Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-800 (Photo courtesy of Alaska Airlines)

Kona, Hawai’i’s Big Island (Nov. 17, 2008) – As Alaska Airlines’ passengers disembarked this afternoon onto the tarmac at Kona International Airport, all 157 were greeted with flower lei, Hawaiian music and a warm aloha welcome by tourism officials and industry representatives.
 
It was hard to tell who was smiling wider, the passengers who were the first to take advantage of the new daily non-stop flight from wintry Seattle to sunny Kona, or those who greeted the new non-stop flight. 
 
“This new direct flight on Alaska Airlines is a very positive way to kick off our winter travel season,” said George Applegate, Executive Director of the Big Island Visitors Bureau. “It’s one of the bright spots on our Island’s economic horizon.”
 
Applegate said that Seattle was one of the Big Island’s fastest-growing markets in 2007, and on a statewide basis arrivals from Washington State are up 5.6 percent, even though arrivals from other U.S. markets are down. The flight will be offered year-round, and will add up to 57,000 seats per year based on current schedules.
 
The new user-friendly non-stop flight from Seattle to Kona departs at 8:40 a.m. Pacific Standard Time and arrives in Kona at 1 p.m. Hawai’i time. Return flights depart at 2 p.m., and arrive in Seattle at 9:40 p.m. PST. The flights are on board Boeing 737-800s, with 16 first-class seats, and 141 seats in the main cabin.
 
Brad Walker, Alaska Airlines’ managing director of leisure and group travel marketing who was on board the inaugural flight, said the timing of the new flight couldn’t be better.
 
“Seattle and the rest of the Pacific Northwest are heading into winter, and temperatures have already started dipping into the low 40s. Who doesn’t want to escape to a warm, tropical paradise like Hawai’i’s Big Island? We anticipate this route will be one of our most popular,” Walker said.
 
Walker added that Alaska Airlines’ success with other Hawai’i routes proves that its loyal customer base loves Hawai’i.
 
And the feeling is mutual.
 
“The Big Island Visitors Bureau is committed to assisting Alaska Airlines maintain the success of this flight through cooperative marketing campaigns and sales initiatives in the Seattle and the Pacific Northwest, much like the alliances we have with all of our established airline partners which provide direct service to Hawai’i’s Big Island,” Applegate said.
 
The flight is one of several that will make winter warmer for North American travelers looking to escape the cold by visiting Hawai’i’s Big Island. A new weekly direct flight from Vancouver to Kona aboard Air Canada starts Dec. 13, adding up to 1,100 seats per month, and WestJet, which launched a seasonal direct flight between Vancouver and Kona last year, resumes on Dec. 18. WestJet’s twice-weekly flight is expected to bring up to 1,400 passengers per month. Growth in established service and the addition of new flights adds up to an increase in air seat capacity to the Island of Hawai’i-air seats will be up 1.7 percent in the first quarter of 2009 compared to first quarter 2 008.
 
For reservations and information, go to www.alaskaair.com, or call (800) ALASKAAIR
 
For information on Hawai’i’s Big Island, please visit www.bigisland.org