Southwest Airline’s new nonstop service between Las Vegas and Hilo, Hawaii, begins next month, representatives of the Dallas-based airline said.
The three-times-weekly flights, first announced in December, leave Harry Reid International Airport Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays at 9:30 a.m., arriving at 12:35 p.m., local time, starting Aug. 6. Return flights will leave at 8:45 p.m., arriving at 5:10 a.m., the next day.
The Hilo service — the second nonstop between Las Vegas and the big island of Hawaii — joins other Hawaiian Island service to Kona (Hawaii), Honolulu (Oahu), Lihue (Kauai) and Kahului (Maui). The airline also offers interisland flights connecting those airports.
“We heard you, Hilo,” Adam Decaire, Southwest Airlines senior vice president of network planning and network operations control, said in the initial release about the flights. “Las Vegas is important to you, and you’re important to us. This service gets you faster to family and fun in Nevada where you also can access easy connections on Southwest to many of the 75 places that we serve nonstop from Las Vegas with as many 272 departures a day.”
With a large number of native Hawaiians living in the Las Vegas area, the city is often referred to as “the Ninth Island.”
“When I took office, I pledged to strengthen ties with the ‘Ninth Island’ — Las Vegas, where many Hawaii-born residents live,” Hawaii County Mayor Kimo Alameda said in a release. “Southwest’s renewed service shows its dedication. Quicker flights across the Pacific means more convenience for our local families and another chance to support our hometown airline.”
The new Hilo service is part of a broader expansion for the busiest commercial air carrier serving Reid.
Southwest is adding nonstop flights from Las Vegas to 11 destinations as well as more flights on 15 existing routes. Las Vegas is one of two Southwest cities that offer direct nonstops to Anchorage, Alaska.
Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on X.
