Pacific Business News
Pacific Business News
15:55 EST MondayHawaii getting 400,000 new airline seats this year
Airlines now plan to add more than 400,000 new air seats to Hawaii this year, the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau says.
HVCB arrives at that number by adding all the recent service ramp-ups and announcements of increases in service to come in the next three months. It includes Hawaiian Airlines' planned service between Honolulu and both Ontario, Calif., east of L.A., and Sacramento, Calif.
Airlines typically announce what aircraft they will use on new service -- Hawaiian will use Boeing 767-300ERs on its new routes -- allowing a calculation to be made of how many new seats will be available.
The Hawaiian announcement puts the new seat tally to 430,828 for the year, not counting restoration of 186,720 seats suspended after Sept. 11, HVCB says.
Hawaii tourism officials say the more airlift the state gets, the more visitors it will get, since the convenience of direct connections can be a factor in a decision to take a vacation to the islands and added flights can lead to reduced fares.