Although it might be under new ownership, Hawaiian Airlines is maintaining its heritage and distinctive manner by resuming seasonal services between Hawaii and New Zealand. There are deep cultural ties between these Pacific islands, and Hawaiian Airlines has fostered that over the last decade with these regular connections, heightened by the way the airline welcomes its guests to the route.
An old favorite is back for the Kiwi summer
Hawaiian Airlines has operated the route since March 2013, and its long-haul services have built an air bridge between these two archipelagos and their communities. While the two are separated by approximately 4,400 miles of the Pacific Ocean, Hawaii and Aotearoa (the Maori name for New Zealand) have long been bonded by a shared dedication to their culture, language and Pacific Island heritage.
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On Saturday, Hawaiian Airlines flight HA446 departed Auckland Airport (AKL) at 00:00 and, after an 8:17-hour flight, arrived at Hawaii’s Honolulu International Airport (HNL) at 09:17. The service was operated with a 2017 Airbus A330-200, registration N361HA and MSN 1823.
This particular Airbus A330 departed for Japan’s Tokyo Narita Airport (NRT) later on Saturday and, in recent weeks, has been flying routes to San Francisco (SFO), Fukuoka (FUK), San Diego (SAN), Osaka (KIX), New York (JFK), Los Angeles (LAX) and Las Vegas (LAS), among others.
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A busy Southern summer schedule for Hawaiian
Hawaiian’s Auckland seasonal service will operate three flights weekly using the 278-seat Airbus A330 until April 30, 2025. HA445 will depart Honolulu (HNL) on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 13:05 and arrive in Auckland the next day at 21:20. HA446 will depart AKL on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 23:30 and arrive in Honolulu at 09:15 on the same day.
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The same day, early morning arrival paves the way for guests to connect to any of Hawaiian’s Neighbor Island destinations or simply have a full day exploring O’ahu at their leisure. Russell Williss, country director for New Zealand at Hawaiian Airlines, said a tremendous amount of care has gone into ensuring the return was a success for both the guests and employees, “who are just as excited to serve this important part of our network.” He added:
“We love connecting people with aloha and take our decade-long commitment to connecting New Zealand with Hawai’i and the United States (and vice versa) very seriously. There’s no greater thrill than seeing our Kiwi travelers light up when they see our Pualani tail at Auckland Airport and know they’re about to embark on a memorable travel experience that no other airline can provide.”
Keeping travelers connected in the air and on the ground
For the first time, New Zealanders can enjoy complimentary high-speed Starlink WiFi onboard the A330 as it crosses the Pacific Ocean. Elon Musk’s SpaceX enabled the WiFi service through its Starlink network, which is rapidly penetrating the global airline industry, including most recently with JetBlue, United Airlines, Qatar Airways and Air France.
Photo: Hawaiian Airlines
On the ground, Hawaiian Airlines guests arriving in Honolulu can seamlessly connect to more than 140 destinations across Hawaiian and Alaska Airlines’ combined network, bridging New Zealand’s most populous region with connectivity to new sights and cities across North and Central America.
Over the years, Hawaiian Airlines has developed a fleet ideally suited to its mix of inter-island and short and long-haul flying. According to fleet data from ch-aviation, it has 69 aircraft at its disposal, including six Airbus A330-300(P2F) converted freighters.
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The passenger fleet includes 18 Airbus A321neo single-aisle jets, 24 A330-200s, two Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners and 19 717-200s, which do the bulk of the short-haul and inter-island flights. The data also lists four A330-300s and ten 787-9s as being on order.