Southwest Airlines Launches Hawaii Service From LAX, Las Vegas And Phoenix With $129 Fare…

There are still plenty of hesitant flyers out there, but Southwest is out to lure them back with Hawaiian ocean breezes—-and a big fare sale with tickets as low as $129 one-way .

The promotion is part of the airline’s announcement of new service to Hawaii from Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Phoenix. The service begins as soon as June 6, 2021 on some routes. Southwest will also offer additional Hawaii flights from San Diego; Long Beach, Calif.; San Jose, Calif.; and Oakland, and the airline says that customers in more than 40 cites will be able to reach Hawaii via connecting service.

If you’re ready to book right now (and after 15 months of COVID-19 quarantine there are probably many thousands of customers ready to take Southwest up on its famous “Wanna get away?” slogan) you’ll have to act fast to get a shot at those $129 fares. Southwest is flying to Honolulu, (Oahu) Kahului, (Maui), Kona (Hawaii or The Big Island) and Lihue (Kauai) from a total of eight cities on the U.S. West Coast.

To get a short at the $129 Hawaii tickets, you must purchase by 11:59 p.m. Central Daylight Time on May 14, 2021. Of course, the usual promotion disclaimers apply. Thee number of seats and days of the week are limited, travel dates for markets vary, and don’t forget to see the fare rules. Travel to and from the continental U.S. to/from Hawaii is valid June 8, 2021, through Nov. 3, 2021.

(Full disclosure: I own stock in American, Southwest and JetBlue, and own Delta and Southwest bonds.)

“We’re building on an era of affordability that Southwest initiated for Hawaii air travel. These new flights bring Hawaii service closer to more of our Customers who live near airports across the West, and make it possible to choose Southwest to fly between the Aloha State and cities as far east as Nashville, without spending an entire overnight in the air,” said Andrew Watterson, Chief Commercial Officer & Executive Vice President for Southwest Airlines.

Watterson added that Southwest’s service, operated on 737-800 and what the airline calls “MAX” (aka 737 MAX) aircraft will offer free onboard entertainment and “ample legroom for all on the 5-hour plus flight. Specifically, Southwest says that most seats on the flights will offer a 32-inch pitch, 17.8-inch width, and 2-inch recline.

 The service and pricing depends on the city. Las Vegas (LAS)-Hawaii service on Southwest Airlines starts at $159 one-way, with service to Oahu and Maui beginning twice daily in June. One flight a day service to Hawaii (Kona) and Kauai will begin in early September.

On the new Las Vegas service, Watterson said: “We delivered on the second, most-asked request we’ve heard from people in Hawaii—after we answered a call to offer affordable interisland flying as part of our initial entry into Hawaii in spring 2019—by connecting Hawaii with nonstop service to Las Vegas, ‘the ninth island,’ where Southwest currently offers nearly 200 flights a day to more than 60 airports.” (Las Vegas is sometimes called “Hawaii’s ninth island” because many Hawaiians have migrated there.)

Southwest began serving Hawaii from the U.S. West Coast in March of 2019. It’s hard to believe, but today’s announcement is the Southwest’s first service from LAX, one of the word’s premier international airport and gateway to 10 million potential passengers in LA County.

Phoenix to Hawaii is also a brand-new service for Southwest, although the airline has been serving Phoenix since 1982. Service will begin twice daily to Honolulu on June 27, once daily to Maui on June 27, and once daily to both Kauai and the Big Island in September. Watterson said: “Phoenix is another place where more locals fly with Southwest than any other carrier—and Hawaii service on Southwest is a longtime request.”

Similarly, the airline is adding additional and new service to Hawaii from San Diego, doubling its Honolulu service for San Diego while adding new flights to the Island of Hawaii, Maui, and Kauai. “Our military travelers in San Diego especially benefit from these time-saving options as we’re also bringing them new nonstop options between San Diego and Norfolk/Virginia Beach this summer,” Watterson added.

COVID-19 is far from over, but like other airlines, Southwest is betting people are ready to travel