Southwest Airlines Secures Its Spot To Fly Into Honolulu Airport

Aloha Coming Soon And Warren Buffett Might Buy SWA

Southwest Airlines, traditionally a one-hour hop for most travelers, will soon be flying over the Pacific Ocean to Hawaii. It has already announced its intentions to fly to Hawaii and it has now been granted a “revocable permit” for space at Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport.

Flights could start the end of this year or early next year with Southwest planning to use the Boeing 737 Max 8; it took it first delivery of this plane in October.

“We understand there is a lot of excitement regarding the service, and we are working with the airline to accommodate its logistical needs,” Department of Transportation spokesperson Tim Sakahara said in a statement, which was published in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.

Southwest must still obtain the necessary clearance from the Federal Aviation Administration to operate trans-Pacific flights. How long this takes will affect the timetable of when the airline can begin operating flights to Honolulu from Los Angeles and San Francisco, but it’s coming soon, and this is likely to mean lower airfares for passengers.

Some aviation experts have speculated that Southwest would sell flights for $300 (perhaps even less) to Hawaii from the West Coast. It’s possible to find these fares on the other carriers (American, Delta, Hawaiian and United) tho it’s a matter of finding them and getting them at the right time, such as the spring and in the fall.

Meanwhile, there’s been speculation on Wall Street that Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, Inc., may buy Southwest. Hawaii is certainly a popular destination for another Buffet, Jimmy, who regularly plays at the Waikiki Shell amphitheater.