Southwest Flight welcomed in Honolulu

Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-800 at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport-- with Diamond Head and a rainbow in the background

Last week, a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-800 took off from Oakland International Airport and landed safely in Honolulu, Hawaii five hours later. The successful test flight, with only Southwest crew and FAA inspectors on board,  paves the way for the carrier to announce fares and schedules for its new Hawaii service, which could come as soon as this week.

Southwest already has employees on the ground in Honolulu and they all turned out to welcome the flight, and even created a lei to welcome the new bird. According to insiders, more proving runs between the mainland and the Hawaiian islands will happen in the coming days, including at least one that will simulate a diversion. Southwest Airlines will announce route pairings, sales and Rapid Rewards redemption rates only after it receives federal approval to begin Hawaii flights. Industry rumors this week hint at a possible announcement about Hawaii flights on Valentine's Day, this Thursday, February 14.

On Sunday, February 10, fares between the Bay Area's three airports and Honolulu were running as low as $327 round trip for mid-week flights in March, so it appears that the "Southwest Effect" is already in full force.

Southwest Airlines expects to begin flights within weeks of putting them up for sale, which is abnormal in the airline business since new routes are traditionally announced months in advance to drum up publicity.

Southwest announced in 2018 it intends to offer flights from four California cities: Oakland, San Jose, Sacramento and San Diego. In Hawaii, Southwest will serve: Honolulu on Oahu, Kahului on Maui, Lihue on Kauai, and Kona on the Big Island. There will also be inter-island flights between those cities in Hawaii.