Your Hawaii Island Air flight will be more comfortable and quicker with upgraded Q400 planes
Your inter-island flight on Hawaii’s Island Air will be more comfortable and quicker, thanks to a new fleet of planes that promise roomier seats and faster flight times.
The company recently started flying Q400 planes made by Montreal-based Bombardier. Island Air flies 400 flights a week between the islands of Hawaii, Kauai, Maui and Oahu.
The new planes seat 78 passengers — 64 economy, 14 premium — instead of 64 passengers on the airline’s ATR-72 aircraft, which were retired Sept. 4.
(Passengers were treated to special snacks and raffles aboard the final Island Air flight on the old planes between Lihue, Kauai, and Honolulu, Oahu.)
The Q400s have roomier cabins, larger overhead bins and fly faster (414 mph), making the short hops between islands even shorter. The planes are also more fuel-efficient and feature advanced noise and vibration reduction.
So what will it cost you? For a trip between Honolulu and Kahului, Maui, next month, on randomly selected dates, I found fares starting at $144 round-trip on Island Air and on Hawaiian Airlines, which uses Boeing 717 jets for its inter-island services.
Airfares on another inter-island service, Mokulele Airlines, which flies nine-seater Cessnas, begin at $128.
One advantage to traveling in smaller planes: They fly at lower altitudes, thereby providing passengers with better views of Hawaii’s colorful sights from on high.
Info: Island Air
ALSO
Many cruise ships shifting itineraries to Cozumel, Mexico, and the western Caribbean, post-Irma
Oktoberfest in Las Vegas kicks off with a beer keg tapping by Siegfried & Roy
Highway 1 south of Big Sur now won’t be completely reopened until late summer 2018
Sign up for The Wild
We’ll help you find the best places to hike, bike and run, as well as the perfect silent spots for meditation and yoga.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
