Hawaiian Airlines is the 12th-largest US operator by flights in October. Due to its fleet of Airbus A321neos, A330-200s, Boeing 717s, and 787-9s, it ranks tenth for seats for sale. Due to its widebodies and long-haul flights, it is ninth for available seat miles. These findings are based on examining its full schedule submission to Cirium Diio.
The latest information indicates that Hawaiian plans 3,520 departures in October (double for both ways). They have risen by 2% year-on-year. However, services are down by 15% compared to before the pandemic in October 2019. This is mainly because of cuts to the domestic market (-22%), a part of which probably relates to its acquisition by the Alaska Air Group and aircraft up-gauging, with seats per flight now 13% higher.
These Are Hawaiian Airlines’ Top 10 Routes In October
Hawaiian’s intrastate operations account for 2,170 of its 3,520 monthly departures (an average of 70 of its 114 daily takeoffs). Such services are a lifeline for those who live there. It is like catching a bus. As everyone can guess, Honolulu to Kahului is by far Hawaiian’s top market. It has up to 22 daily departures in each direction.
Four mainland US routes are present. One was just short of being included: Honolulu to Portland. It has 75 departures in October on the A321neo and A330-200, which is equivalent to two to three daily takeoffs. But as the tenth entry has 85 departures, it was just short of inclusion.
|
October Departures (Daily Range)* |
Route |
Equipment |
Hawaiian’s % Of The Market** |
|---|---|---|---|
|
636 (19 to 22 daily) |
Honolulu to Kahului |
717 |
72% |
|
489 (15 to 18 daily) |
Honolulu to Lihue |
717 |
76% |
|
439 (13 to 16 daily) |
Honolulu to Kona |
717 (A321neo on October 12 and 13 only) |
74% |
|
359 (11 to 12 daily) |
Honolulu to Hilo |
717 |
70% |
|
124 (four daily) |
Honolulu to Las Vegas |
A330-200 (A321neo on October 4 and 18 only) |
67% |
|
124 (four daily) |
Honolulu to Seattle |
A321neo, A330-200, 787-9 |
50% |
|
93 (three daily) |
Kahului to Kona |
717 |
75% |
|
93 (three daily) |
Kahului to Lihue |
717 |
75% |
|
88 (two to three daily) |
Honolulu to Los Angeles |
A330-200, 787-9 (A321neo on October 4 and 18 only) |
23% |
|
85 (two to three daily) |
Honolulu to San Diego |
A321neo, A330-200 |
58% |
|
* October departures/31 days. Each way |
** Its market share would be different based on other measures |
Up To 22 Daily Flights: Hawaiian’s Top Route
Hawaiian and
Hawaiian flies its 128-seat 717s, which are well-suited for short interisland services and the consequent very high number of aircraft cycles (takeoffs and landings). In comparison, Southwest deploys its 175-seat 737 MAX 8s. Because of lower-capacity equipment, Hawaiian’s market share falls from 72% for departures to 66% for available seats.
|
Honolulu To Kahului Departures: October 10 |
Kahului To Honolulu Departures: October 10 |
|---|---|
|
05:36, 06:15, 06:56, 07:32, 08:52, 09:53, 10:52, 11:25, 11:54, 12:45, 13:25, 14:15, 14:56, 15:30, 16:00, 16:28, 16:55, 17:18, 18:00, 18:38, 19:48, 21:23 |
06:00, 06:49, 07:28, 08:09, 08:45, 09:25, 09:45, 10:05, 10:25, 11:25, 11:55, 12:26, 13:30, 14:40, 15:30, 16:10, 16:55, 17:40, 18:30, 19:12, 19:47, 21:00 |
In the past 20 years, Cirium indicates that Hawaiian had up to 32 daily departures on the city pair, although this was only very occasionally. It most recently occurred on Sunday, December 1, 2019. That day, five services departed between 08:00 and 10:00. Nearly six years later, there are ‘just’ two.
Honolulu-Kahului: 2 Million Passengers A Year
According to US Department of Transportation data for July 2024 to June 2025, this very short city pair had just over two million round-trip passengers. It was the US’s 15th most popular airport-level market, with the top ten explored here.
When both Hawaiian and Southwest are combined, just 63% of the seats were filled. While Hawaiian filled 76%, Southwest filled an eye-opening 46%. While that was absurdly low, capacity cuts mean it has increased from 39% in the 12 months to February 2025. Southwest considers it to be of strategic importance, at least for now.


