Alaska offers new Portland-Maui nonstop flight
by Jennifer Margulis, adapted from an article special to the Oregonian
Alaska Airlines’ new Portland-Maui nonstop flight expands traveler options to the islands and deepens the rivalry between the Seattle-based carrier and Hawaiian Airlines.
Until July 3, when the new service started, Hawaiian had offered the only nonstop between PDX and Maui. Alaska began with three flights weekly, and initiates daily service Aug. 7.
Nancy Herron, who owns Journeys to Hawaii, a Portland-based travel agency, said “having another airline come into the market will make prices more competitive. If Alaska comes in with lower rates, it will force Hawaiian Airlines to lower their rates as well.”
Into the Hawaii market
The Portland-Maui flight is part of a big move by Alaska into the Hawaii market. The airline offered no flights to the islands until October 2007, but by this fall will have 59 flights a week between the mainland and four Hawaiian islands.
Brad Walker, Alaska Airlines managing director of sales and leisure marketing, said the Maui-PDX route was something “our customers have been telling us to do … for a long time.”
The airline’s expansion into Hawaii comes at a time when visits to the islands are dropping. Tourism officials hope Alaska can help turn that around.
Through the first five months of 2009, Hawaii visits were down 10.5 percent from the same period in 2008, according to state tourism data. The number of visitors to Maui dipped 18.5 percent from a year ago.
But because airlines overall have cut their flight offerings to Hawaii, planes are actually slightly more full than they used to be. That estimated load factor — a yardstick for airlines to measure their potential for profit — stood at 85.4 percent through May this year, compared with 84.2 percent for the same period in 2008.
Hawaii tourism down
The economic downturn, coupled with the loss of two airlines, cut substantially into Hawaii tourism last summer. Aloha Airlines announced it was shutting down passenger operations on March 31 last year, and ATA shut down a few days later.
In addition to the two Maui flights, nonstop service between Honolulu and PDX is available on Hawaiian and Northwest, a Delta subsidiary.
Walker said there is ample room in the West Coast market for both Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines.
“We think we’ve … created a market for customers who wouldn’t have gone there in the past,” he said. “Our West Coast service to Hawaii has made the market bigger for both carriers.”
Keoni Wagner, a spokesman for Hawaiian Airlines, would not comment on how the Alaska service would affect Hawaiian’s business.
“We have some very loyal customers in the Pacific Northwest and in Portland in particular, and we look forward to continuing to serve those customers,” Wagner said.
Despite the Hawaii tourism numbers falling, some travel agents in Portland report that leisure travel to Hawaii is up.
“I’ve been selling more (tickets to) Hawaii this year than ever before,” said Susan Knudsen. Knudsen is the owner of Portland-based Travel Savvy. “Honeymooners especially. They want to travel in the summer but not to the Caribbean, because it’s hurricane season — and don’t have enough time off to go to the South Pacific — so they opt for Hawaii.” That’s good news for the Portland-Maui non-stop service.
Portland-Maui non-stop service
Nonstop flights from PDX to Maui last nearly six hours.
For the Portland-Maui service, Alaska is using Boeing 737-800s. These planes show the signature Alaska Eskimo adorned with a pink Hawaiian lei. They hold 141 passengers in the main cabin and 16 in first class.
Alaska Airlines flights currently start at $214 each way (plus fees). Travel professionals hope this price point will motivate more Portland-area travelers to head to Maui.
“Ease of travel is very important to the visitor these days,” said Terryl Vencl, executive director of the Maui Visitors Bureau. “That direct flight is just essential for our visitors who want less hassle. We’re thrilled to have Alaska Airlines on board.”
Published: Saturday July 25, 2009, 10:00 AM
Last update: January 25, 2020
Cindy La Ferle says
Nice article — thanks for posting it here for us!