As other airlines started to notice the deep discount offered by Southwest, they also started to drop their own prices to enter the race and match Southwest.
Southwest Airlines, one of the major U.S. airlines recently announced that it will be launching a deeply discounted service to Hawaii. According to sources close to the matter, one-way flights priced at as low as $49 will be available from San Jose and Oakland in California which would fly to Honolulu and Kahului in Hawaii. The two-day launch sale will be available for purchase through March 5, 2019.
According to reliable reports, the airlines will start its service to Hawaii on March 17. Sale-fare date starts from March 19 and will continue through various dates in May according to the various routes. Travel at the deeply discounted fares will remain valid till June 19.
Southwest Airlines official news release provides the comprehensive details about the fare-sale.
Inter-island routes such as between Honolulu and Kahului will also be launched by Southwest on April 28. One-way inter-island routes will be priced at even lower at $29. This fare sale will also be launched on March 5.
It should be noted that the airline said in its announcement that the lowest fares are valid only on certain days of the week. Southwest said that in the coming weeks, services from Sacramento and San Diego as well as flights to and from Lihue, on Kauai are also scheduled to be announced.
Other airlines like Hawaiian Airlines offers nonstop flights from San Francisco, Los Angeles, Oakland, Long Beach, California and Sacramento to Hawaii but during popular vacation season like spring, summer and Christmas break, fares of flights to Hawaii are priced at $650 to $800 especially in the airports Southwest is initially targeting. Even during low-season travel air fare between California and Hawaii rarely drop below $300.
As other airlines started to notice the deep discount offered by Southwest, they also started to drop their own prices to enter the race and match Southwest. While American Airline lowered a part of its round-trip Hawaii fares from the Bay Area to $275, Alaska Air also dropped its prices for Bay Area to Hawaii to around $200 later in the day.