Mary Schlangenstein, Bloomberg
Southwest must be thrilled for all the free media attention. But let's be clear. The airline has been around for five decades. It has talented maintenance and executive teams. It knows what's required to fly long distances over water. The airline will be approved to fly to Hawaii. The only question is exactly when.
1 week ago
Dennis Schaal, Skift
Southwest has known for years that there is money to be made in differentiation and protecting your brand identity regardless of what Wall Street thinks. That's a factor in its decision not to launch basic economy or bag fees.
3 weeks ago
Mary Schlangenstein, Bloomberg
Southwest hasn't given a new start date, which likely means its plans are somewhat up in the air. The length of the delay will depend on how long the standoff in Washington continues.
1 month ago
Brian Sumers, Skift
Hawaii has been a profitable niche for Alaska Airlines for a long time. But now the market is under siege. Competitors want their slice of the profits.
4 months ago
Dennis Schaal, Skift
There's no way around it: Southwest's new emphasis on cost-containment, productivity gains, and other efficiencies doesn't provide an optimistic outlook for passenger experience. It should make Southwest a more profitable airline — if passengers go along for the ride.
4 months ago
Audrey McAvoy and Jennifer Sinco Kelleher, Associated Press
The Hawaii Tourism Authority said more than 270,000 tourists are currently visiting the Hawaiian islands – roughly the population of Cincinnati. The tourism industry hasn't faced a hurricane threat like this in many years, but feels prepared ahead of the storm.
6 months ago
Audrey McAvoy, Associated Press
Hopefully this will put pressure on all kinds of travel brands, from small businesses to the largest companies, to be more welcoming of all travelers.
7 months ago
Brian Sumers, Skift
In the airline industry, bigger is almost always better. But Hawaiian Airlines is betting its unique niche will help it as more competitors add capacity in its markets. Still, the airline could someday be a takeover target for another airline that wants to grow.
9 months ago
Brian K. Sullivan, Bloomberg
Hawaiians call the fog that's infused with volcanic ash "vog." But so far the vog on the Big Island is not causing pilots trouble with flying to, from, and among the islands.
9 months ago
Dan Peltier, Skift
Poor geography knowledge is a bane of nearly every destination's existence. Natural disasters are an unfortunate opportunity for tourism officials to educate travelers, even if many will always struggle to read a map.
9 months ago
Brian Sumers, Skift
Southwest began its life in 1971 as a short-haul airline shuttling commuters around Texas. So perhaps it is fitting that it will try to do something similar in Hawaii. But expect Hawaiian Airlines to vigorously defend its turf.
10 months ago
Audrey McAvoy, Associated Press
Nearly 50 inches of rain fell in one 24-hour period in northern Kauai during part of an unusually wet winter and spring. The island needs to counter misleading news reports to make sure tourists keep coming, given that it is already at risk of being outpriced relative to newer hotspots like Okinawa and the eastern Philippines.
10 months ago