On May 20, Hawaiian Airlines will launch a service between Honolulu and the Cook Islands, giving tourists another choice for visiting the remote beaches of this country in the South Pacific.
Between 1987 and 1993, the airline operated flights to the Cook Islands.
Bookings for flights to Rarotonga will be possible on Hawaiian's website beginning on December 7.
The airline will run a single nonstop flight each week between its hub at Honolulu's Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) and Rarotonga International Airport (RAR), with service scheduled for the duration of the summer travel season.
The Cook Islands, a group of 15 islands in the South Pacific, are renowned for their tranquil beaches and volcanic peaks.
The Cook Islands are referred to as "an untouched paradise" with "no buildings taller than a coconut tree" on its tourism website.
The largest of the 15 islands, Rarotonga, is reachable from Honolulu through one of Hawaiian Airlines' 15 gateway locations in the U.S. mainland.
Hawaiian operates from a variety of places on the U.S. mainland in addition to its significant operations throughout Hawaii.
This comprises eight Californian cities in addition to Seattle, Boston, New York City, and Portland, Oregon.
According to Hawaiian Airlines CEO Peter Ingram, "This service significantly increases travel options between the Cook Islands and the United States, because of our timely connections and wide-ranging network, which includes service between Hawai'i and eight California destinations."
Every Saturday at 4 PM GMT, the flight will leave Honolulu and land at 10:25 PM UTC in Rarotonga.
On Sundays, returning flights will depart Rarotonga at 11:25 UTC and touch down in Honolulu at 5:50 GMT on Mondays.
Hawaiian intends to fly both routes using its Airbus A321neo aircraft, which has 128 normal economy seats in addition to 128 recliner seats in first class and 45 premium economy seats with greater legroom.
The route would assist increase tourism to the islands, Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown said in a statement after the announcement was made.
As we work to restore our tourism economy and improve connectivity to markets in the northern hemisphere, Brown added, "We applaud this timely news by Hawaiian Airlines."
"Inbound tourism is a major economic engine for our country, and to realize our full potential, we must have access to the more developed foreign markets."
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