Expansive Hawaiian Airlines to add two more Airbuses

Here's a vote of confidence in the future. Hawaiian Airlines plans to add two more A330-200 widebodies - a move that would accelerate introduction of the transoceanic twinjets into the Hawaiian fleet to 2011.

The 298-seat A330-200s, leased from AWAS, will be fitted for two classes: first and economy. They have very long legs, and are capable of flying 5,500 nautical miles nonstop.

The two leased A330-200s come on top of an agreement concluded back in February with Airbus which would see six A330s don Hawaiian livery. The craft will be able to connect Hawaii nonstop with all of North America, as well as eastern Asia.

The carrier also has on order even longer-range craft: six A350XWB-800s. The XWB stands for “extra-wide body”). These A350s will have the range to connect Hawaii nonstop to vast swaths of the planet, opening up opportunities for Hawaiian travel that simply have existed before without having to either stop en-route or change planes. The A350ws should start to enter the Hawaiian fleet in 2017.

© Cheapflights Ltd Jerry Chandler