After 21 months, Australians can once again say “Aloha!” as Hawaiian Airlines resumes its non-stop Sydney to Honolulu service.
The airline confirmed in a press release that, beginning December 13, 2021, it will resume its five-times-weekly service between Australia’s Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport (SYD) and Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL)
Flight HA451 will resume December 13, 2021 by departing HNL on Mondays and Wednesdays through to Saturdays at 11:50 local time, and arrive at SYD at approximately 19:45 local time the following day. Starting December 15, 2021, flight HA452 will depart SYD on Tuesdays and Thursdays through to Sundays at 21:40 local time with a 10:35 scheduled arrival at HNL.
The Sydney-Honolulu route, which has a flight time of over 10 hours, will be serviced using the 278-seat, wide-body Airbus A330 aircraft. It features 18 lie-flat business class seats, 68 ‘economy comfort’ seats with 36-inch pitch, and 192 standard economy seats with 31-inch pitch.
In the press release, Andrew Stanbury, Hawaiian Airlines regional director for Australia and New Zealand stated: “We are thrilled to reconnect Hawaiʻi and Australia and have been encouraged by the public’s response to Australia’s national vaccination program, enabling the reopening of borders.”
He continued: “Hawaiʻi is a hugely popular holiday destination for Australians, and we know many people have been keenly waiting to take a Hawaiian (HA) vacation. We are looking forward to safely welcoming our guests back on board to enjoy the authentic hospitality we know our guests love and have missed.”
Hawaiʻi Governor David Ige announced that state will welcome back visitors beginning November 1, 2021 now that public health efforts have resulted in the continued decline of COVID-19 cases statewide. Along with California, Hawaii has the lowest COVID-19 rate per capita in the United States at roughly 61 cases per 100,000 residents.
Hawaiian Airlines started its Sydney-Honolulu service in May 2004. The carrier’s three-times-weekly service between Honolulu and Brisbane Airport (BNE), which launched in November 2012, still remains on hold.