Southwest Airlines adjusts routes between California and Hawaii

Oakland serves as one of Southwest's major operating bases with flights to over 30 destinations. Although Sacramento is not as large an operating base as Oakland, it still offers flights to 28 destinations according to Cirium data. The decision suggests that there wasn't sufficient nonstop demand for the Oakland-Kona route.

Despite this adjustment, Southwest will continue daily services between Oakland and other Hawaiian destinations such as Honolulu, Maui, and Lihue on Kauai. Department of Transportation data indicates that in 2023, there were about 60 daily nonstop passengers on average between Oakland and Kona.

In addition to these changes, Southwest plans to launch red-eye flights from Hawaii in early next year. Earlier this year, the airline also canceled its Los Angeles-Maui route. Further adjustments are being considered for their Hawaii network due to underperformance in interisland travel.

Andrew Watterson, Chief Operating Officer at Southwest Airlines, commented on interisland flight load factors saying "I think they're low." During a recent earnings call he noted ongoing efforts by cross-functional teams focused on optimizing their Hawaii network.