo capacity- so much so that Hawaiian is trying to add all-cargo aircraft to their fleet. It's possible to modify 737s to carry fewer passengers and more cargo (like Alaska has done) but I doubt that is a course Southwest wants to pursue, especially considering that Alaska is getting away from that model, after demonstrating there are better alternatives. Ornstein probably wasn't considering "milk runs", which Alaska has had much success with over decades. And it's almost comical to hear him decry the 737 model when the Mesa model of smaller aircraft didn't work in this market. I'm not sure why they are quoting a failed business as being an "expert" in what works. I think all they could really weigh in on is what doesn't work, because that's where their experience is.

ETA: Alaska has serviced Petersburg to Wrangell flights and vice versa (30 miles) with 737s... for at least 15 years.

"While Southwest would face off against Hawaiian Airlines, a deeply entrenched competitor which enjoys a virtual monopoly in the state, it does have a secret weapon. Andrew Watterson, the Southwest executive who oversees revenue and is in charge of cracking the Hawaii nut financially, worked at Hawaiian for three years and knows the market well."

Unlike Island Air which got part of their fleet repossessed, Southwest doesn't need any of it's Hawaii routes to make money or even break even to continue operations. That is the "real" secret weapon. But having an insider probably doesn't hurt.

[PaulW]

Interesting! Hopefully they don't drive HA out of business or we'll be back to this situation again.
We're due a nice price war.

[leilanidude]

Southwest Airlines gets permit for Honolulu airport space

http://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2018...ort-space/

"Southwest Airlines has been granted a permit to operate at the Honolulu airport, state transportation officials said.

The Dallas-based carrier was issued a revocable permit this month for space at the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport."

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

UPDATE: Dec 27
Southwest flights could begin soon. They've already made a 4 hour test flight loop over the Pacific Ocean out of Oakland.

While there's still nothing official, there have been new developments that point to an early-2019 launch of much anticipated Southwest flights to the Aloha State.

> It's all about ETOPS: Everything boils down to Southwest getting its fleet of overwater Boeing 737s certified for ETOPS (Extended-range Twin-engine Operational Performance Standards). Since Hawaii is 2,500 miles from the U.S. mainland, a special type of aircraft and certifications are required. To get this certification, Southwest needs to demonstrate that in the event of an engine failure over an ocean, its 737s can safely fly on just one-engine for an extended amount of time to the nearest suitable airport.

> CEO: Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly told Bloomberg earlier this month he expects flights to begin during the "peak winter season" which leads us to believe that an announcement about the flights is imminent-- meaning a timeline of January or February at the latest.

The airline has said there will be an unusually short time between when flights go on sale, and when flights will begin — it could be a matter of weeks.
https://www.sfgate.com/travel/article/So...493260.php

“Never argue with stupid people, they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience.” - Mark Twain

[Chunkster]

Is the component of the FAA which oversees ETOPS certification affected by the government shutdown? I googled the subject, and the information was vague, with one article saying that "limited aircraft certifications are continuing" without saying what type.