Summary
- United Airlines has a long history of operations to and from Hawaii since 1947, with substantial passenger and cargo numbers.
- The introduction of the Boeing 757 became a game-changer for United’s operations due to its efficiency and ability to serve smaller Hawaiian airports.
- Recent upgrades to United’s operations in Honolulu in 2021-2022 involved a shift to widebody jets, accommodating higher travel demand despite initial aircraft issues.
United Airlines – the founding member of the Star Alliance – consistently ranks as one of the largest airlines in terms of the workforce, number of destinations served, and revenue generated. One of the most popular tourist cities it serves to and from is Hawaii. With more than seventy flights from a single airport in the US mainland to this island in the Pacific (alongside operations from multiple other airports), Hawaii is integral to United’s operations. In this article, we will dive into how United Airlines’ flights to Hawaii have evolved over the years.
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The early days of United’s operations in Honolulu
May 1, 1947, marked the day when United Airlines’ Honolulu commenced its operations to and from Honolulu. United inaugurated the service from Hawaii to the mainland using the Boeing 377 Stratocruiser in 1950. When this service began, Honolulu was already directly linked to 87 mainland cities.
Photo: Theodore Trimmer | Shutterstock
By the end of 1964, United provided inflight movies for passengers flying over the ocean. Here are a few pieces of statistics that reflect the operations of United’s operations in Hawaii during this period:
- United carried 2,100 passengers and 36,500 pounds of cargo per month to and from Hawaii in 1947.
- 33,100 passengers per month (in both directions) and 787,000 pounds of cargo in 1964.
- 1,917,749 passengers and 45,985,000 pounds of cargo from May 1, 1947 – August 31, 1964
From the 1960s to the turn of the millennium
United used its DC-8s to service Hawaii in the 1960s. This Chicago-based carrier was well on track to set records for the longest flights in the United States. August 1969 marked the beginning of United’s nonstop flights on the Chicago-Honolulu route. The airline used DC8-62 aircraft on this route and commenced 4,979-mile-long operations between the Big Apple and Honolulu a few months later. The New York-Honolulu was the longest domestic route in the US at the time.
Photo: TonyV3112 | Shutterstock
From the 1970s to the early 1980s, United began flying larger aircraft to Hawaii. These included the likes of:
- Boeing 747-100s
- DC-8-71s
- DC-10s
The introduction of the DC-10s saw United launch “nonstop flights from the mainland to Maui, Hilo on the Big Island and Lihue.” United also added other aircraft, such as the Boeing 757, 767-300, and 777, to its fleet, but it was the Boeing 757 that was the real game changer.
The introduction of the Boeing 757: A game-changer
The flying pencil – the Boeing 757 – allowed more economical travel to and from Hawaii. A joint report published by Dr. Omar Memon and Jake Hardiman from Simple Flying gives us some cues as to how the Boeing 757 was integral to the landscape of operations to and from Hawaii:
“ with the advent of ETOPS rules in 1985, the aviation industry began a new chapter. Twin-engine planes were rated based on their single-engine performance and reliability and were finally allowed to operate longer flights over open water. US airlines saw the 757 as a winner and quickly began deploying it on flights to Hawaii.
The narrowbody twinjet’s relatively low passenger capacity and operating costs meant it could be used to connect some smaller Hawaiian Island airports like Lihue (LIH). Another significant factor was runway restrictions, as larger jets like the Boeing 767 couldn’t operate at such small airports with full loads. On the other hand, the 757, with its powerful engines, had no problems at all.”
Post-2000s
United was the first airline to connect the mainland U.S. to Hawaii using the Boeing 777. In 2000, the airline launched nonstop service between San Francisco and Maui using the triple seven.
Photo: United Airlines
The introduction of larger aircraft in its services allowed United to fly 1.7 million passengers and 99 million tons of cargo to Hawaii in 2006. By the end of the year, United was flying nonstop to Honolulu from the following six U.S. Mainland cities:
- Chicago
- Denver
- Los Angeles
- Seattle
- San Diego
- San Francisco
During this time, United also connected Honolulu with Osaka and Tokyo.
Upgrades to operations in Honolulu in 2021-2022
The operations of United Airlines to Honolulu from eight different airports were upgraded between October 2021 and March 2022. This saw the introduction of widebody jets along this route. The table below gives an idea about these upgrades.
| Origin | Changes in equipment |
| Chicago (ORD) | Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner (one daily flight) |
| Denver (DEN) |
|
| Houston (IAH) | Boeing 777-200 (one daily flight) |
| Los Angeles (LAX) | Boeing 777-300 (one daily flight) |
| San Francisco (SFO) | Boeing 777-300 (one daily flight) Boeing 757-300 (two daily flights) |
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying
The changes in the equipment came partly due to the mid-flight engine failure of the United’s Pratt & Whitney-powered Boeing 777s. This led to the grounding of United’s Boeing 777s. United also issued a statement following the grounding and the changes in equipment:
“As travel demand to Hawaii remains high, United has loaded our planned flights to the islands through March 2022. We’re extending travel options to the islands that customers enjoyed like our additional Denver-Maui flights and offering more travel experiences with more premium seats on more routes.
We will offer Polaris lie-flat seats and United Premium Plus on more routes throughout the winter schedule. While we anticipate the Pratt and Whitney 777s returning soon, we want to minimize any potential customer disruption given the aircraft’s large capacity and the strong bookings we’re seeing to Hawaii for the Winter season.”
Operations of United to Kahului Airport (OGG) Hawaii were also upgraded during the timeframe specified above. This includes:
| Origin | Changes in equipment |
|---|---|
| DEN | A mix of the Boeing 777-200 and Boeing 767-300 |
| ORD | Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner (five flights per week) |
| SFO | A mix of the Boeing 767-300 and Boeing 757-200 |
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Current Operations
United Airlines is the largest carrier in terms of capacity in Available Seat Kilometers (ASK) on flights to Hawaii. The highest number of United’s flights to Hawaii occur from San Francisco International Airport (SFO), with the airline offering 74 weekly flights to and from four airports: HNL, KOA, LIH, and OGG. The aircraft that United operates on this route include:
- Boeing 737-900
- Boeing 737 MAX
- Boeing 757-300
- Boeing 777/777-300ER