California's Award-winning airline expands its upscale flight service from the West Coast to the Aloha State with daily service from LAX to Honolulu and Maui.
SAN FRANCISCO – Virgin America announced it will expand its service to Hawai’i with daily nonstop flights from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Honolulu, Oahu on May 5, 2016, and Kahului, Maui on June 14, 2016. This new service adds to the airline’s recently-launched daily service from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to Honolulu International Airport (HNL) and Kahului Airport (OGG), allowing for roundtrip connecting service between HNL and John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), Las Vegas McCarran International Airport (LAS) and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA).
Virgin America’s expanded Hawai’i service also offers roundtrip connections between OGG and Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD), Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), San Diego International Airport (SAN), Dallas Love Field (DAL), Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD), JFK, SEA, and LAS. The Aloha state is the ‘most wanted’ destination by members of Virgin America’s Elevate loyalty program and Hawai’i continues to be the number one tourism destination from the West Coast, with over 3.3 million visitors in 2014. Virgin America’s service is uniquely tailored to the modern traveler and to the longer-haul Hawai’i flight experience with new aircraft that offer three custom-designed classes of service, touch-screen personal entertainment and an award-winning on-demand food and cocktail menu on every flight – so travelers can kick-off their Hawai’i vacation as soon as they step onboard. Virgin America has been named the “Best Domestic Airline” in both Conde Nast Traveler’s Readers’ Choice Awards and in Travel + Leisure’s World’s Best Awards for the past eight consecutive years.
“Since we launched our Hawai’i service last year, we’ve seen firsthand why it is one of the most popular leisure destinations among West Coast travelers. The guest response to our new routes has been extremely positive, which is why we are so pleased to announce that we are expanding our nonstop service to the Los Angeles market,” said Virgin America President and Chief Executive Officer, David Cush. “This new service from LAX not only brings this world class destination to our guests and Elevate members in the Los Angeles area, it opens up a number of roundtrip connecting flights to markets across the country.”
“Virgin America is providing more airline choice and competition to our great state, and we could not be more pleased that they are already adding more routes to the Hawaiian Islands from Los Angeles – our largest originating travel market,” said Governor David Ige. “We look forward to Virgin America’s continued growth and success in serving travelers visiting the Islands.”
“The addition of more seats flying direct between Los Angeles and Honolulu and Los Angeles and Kahului will not only expand the availability to more islands, but provide our visitors with another excellent airline option. We are thrilled to have this easy access for both visitors and residents flying between the West Coast and Hawai’i,” said George D. Szigeti, president and CEO of the Hawai’i Tourism Authority.
Virgin America first launched daily service to Maui in December 2015, which also provides convenient connections to New York (JFK).
The daily, nonstop flights will be operated with new Airbus A320 aircraft that Virgin America began taking delivery of last year, which are equipped with fuel-saving, ‘sharklet’ wingtip devices, allowing the airline to operate flights more efficiently, especially over longer haul routes.
Last November, Virgin America launched its first flight from San Francisco to Hawai’i with a series of festive events – including the opportunity for busy Bay Area workaholics to score the ultimate “Hawaiiscape” with Virgin Group Founder Richard Branson. Upon touchdown of the first flight in Hawai’i, Virgin America’s guests were feted with a red carpet lu’au reception on the Honolulu tarmac – with a traditional Hawai’ian welcome and blessing hosted by Governor of Hawai’i, David Ige, George Szigeti, president and CEO of the Hawai’i Tourism Authority, and HNL airport officials.
In addition to a Main Cabin that offers custom-designed leather seating with a deeper, more comfortable pitch, Virgin America’s First Class cabin offers plush white leather ‘cradle sleeper’ seating with 55 inches of pitch, 165 degrees of recline and lumbar massagers. The carrier’s Main Cabin Select service offers 38-inches of pitch, free food and cocktails, an all-access pass to media content, dedicated overhead bins and priority check-in/boarding. The Red in-flight entertainment platform offers guests their own seatback touch-screen TV, with more than 20 films, TV, interactive Google Maps, videogames, a 3,000 song library and an on-demand menu, which allows flyers to order a cocktail or snack from their seatback any time during a flight. With a full service First Class menu and a unique on-demand menu in the Main Cabin, Virgin America was named Travel + Leisure’s “Best Domestic Airline for Food” in 2014.
Since its 2007 launch, Virgin America has created more than 2,800 new jobs and expanded its network to include Austin, Boston, Cancun, Chicago, Dallas Love Field, Fort Lauderdale, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Los Cabos, Newark, New York (JFK and LGA), Orlando, Palm Springs (seasonal), Portland, Puerto Vallarta, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington D.C. (IAD and DCA), Honolulu, Kahului, Maui and Denver (as of March 15, 2015).
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales.
She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
