28
November
2012
|
09:00
Australia/Brisbane

BNE celebrates the launch of direct flights to Honolulu

Traditional Hula dancers and a special Maile Lei blessing ceremony will create a vibrant and spiritual farewell for the inaugural flight guests on board Hawaiian Airlines’ first Brisbane–Honolulu service, departing from Brisbane Airport this evening.

Guests will also experience a touch of Hawaii before boarding the flight as they pass by three giant sand sculptures depicting beautiful hibiscus and frangipani flowers, a surfer, and dolphins in waves, created in celebration of the launch.

Julieanne Alroe, Brisbane Airport Corporation (BAC) CEO and Managing Director said today’s launch was cause for celebration.

“Introducing new services and new destinations to a network is a huge consideration for any airline, and we applaud Hawaiian Airlines for making this commitment to Brisbane and Queensland.

“Because of this commitment, travellers from Queensland now have access to more convenient and direct services between Brisbane and Honolulu and no longer have to backtrack through Sydney, saving travellers both time and money.

“We expect these new flights will attract interstate residents and regional Queensland residents as well, with the Honolulu-BNE flight times allowing domestic connections in both directions and improved access to and from the US mainland,” Ms Alroe said.

Hawaiian Airlines will operate a Boeing 767-300ER aircraft, seating 264 passengers in a two class cabin, 18 Business Class and 246 in Economy Class.

The flight will depart Brisbane International Airport at 6.35pm every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday arriving in Honolulu at 8.05am the same day, with a journey time of approximately nine hours and 15 minutes.

“We would like to congratulate Hawaiian Airlines on today’s launch and we have no doubt these new services will be a huge success and warmly embraced by travellers in the months and years to come,” Ms Alroe said.