Hawaiian Airlines To Suspend Service To South Korea

The carrier cites rapid rise in coronavirus cases and declining demand.

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Hawaiian Airlines said Wednesday it has temporarily suspended its five-times-weekly nonstop service between Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport and Incheon International Airport in South Korea.

The suspension will begin March 2 and run through April 30 due to the spike in COVID-19 — or coronavirus — cases in South Korea.

“We believe a temporary service suspension is prudent given the escalation of COVID-19 in South Korea and the impact the illness has had on demand for leisure travel from that country,” said Peter Ingram, president and CEO at Hawaiian Airlines. “We will continue to closely monitor the situation and extend our support for public health efforts to contain the virus. We apologize for this inconvenience and are working to support impacted guests.”

Hawaiian Airlines traveler silhouetted in the HNL Interisland Terminal.
A Hawaiian Airlines traveler silhouetted at the HNL Interisland Terminal. The carrier said Wednesday it is cancelling flights to Seoul because of COVID-19. Cory Lum/Civil Beat

Service is scheduled to resume on May 1 from HNL and May 2 from ICN.

Hawaiian said in a press release that it is assisting impacted guests by offering re-accommodations on alternative flights or providing refunds.

It has also issued a travel waiver for guests holding tickets on Hawaiian Airlines codeshare flights departing to/from/connecting via South Korea (KR) airports. Click here for more information.

In related news, Delta Airlines is also temporarily reducing the number of weekly flights it operates between the U.S. and Seoul due to global health concerns related to coronavirus.

Airlines around the world — including the major three U.S. carriers, American, Delta and United — previously suspended routes to China.

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