Southwest Airlines prepares Hawaiian flights in Western Region

(Reuters) – Southwest Airlines Co will soon begin flights from California to Hawaii, as part of the budget-conscious carrier's efforts to boost leisure travel from the west coast, announced Friday a leader.

The new Southwest service will include inland flights directly competing with Hawaiian Airlines, as well as a combination of flights from Oakland, Sacramento, San Diego and San Jose to four destinations. Hawaii.

Southwest, already a preferred airline for many California travelers with a market share of more than 60%, is attempting to expand its West Coast recreational portfolio as part of a growth drive that also includes new flights to Mexico.

"Hawaii allows us to give more leisure options to our west coast clients, which represents a heavy burden for businesses," said Andrew Watterson, Southwest's revenue manager, at a news conference. telephone interview.

This contrasts with Southwest's portfolio on the US East Coast, where it has built a reputation as a low-cost carrier for Florida leisure destinations from cities in the northeastern United States. United.

The launch in Hawaii comes later than Southwest had hoped, after a partial shutdown of the US government earlier this year, which delayed the certification process needed for new flights over the ocean.

As a result, the Dallas-based carrier missed a key booking window for its trip to the Hawaiian Islands, which, according to Watterson, tends to book months in advance rather than days or weeks.

This means that Southwest will have to offer below-average introductory rates until mid-June to boost passenger traffic.

"After that, we will have low traditional southwestern rates during the next booking period," said Watterson.

While the government's certification on too-high water opens the door to other long-haul flights for the southwest, Mr. Watterson said the plan was to focus on Hawaii for the moment , noting that there were currently no additional aircraft to serve new routes.

Southwest will start flying to Hawaii with its Boeing 737-800 NG and plans to upgrade to 737-MAX 8 later this year, he said.

The launch comes as Southwest grapples with a bitter labor dispute with its mechanics union, which has led to an explosion in the number of out-of-service aircraft, resulting in flight cancellations and delays.

Southwest shares closed down 3% on Friday, dropping gains the day before due to rumors that Berkshire Hathaway of Warren Buffet, the carrier's second largest shareholder, may seek to acquire the company.

Southwest and Berkshire refused to comment on the rumor.