HONOLULU – Hawaiian Airlines is flying the first of four nonstop charter flights this Saturday between Sendai, Japan and Honolulu in collaboration with Japan Travel Bureau (JTB).
Mark Dunkerley, Hawaiian’s president and CEO, commented, “We are so pleased to be working with JTB to bring travelers to Hawai‘i from a region that was so completely devastated only 16 months ago, and we look forward to welcoming these visitors to the islands with our special brand of service.”
Located 180 miles north of Tokyo on the Pacific Coast of Honshu Island, Sendai is the capital city of Miyagi Prefecture and the largest city of the Tohoku Region, with a population of approximately one million residents. The Sendai region was at the center of destruction caused by the earthquake and tsunami of March 11, 2011.
The response to Hawaiian’s charter service has been strong from Sendai. Saturday’s flight is booked to 95 percent capacity.
The four charter flights will depart from Sendai Airport on Saturday, July 21, Thursday, July 26, Tuesday, July 31, and Sunday, August 5 at 8:00 p.m., cross the international dateline, and arrive at Honolulu International Airport the same day at 8:35 a.m.
The return charter flights will depart Honolulu on Wednesday, July 25, Monday, July 30, Saturday, August 4, and Thursday, August 9 at 3:10 p.m., cross the international dateline, and arrive in Sendai at 6:00 p.m. the following day.
Hawaiian will operate the Sendai-Honolulu charter flights using its wide-body, twin-aisle Boeing 767-300ER aircraft, which comfortably seats 262 passengers in a two-class cabin – 18 in Business Class and 244 in the Main Cabin.
Travelers in Japan have enthusiastically received Hawaiian’s brand of service since the airline entered the market in November 2010.
Along with the Sendai charter flights, Hawaiian offers daily nonstop service to Honolulu from three gateway cities, Tokyo, Osaka, and Fukuoka. In addition, Hawaiian is launching thrice-weekly nonstop service to Honolulu from Sapporo on October 30, 2012.
About Hawaiian Airlines
Hawaiian has led all U.S. carriers in on-time performance for each of the past eight years (2004-2011) as reported by the U.S. Department of Transportation. Consumer surveys by Condé Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure and Zagat have all ranked Hawaiian the highest of all domestic airlines serving Hawai‘i.
Now in its 83rd year of continuous service, Hawaiian is Hawai‘i’s biggest and longest-serving airline, as well as the largest provider of passenger air service from its primary visitor markets on the U.S. mainland. Hawaiian offers nonstop service to Hawai‘i from more U.S. gateway cities (11) than any other airline, along with service from Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Australia, American Samoa, and Tahiti. New nonstop service will begin between Honolulu and Sapporo, Japan (October 30, 2012), Brisbane, Australia (November 27, 2012), and Auckland, New Zealand (March 13, 2013). Hawaiian also provides approximately 170 daily jet flights between the Hawaiian Islands.
Hawaiian Airlines, Inc. is a subsidiary of Hawaiian Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: HA). Additional information is available at HawaiianAirlines.com. Follow updates on Twitter about Hawaiian (@HawaiianAir) and its special fare offers (@HawaiianFares), and become a fan on its Facebook page (Hawaiian Airlines).
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