Oakland, Calif. (March 28, 2011 – Alaska Airlines launched service to Lihue, on the island of Kauai, from Oakland International Airport (OAK) today, making it the fourth nonstop Hawaiian Island destination from OAK. The four weekly flights to Lihue complement Alaska Airlines existing service to Kahului, Maui, and Kona, on the Big Island of Hawaii, from OAK. Hawaiian Airlines flies daily nonstop service from OAK to Honolulu, on the island of Oahu.

Due to the tremendous success of existing Hawaiian Island service, Alaska Airlines will expand to daily service to Kahului, on June 5. Currently, this flight is offered four times a week from Oakland. Alaska’s Kona flight operates three times per week.

Hawaiian Airlines, in addition to its daily nonstop service to Honolulu, will begin daily nonstop flights between OAK and Maui on June 17 for the peak summer season. For both of these flights, Hawaiian operates Boeing 767-300 wide-body, twin-aisle aircraft, which can seat up to 264 passengers.

OAK airlines’ nonstop service to the Hawaiian Islands operates as follows:

“Add it all up, there will be 836 seats leaving to the Hawaiian Islands from Oakland International each morning this summer,” said Deborah Ale Flint, Director of Aviation for the Port of Oakland, which owns and operates OAK. “Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines are responding to Bay Area residents’ pent-up demand for a vacation rather than a staycation. There’s no better way to begin a Hawaiian vacation than from Oakland, where travelers will enjoy easy airport access, excellent customer service and on-time flights,” she added.

The number of airlines seats to Hawaii has rebounded from the recession, and is more than double that from the 264 daily seats offered in summer 2008. OAK has emerged as a major mainland gateway to the Hawaiian Islands, joining a select group of U.S. airports with flights to the four major islands.

About Alaska Airlines:Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air, subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK), together serve more than 90 cities through an expansive network in Alaska, the Lower 48, Hawaii, Canada and Mexico. Alaska Airlines ranked “Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Traditional Network Carriers” in the J.D. Power and Associates 2008, 2009 and 2010 North America Airline Satisfaction Studies SM. For reservations, visit www.alaskaair.com. For more news and information, visit the Alaska Airlines/Horizon Air Newsroom at www.alaskaair.com/newsroom.

About Hawaiian Airlines: Hawaiian Airlines is the top domestic airline serving Hawaii. Now in its 82nd year of continuous service in Hawaii, Hawaiian is the largest provider of passenger air service to Hawaii from the state’s primary visitor markets on the U.S. mainland. Hawaiian offers nonstop service to Hawaii from more U.S. gateway cities (10) than any other airline, as well as service to South Korea, Japan, the Philippines, Australia, American Samoa, and Tahiti. Hawaiian also provides approximately 150 daily jet flights between the Hawaiian Islands. Additional information is available at HawaiianAirlines.com.

About the Port of Oakland/Oakland International Airport: The Port of Oakland oversees the Oakland seaport, Oakland International Airport and 20 miles of waterfront. The Oakland seaport is the fifth busiest container port in the U.S.; Oakland International Airport is the second largest San Francisco Bay Area airport and fourth largest airport in California, offering over 130 daily flights; and the Port’s real estate includes commercial developments such as Jack London Square and hundreds of acres of public parks and conservation areas. The Port of Oakland was established in 1927 and is an independent department of the City of Oakland. Visit portofoakland.com and oaklandairport.com. Facebook / Oakland International Airport.

Media Contacts:

Oakland International Airport
Rosemary Barnes
(510) 563-2892
[email protected]