Hawaiian Airlines Ceases Flights Between Oakland And Kahului Through Late May

Summary Hawaiian Airlines will temporarily halt service between Kahului and Oakland for an unknown reason.
Southwest Airlines will become the sole carrier on the route.
Hawaiian’s decision to cut flights could be linked to Pratt & Whitney engine problems and financial challenges.
Honolulu-based Hawaiian Airlines will put its service between Kahului and Oakland, California, on a two-month hiatus at the end of this week. The move comes as the airline continues to deal with Pratt & Whitney issues plaguing its Airbus A321neo aircraft.
The route has mainly been operated by the A321neo since the fall of 2018. Cutting the service temporarily could also be a result of the airline attempting to reduce costs.
Taking a break
So far this year, Hawaiian has offered near-daily service from its Kahului Airport (OGG) hub to Oakland International Airport (OAK). The carrier has not provided any notice of the route’s upcoming hiatus, but one passenger noticed the sudden move, according to the Beat of Hawaii. Data from aviation analytics firm Cirium shows that the service will be suspended from March 9th through May 24th.
Photo: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock
The route has been a long-running and successful one for Hawaiian. For years, the airline was the only carrier to operate flights between the two destinations until low-cost carrier (LCC) Southwest Airlines came onto the scene in April 2019. Since then, the airlines have competed on the route, albeit Hawaiian’s aircraft capacity has been slightly larger. The carrier’s A321neos accommodate 189 passengers in a two-class configuration: 16 seats in the premium cabin and 173 main cabin seats. 44 seats in the main cabin are premium economy seats with more legroom.
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This month, Hawaiian has a total of 17 flights scheduled between OGG and OAK, offering more than 3,200 seats and over 7.5 million available seat-miles (ASMs), according to Cirium. The frequencies, however, have been dwindling since the beginning of the year, as the carrier operated 52 flights and 42 flights in January and February, respectively. Its operation on the route this year has been a stark contrast to its competitor.
Leave it to Southwest
Becoming the sole airline on the route for the next two months, Southwest has offered the service twice daily since November 18, 2023, and will continue to do so throughout Hawaiian’s leave. This month, the Dallas-based carrier has a total of 124 flights scheduled, compared to Hawaiian’s 42. All flights will be operated by the Boeing 737 MAX 8, which accommodates 175 passengers in a single-class layout. 120 flights are scheduled in April, offering a total of 21,000 seats on the route. The LCC plans to provide 700 more seats in May, with 124 total flights.
Photo: Southwest Airlines
Southwest’s dedicated twice-daily operation will likely see consistent demand since Hawaiian will not have a share of the capacity through May 24th, and with Spring Break right around the corner. However, Bay Area passengers who choose to fly on Hawaii’s flag carrier to OGG can utilize San Francisco International Airport (SFO) or San José Mineta International Airport (SJC), as the airline will continue operating flights from those airports.
When Hawaiian returns, it will still lose out to Southwest in terms of total capacity. In June, the airline will only operate between OGG and OAK once daily, while Southwest will continue with two daily flights. Although Hawaiian operates a larger narrowbody aircraft on the route, Southwest will offer nearly double the amount of seats in comparison during the month, according to Cirium.
What is the reasoning?
It is unclear why Hawaiian chose to cut flights to OAK, but there are likely a number of factors that influenced its decision. Simple Flying contacted the airline late Saturday, but a representative could not be immediately reached.
As Pratt & Whitney engine issues on A320neo family aircraft have affected several airlines worldwide, Hawaiian said last October that as many as four of its A321neos could be removed from service in intervals due to engine availability, according to the Aviation Week Network. The airline has a total of 18 A321neos in its fleet.
Another factor could be Hawaiian’s current financial state, persuading executives to take any necessary measure to reduce costs. Although the carrier’s December announcement to combine forces with Alaska Airlines shocked the aviation industry, it could be a sign that the airline is desperate for a lifeline. As part of the acquisition announcement, Alaska said it would assume Hawaiian’s debt of $900 million once merged.