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Southwest CEO Gary Kelly acknowledged that the airline has put a priority on adding service to Hawaii.
Speaking at the airline’s shareholders meeting in Phoenix on May 17, Kelly said that while it is possible that service to the Islands could start as soon as 2018, he felt it was unlikely that the process will move that quickly.
“I doubt it,” Kelly told reporters. “We have not decided exactly what we want to do for 2018 yet.”
Before Southwest can start flying routes to the Aloha State it must get certification from the FAA for flights over the Pacific.
The first routes would most likely travel from the West Coast to Hawaii, Kelly said, but he did not offer any possible originating airports.
The Southwest chief contrasted the push to get into the Hawaii market with efforts to enter Canada, where the airline is not placing as much emphasis, according to a report in the Arizona Republic.
Sоurсе: travelweekly.com