Honolulu flights just got hotter—again. Las Vegas nonstop service is now as hot as a jackpot winning streak. But this isn’t just about more flights or just about Vegas. It’s one example of how Hawaii residents and visitors are gaining—or losing—critical options in the most traveled air corridors to and from the islands. As the battle between Hawaiian/Alaska and Southwest intensifies, it’s Las Vegas—Hawaii’s unofficial ninth island—that finds itself at the center of a major Hawaii air travel shift.
Now that Alaska owns Hawaiian, what we’re seeing is a broader effort to cement control over the state’s most important mainland routes. The fourth daily flight just added here is one part of a bigger push—an aggressive move by Hawaiian/Alaska to dominate wherever they can, especially as Southwest pulls back and uncertainty builds across the Hawaii air travel ecosystem.
Hawaiian/Alaska have now scheduled this fourth daily nonstop to a key mainland gateway starting in October. The Hawaiian Airlines brand, soon to be fully integrated into Alaska, is flexing its muscles and appears determined not to cede ground in what’s become one of the most competitive and valuable routes in Hawaii travel. Southwest, meanwhile, remains the most persistent thorn in Hawaiian’s side.
More flights, better timing.
The new fourth daily flight will depart Honolulu in the afternoon, giving travelers another daytime option before the existing overnight redeye. It follows a steady ramp-up in Hawaiian’s Vegas service, increasing frequencies by nearly 30 percent from July to September…