American Airlines extends a popular nonstop tropical flight from CLT airport
American Airlines extended its daily, nonstop flight from Charlotte to Honolulu through Jan. 3, three months more than initially planned.
The flight launched on May 6 as the first nonstop American flight to the Hawaiian capital from Charlotte, the airline’s second-largest hub. It was originally planned to operate seasonally through Sept. 7.
The decision to extend was made in April, one month before the launch of the flight because of high demand. Typically, American’s Hawaii flights come from Dallas, Los Angeles, and Phoenix. This year, the carrier launched the CLT-HNL flight in response to consumer interest.
The route was last operated by US Airways before the carrier merged with American in 2013. US Airways suspended the Charlotte-Honolulu flight in 2010 after three months into running it.
A 273-seat Boeing 777-200 has been flying daily from Charlotte Douglas International Airport to Daniel K Inouye International Airport since June 2. Before then, it had operated twice a week for close to a month.
The approximately 10-hour flight is the longest one operating from CLT. This makes Boeing 777-200 a suitable aircraft for the flight, according to American Airlines spokesman Andrew Trull.
Widebody aircraft like Boeing 777 had mostly been used in long, international flights. As global travel suspended during the pandemic, American adjusted its route network, positioning larger aircraft such as Boeing 777s and Boeing 787s on certain domestic flights. T
he same aircraft model is used on one seasonal American flight from Phoenix to Hawaii during the summer, from June 3 to Aug. 16.
Visit a Reopening Hawaii
Travelers to Hawaii might soon expect to visit the island without COVID-19 restrictions.
Hawaii Governor David Ige announced on June 4 that when the state reaches a 60% vaccination rate, fully vaccinated individuals who travel from the U.S. mainland will be able to enter the state without quarantine or a negative COVID-19 test result, provided that they present proof of vaccination.
When Hawaii’s vaccination rate hits 70%, the state will lift all travel restrictions.
As of June 9, 54% of the state’s residents are fully vaccinated, according to the Hawaii Department of Health.
Currently, the state mandates 10-day quarantine for individuals traveling to the island domestically, including residents and fully vaccinated travelers.
Through Hawaii’s Safe Travels program, individuals are able to bypass the quarantine requirements with negative COVID-19 test results from a listed partner within 72 hours of their departure for Hawaii.
