United Airlines marked its 75th anniversary of flying to the Hawaiian Islands on Monday by hosting a celebration for passengers arriving on Flight 1175 at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport and draping their aircraft with a 75-foot lei.

United’s first flight to Hawaii on May 1, 1947, between San Francisco and Honolulu, was the longest over-water commercial airline route at the time.

Airline, tourism and state officials, including Gov. David Ige, marked the historic occasion by welcoming passengers on the same route from San Francisco as that first flight.

“United service to the islands can be directly tied to WWII following the attack on Pearl Harbor when the airline helped transport cargo and supplies for the military to Australia through Hawaii in 1942,” Ige said.

United’s second passenger route to Hawaii was from Los Angeles, and today both routes remain the most popular serving the state, Ige noted.

“What an accomplishment of longevity and endurance for an airline that changed the face of travel by expanding service to the islands so it was more affordable for everyone,” he said.

David Kinzleman, United’s vice president of line stations, who oversees the carrier’s Hawaii operations and its 1,300 local employees, said the airline has grown “to offer the most opportunities for travel to Hawaii of any major carrier,” with 31 daily flights and 21 routes from the mainland.

Kinzleman said United this year is contributing $250,000 to its local sustainability partners, including Kanu Hawaii on Maui and Oahu, its largest commitment to sustainable tourism here.

United spokesperson Maddie King said the carrier also is hiring in Hawaii and has planned two hiring events this week.

“As we invest in the future of Hawaii, we look forward to celebrating another 75 years down the road,” Kinzleman said.

United is finally back on track in Hawaii after experiencing a dramatic drop early in the COVID-19 pandemic. Kinzleman said demand has been building since October 2020, when the Safe Travels Hawaii program allowed the state to reopen for nonessential travel.

Tom Kozlowski, United’s senior manager of network planning, said the airline has been back to pre-pandemic levels in Hawaii since last summer.

During an April 21 first- quarter earnings call with investors, United CEO Scott Kirby said, “We finally reached the inflection point as we transition from pandemic to endemic, and demand is stronger than I’ve ever seen in my career, and that’s even before business travel fully recovers. Though it continues to accelerate at a rapid pace and before international, especially Asia, fully recovers.”

Hawaii, which is popular with United customers, is tracking accordingly.

United introduced brand-new flights in 2021 between Chicago and Kona; New York/Newark and Maui; and Orange County, Calif., and Honolulu, and all of them have returned. Kozlowski said demand for Hawaii this summer “is exceeding last summer.”

Pent-up demand for Hawaii travel was evident among Flight 1175’s passengers. More than two years into the pandemic, they were more than ready to celebrate their own milestones.

Darla Seher, who won a raffle for two United round-trip first-class tickets, and her family had been dreaming of a Hawaii vacation for a long time. She will spend this trip on babysitting duty for her 8-month-old grandson, Jace, to free up time for her son, Brandon Seher, and his wife, Shannon, to finally take a honeymoon.

The couple got married March 21, 2021, but postponed travel due to the pandemic.

“We redid our vows last Saturday,” Brandon Seher said. “We were excited to finally be able to take a honeymoon to Hawaii. The tickets (his mother won) mean that we’ll be coming back.”

Brigitte Baltazar, who was traveling with Dustin Sison, said she enjoyed the surprise festivities upon arrival. “I felt like a rock star,” she said.

The pair are making their first trip to Hawaii to celebrate the nuptials of their friends J.V. Difuntorum and Malia Chan, who are getting married Friday at Sunset Ranch Hawaii.

Former Hawaii resident Jo Howard and her daughter Alana Leigh, who was born in Hawaii, returned for a walk down memory lane.

“We canceled two earlier trips because of COVID,” Leigh said. “I’m so happy to be here I could cry.”

Howard, who was overjoyed at the chance to catch up with old friends, said, “I don’t cry when I get here, I cry when I leave.”