Hawaiian Airlines adds direct flight from Salt Lake City to Honolulu

Hawaiian Airlines began ticket sales Thursday for daily direct flights from Salt Lake City to Honolulu starting in May 2024.

On Wednesday, the airline unveiled plans for three new routes connecting West Coast cities to the Aloha State. Flights from Salt Lake City International Airport will fly directly to Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu, Oahu, and flights from Sacramento International Airport will head to Lihue, Kauai, and Kona, Hawaii Island.

This is the first time Hawaiian Airlines has offered flights to Utah, and Salt Lake marks its 16th gateway city in the continental U.S.

“We know this new route will excite travelers in both Utah and Hawai’i given our tourism and education ties, and shared Pacific Island communities,” Hawaiian Airlines President and CEO Peter Ingram said in a statement. “We are eager to strengthen these relationships when we launch our service next summer.”

An Airbus A321neo aircraft, which can carry 189 passengers, will fly the route daily. The flight will depart Salt Lake City at 7 a.m. and arrive in Honolulu at 9:55 a.m. local time, and the return flight will depart Honolulu at 6:50 p.m. and land in Salt Lake at 5:15 a.m. the next day.

This will be the second direct flight available between Salt Lake City and Hawaii, as Delta currently offers flights from Salt Lake City International Airport to four Hawaiian airports. Other airlines flying out of Salt Lake City do have flights to Hawaii but no direct routes between the two states, require travelers flying out of SLC to have a layover in cities like Phoenix or Los Angeles.

Flight deals website Flights From Home posted about the announcement on social media, and their followers appeared enthused by the news.

“This adds another quality option to get from SLC to Hawaii, and it could drive down prices for nonstop flights to Honolulu,” the post’s caption said.

Bill Wyatt, executive director of Salt Lake City International Airport, said he was also excited about the move and mentioned its benefits for Utah’s large Pacific Islander community. Utah has the fifth largest Pacific Islander population in the country, according to research from the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute at the University of Utah. The majority of that population — around 60 percent — listed Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander as their sole racial identifier.

“We are thrilled to welcome Hawaiian Airlines to Salt Lake City International,” Wyatt said in Hawaiian Airlines’ statement. “Hawaiʻi is not only a favorite destination for Utahns to vacation, but is also a popular location for family members to visit.”

Although Hawaiian Airlines flights from Salt Lake to Honolulu won’t start until May 2024, tickets are already being sold on their website.