Continental Airlines announced Wednesday it will begin non-stop service from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Hilo International Airport (ITO) next summer. Hilo is located on the east coast of the Island of Hawai'i, also known as the Big Island. The once-weekly service from San Francisco will begin on Saturday, June 11. The daily service from Los Angeles will begin on June 9.
Once in service, the new flights will provide mainland US visitors direct access to Hilo, which currently handles only interisland flights. "We are excited to provide customers the only direct flights to Hilo from the mainland. These flights will offer customers convenient, nonstop service to the Big Island without having to connect in Honolulu," said Jim Compton, executive vice president and chief revenue officer of United Continental Holdings, Inc.. Currently, Kona International Airport, 95 miles west of Hilo in the city of Kailua-Kona, handles all mainland US flights.
The primary attraction in Hilo is Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, which is located 30 miles southwest and is home to Kilauea Volcano, one of the most active volcanoes on earth. Other popular attractions include Pacific Tsunami Museum, Imiloa Astronomy Center, and Hilo Farmers Market. These flights might prove to be a boom to the local and state economy. According to Hawai'i Tourism president and CEO Mike McCartney, "Based on initial Hawai'i Tourism Authority projections, the flights could bring nearly 40,000 more visitors to the island and generate $50.6 million in direct visitor spending and $5.52 million in tax revenue."
The routes will be operated on Boeing 737-800 aircrafts.
Flight schedule:
SFO
Departs SFO: 4:20 PM Arrives ITO: 6:40 PM
Departs ITO: 9:20 PM Arrives SFO: 5:20 AM (next day)
LAX
Departs LAX: 5:00 PM Arrives ITO: 7:40 PM
Departs ITO: 8:55 PM Arrives LAX: 5:15 AM (next day)
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