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Southwest Will Fly Routes Between Hawaii Islands in Major Challenge to Hawaiian Airlines

Brian Sumers

Photo Credit: Southwest Airlines will fly routes within the Hawaiian Islands. Pictured is a Boeing 737 Max, an aircraft the airline plans to use to Hawaii long-term. Southwest Airlines

Skift Take

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.

Southwest Airlines has rarely followed the U.S. airline pack, and its new flights to Hawaii will be no exception. America's largest low-cost-carrier confirmed Thursday it intends to fly routes within the Hawaiian islands at some point after regulators approve its plans to fly from four California airports to Honolulu, Maui, Kona, and Lihue. Southwest would challenge the near-monopoly Hawaiian Airlines has on short-haul flights between islands. But it's early yet, and since Southwest hasn't said which routes it will fly, it's not clear how much of an effect the move will have on Hawaiian Airlines. Southwest also said Thursday for the first time that its initial transpacific flights will come from Oakland, San Diego, San Jose, and Sacramento, though it did not share which airports

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