Hawaiian considering flights to Europe

[macuu222]

This I would really like ..especially if it's non-stop from Hawaii! Sounds like they may be considering buying some long hauler planes to do the job...




http://www.staradvertiser.com/2016/09/22...to-europe/

[kalakoa]

especially if it's non-stop from Hawaii!

Most flights are "non-stop" after you get to Oahu.

[PaulW]

This would be great, I think it would be 13h for London to HNL, that would open up a lot of possibilities.
At the moment it takes at least 18 hours, with stops. I'm surprised we see any European tourists at all!

[TomK]

Unfortunately, I can't help feeling a little cynical about this. I hope it happens, but wondering if the announcement is just a tactic.

The reason I think this is because the direct route between Europe and Hawaii has always been feasible as long as it's a 4-engine aircraft. That hasn't happened (although I think Air New Zealand did it at some point, but might be wrong).

Recent changes in ETOPS rules now allows qualified 2-engine planes to fly the route, but this still hasn't happened. If it was financially adavantageous, I'm sure a European airline would have explored this route by now, but if they have, there are still no flights. I suspect the market just isn't there.

Incidentally, you can get to Hawaii from London in 24-hours if you want horrible flights (same the other way). If this route were opened, you would still have to fly to Honolulu (maybe drive to Kona, but I doubt it), so the total amount of time spent travelling might not be too different in the end.

[PaulW]

True, Hawaii is just a dot in the ocean but Europe has a lot of relatively wealthy people. This would be ideal for Hawaiian Airlines, especially if they're the only ones for a while.
Air travel is changing. Non-stop UK to Australia could be just months away.

[terracore]

Fuel prices have held at 50% what they used to be and fares haven't dropped. Hawaiian's stock is up 500%. If past financial cycles repeat themselves, this is the time when airlines add routes, buy aircraft, etc.

The customs area at HNL is at capacity and there is no real estate available for them to expand any more. The state's solution is to send international tourists through Kona via a $4 million contract to build a permanent inspection station. http://www.staradvertiser.com/2016/06/27...l-flights/ Hilo has plenty of space available for added flights and inspection stations, but no resorts for the tourists to go.

[TomK]

Could Hilo airport even handle the large aircraft needed for long international flights? I'm not thinking about capacity, more the technical ability to offload passengers from a large aircraft. I suspect it would take an awful lot of investment to make that happen, even if Hilo became attractive for tourists.

[Obie]

Hilo can and has handled A/C up to the size of 747's.

[TomK]

"Hilo can and has handled A/C up to the size of 747's."

The runway is long enough to handle 747s, but when did it last handle a 747 full of paying passengers?

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

but when did it last handle a 747 full of paying passengers?

I don't know if you can consider government workers to be paying passengers, but whenever Obama is on Christmas vacation on Oahu, the jumbo Doomsday plane lands, parks, and takes off from Hilo International.

“We’ve got to be as clear-headed about human beings as possible, because we are still each other’s only hope,” James Baldwin to Margaret Mead in the book A Rap On Race