Alaska Airlines adds more Hawaii flights

Good news for Hawaii-bound travelers: More airline seats to the Islands.

Alaska Airlines announced today that it is adding a daily flight between Seattle and Kailua-Kona on the Big Island beginning Nov. 17.

In addition, the Seattle-based carrier will expand its recently announced Anchorage to Maui service—set to begin Oct. 31—from two weekly flights to three. And that doesn’t count a daily flight between Seattle and Maui, beginning July 17.

There’s a $229 introductory one-way fare for the Seattle-Kona flight—tickets must be purchased by June 5, 2008, for travel by Feb. 12, 2009.

Seats for the new flights go on sale at 9 a.m. (Pacific time), Thursday, on Alaska Airlines Web site, or by calling (800) 252-7522.

“Our new service between Seattle and Kona expands our coverage to all four major Hawaiian islands,” said Alaska Air Group managing director of planning Andrew Harrison, of its service to Oahu, Maui, Kauai and the Big Island.

Alaska Airlines’ announcement was also good news for the Hawaii-bound air market, which lost 1.1 million seats this year following the closures of Aloha Airlines and ATA Airlines.

Here are the details:

• Seattle to Kailua-Kona, will depart daily at 8:40 a.m. (Pacific time), arriving at 1 p.m. (Hawaii time).

• Kailua-Kona to Seattle, will depart daily at 2 p.m. (Hawaii time), arriving at 9:40 p.m. (Pacific time).

• Anchorage to Maui, will depart Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 2:20 p.m. (Alaska time), arriving at 6:35 p.m. (Hawaii time).

• Maui to Anchorage, will depart Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 8:45 p.m. (Hawaii time), arriving next day at 5 a.m. (Alaska time).

• Seattle to Maui, will depart daily at 8:20 a.m. (Pacific time), arriving at 11:35 a.m. (Hawaii time).

• Maui to Seattle, will depart daily at 1:05 p.m. (Hawaii time), arriving at 9:45 p.m. (Pacific Time).