Canada Based Airline Expanding Routes to Hawaii

By Gina Mangieri

Canada Based Airline Expanding Routes to Hawaii | KHON2.com - News, Sports, Weather | Local Top Stories
In an otherwise weak tourism outlook for Hawaii, the trend from Canada is on the upswing, and about to get better.

A Canada-based airline expanding its winter routes to Hawaii, bringing thousands of visitors from the north our way each week. They may partner with upstart interisland airline Mokulele, and Hawaiian responds.


Westjet is boosting hawaii capacity about 20 percent this winter as demand from canadian tourists booms -- 23 flights will bring 3,500 guests weekly.

Which can't be said about Hawaii's U.S. mainland market. Hawaii is seeing solid growth from Canada . They stay the longest, and they're shopping.

Westjet flies from Vancouver to Honolulu, Maui and Kona. they're eying Kauai, and they're exploring a partnership with Mokulele airlines to pre-sell interisland packages.

Hawaiian Airlines President, Mark Dunkerley says, "If Westjet wants to give us a call we'd always be happy to talk to them, if they decide to go with somebody else we will be there competing as we always do."

Mokulele last week announced its own expansion, citing a price and capacity void left by aloha. Hawaiian says the interisland pie is actually shrinking and that price is up in the air until Mokulele, GO and Hawaiian are actually battling it out as of next month.

"The marketplace has its own dynamic, we don't set the fares, we don't tell everybody what the fares should be. It's unlikely they would be setting the fares and telling everybody what it would be."

Hawaiian, meanwhile, remains committed to its 4 billion dollar airbus fleet purchase -- what they say is the largest private sector investment in hawaii history. It makes possible nonstop routes as far away as the asian continent and europe. No word yet if Canada is on their list. But they welcome the added visitors Westjet will bring for now.

Westjet says they're meeting with Governor Linda Lingle tomorrow about state marketing partnerships.