After four months of operating a bare minimum schedule, Hawaiian Airlines is setting up to restore its mainland routes from August 1st. The carrier will also increase its neighbor island flights. However, anyone wishing to travel to Hawaii from mainland US must participate in a pre-travel COVID-19 testing program to avoid a 14-day quarantine.
In a statement issued Wednesday, Hawaiian Airlines announced that it would be reinstating its mainland US routes beginning next month, albeit with a reduced schedule.
Negative test result presented on arrival
Still, it won’t be possible to just hop on a plane and then go about your holiday as usual. Any passenger wanting to travel from the mainland to Hawai’i must participate in a pre-travel COVID-19 testing program if they wish to avoid a 14-day quarantine upon arrival to the state.
“The layered safety measures put in place to protect the health of our local communities promise to make travel to and from Hawai’i more accessible than in recent months,” said Peter Ingram, president and CEO at Hawaiian Airlines in the statement seen by Simple Flying.
“We look forward to welcoming onboard guests who support and observe the protocols in place for responsible travel, including our visitors and kamaaina reconnecting with family and friends on the US mainland,” he continued.
The protocol means a negative COVID-19 test result must be provided upon arrival in Hawai’i. The test must have been performed by a location approved by the Hawai’i State Department of Health. Furthermore, temperature checks will continue to be in place at airports across the state.
Off to a head start in July
Hawaiian Airlines suspended most of its traffic in late March due to the pandemic and the 14-day quarantine rules for arrivals to the island state. It has since maintained only a reduced intra-state neighbor island network, and once-daily essential services between Honolulu and Los Angeles, Seattle and San Fransisco.
While most destinations will not recommence until August 1st, the carrier is off to a small head start this month. Yesterday, it began flying a daily service between Honolulu and Portland, and on July 15th, it will add daily flights to Sacramento and San Diego.
Come August 1st, it will reinstate routes from Honolulu to six mainland cities; Boston, New York, Las Vegas, Phoenix, San Jose, and Oakland. It will also add some nonstop services from West Coast cities to neighboring islands, operated by A321neo aircraft.
252 weekly mainland flights
After the substantial ramping up of the airline’s schedule beginning next month, it will operate an average of 252 weekly flights between Hawai’i and mainland US, as well as 141 daily flights between the state’s islands.
Do you plan to travel to Hawai’i soon? Do you believe a pre-travel test is an efficient way to prevent spreading the virus as travel restrictions lift? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
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