Hawaiian Airlines is branching out in Japan again.
The carrier said Thursday it plans to offer flights three days a week between Sendai and Honolulu beginning June 25.
They will be the first scheduled flights between the two cities since 2004 when JALways, a subsidiary of Japan Airlines, left the market. JALways suspended regular flights on the Sendai route in 2003 but ran a limited number of flights in May and June 2004.
The new Sendai service aboard a 264-seat Boeing 767-300ER will fly nonstop from Honolulu to Sendai with one stop on the return in Sapporo, to which Hawaiian began service in October. The Honolulu route will be among the first new services introduced at Sendai Airport since it was closed for more than a month in 2011 because of the earthquake and subsequent tsunami. Last year Hawaiian provided four charter flights between the two cities.
"We have been interested in providing service to Honolulu from Sendai for some time," Hawaiian President and CEO Mark Dunkerley said. "The city’s airport draws travelers from throughout the Tohoku region, and its peak travel periods complement those of Sapporo to the north. Our new service will take advantage of these fluctuations by offering each market the majority of available seats when local demand for travel to Hawaii is highest. This allows us to make the most efficient use of our fleet."
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NOW BOARDING
Hawaiian Airlines soon will be offering flights to Honolulu from five cities in Japan. Here are the cities and start dates:
>> Tokyo-Haneda, November 2010
>> Osaka, July 2011
>> Fukuoka, April 2012
>> Sapporo, October 2012
>> Sendai, June 25, 2013
Source: Hawaiian Airlines
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Sendai is the largest city in the Tohoku region of northern Honshu, which has a population of more than 9 million people.
Rapidly expanding Hawaiian has now launched or announced 10 new destinations in less than three years. Other Japanese cities it serves are Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka and Sapporo.
The Sendai route, which is awaiting Japanese government approval, is also Hawaiian’s third new route planned this year. Hawaiian will inaugurate service to Auckland, New Zealand, next month and Taipei in July.
Hawaiian’s flight to Sendai will depart Honolulu on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 12:15 p.m. and arrive in Sendai at 4 p.m. the next day. The return flight will then continue to Sapporo’s New Chitose Airport at 5:55 p.m. Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, arriving at 7:10 p.m. before departing to Honolulu at 9:10 p.m. and arriving in Honolulu at 9:50 a.m. the same day.
The start of ticket sales for the Sendai route will be announced later.
