Dallas-based Southwest Airlines has been teasing plans to start service to Hawaii for almost six months now without releasing many details for when and how the plan is going to come together. Last week, however, there was news that the carrier had finally obtained a temporary permit to operate out of Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, suggesting that the airline is getting closer to setting its plan in motion.
There’s still a long way to go, according to reports from Pacific Business News. In addition to permits from the regional airports in Hawaii, Southwest needs to get permission to operate the flights from the Department of Transportation and must also jump through a handful of bureaucratic hoops to begin service.
Because of those constraints "“ many of which are outside of the control of the airline "“ the carrier seems to be taking a cautious approach to building buzz around the launch. Brad Hawkins, Southwest’s senior communications adviser told Pacific Business News that "We don"™t have anything to share today other than to echo the building excitement of our employees and fans as Southwest approaches a long-desired opportunity to serve the Hawaiian Islands."
That hasn’t stopped many from getting excited about the new route. Traditionally, Southwest Airlines’ entry into a market has pushed competitive ticket prices down dramatically, making it easier for frugal travelers to get discounted fare across all air carriers. The increased traffic too, has the entire tourism sector for the region excited. After news of the route leaked last year, local station KHON painted the move as a potential «economic boom» for tourism in Hawaii.
Southwest, too, has big plans for the routes outside of simple fare collection. According to a report from Skift, the airline sees the new flights to Hawaii as a major opportunity to hawk credit cards to a new group of customers eager to redeem points for free flights to a new destination…
