Earlier this week, Chicago-based US legacy carrier United Airlines inaugurated its new route from Orange County to Honolulu. United is the only carrier to operate a non-stop service on this California-Hawaii corridor. It will do so daily using Boeing 737-700s.
An exciting new route
May 6th saw United Airlines commence service on a new route from John Wayne Airport (SNA) in Orange County, California. Its new flights from the airport, which also serves the city of Santa Ana, are bound for Honolulu International Airport (HNL) in Hawaii.
Today, we’re celebrating @United’s inaugural flight to the Hawaiian islands with nonstop daily flights to Honolulu from Orange County! After more than nine years, we’re excited to welcome back service to the Aloha State and connect guests to a favorite destination. #FlyJWA🌴✈️🌸 pic.twitter.com/lj9TfBNeom
— John Wayne Airport (@JohnWayneAir) May 6, 2021
United is presently the only carrier to offer non-stop flights between these two destinations. Its passengers will be able to bypass Hawaii’s quarantine requirements with a valid negative COVID-19 test result. John Wayne Airport celebrated the service’s inauguration with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the gate. Its director, Barry Rondinella, stated that:
“As more people take to the skies and make plans for the summer travel season, we’re excited to welcome the addition of Honolulu, Hawaii to our list of more than 30 nonstop destinations in the U.S. and Mexico and provide even more travel options to our guests who rely on us for unparalleled service and convenience.”
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A daily schedule
United is operating its new route between Orange County and Honolulu on a daily basis, using the flight numbers UA410 (HNL-SNA) and UA411 (SNA-HNL). The airline had previously used the latter for a service between Los Angeles International (LAX) and Washington Dulles (IAD). Meanwhile, UA410 was previously designated as a Fort Myers-Denver flight.
The schedule for the new service is as follows. All times listed are local.
- UA410: Honolulu 12:45 – Orange County 21:05 (five hours and 20 minutes).
- UA411: Orange County 08:30 – Honolulu 11:30 (six hours).
According to data from RadarBox.com, the first day of operations, May 6th, was a punctual success. Despite departing Orange County slightly late at 08:38, flight UA411 landed in Honolulu just ahead of schedule at 11:19. Meanwhile, the return leg saw flight UA410 depart Hawaii at 12:55, before touching down in California less than five hours later at 20:53.
The aircraft involved
Interestingly, tracking data shows that the same aircraft has operated this round trip every day since its inauguration earlier this week. The plane in question is a Boeing 737-700 registered as N24715. According to Planespotters.net, this aircraft is nearly 23 years old, with Continental Airlines having first taken delivery of it back in October 1998.
N24715 is fitted with a two-class, 126-seat cabin configuration. SeatGuru reports that the foremost 12 seats make up a 12-seat, 2-2 business class section. These recliners boast 38 inches of seat pitch, and 20.8 inches of width.
The remainder of the cabin consists of a 114-seat economy section. All of these seats are 17.1 inches wide, but 36 of them boast extra legroom. Indeed, rows 7-8, 10, and 21-23 sport 34-38 inches of seat pitch, rather than the standard 30 inches.
What do you make of United’s new Orange County-Honolulu route? Is this a service that you plan on taking? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
