On July 17, 91 years after the very first flight between the US mainland and Hawaii, Hawaiian Airlines begins daily year-round service between Oakland (OAK) and Lihue, on the Hawaiian Island of Kaua’i.
The First Trans-Pacific Flight took off from Oakland International Airport at 7:09 a.m. on June 28, 1927 in the Atlantic-Fokker C-2 Bird of Paradise. Lieutenant Lester J. Maitland was the pilot and Lieutenant Albert F. Hegenberger was the navigator. Oakland was chosen as the departure city because its long runway could accommodate the heavy aircraft carrying 1,120 gallons of fuel and 40 gallons of oil for the 2,425 mile journey. At 6:29 a.m. on the morning of June 29, 1927 the pilot and navigator landed safely at Wheeler Field in Kauai, Hawaii, with a total flying time of 25 hours and 49 minutes.
“This flight to Lihue is a welcome expansion of the tremendous connectivity between the Bay Area and the Hawaiian Islands, said Bryant L. Francis, director of aviation for the Port of Oakland, which owns and operates OAK. “We welcome travelers to experience the ease and convenience of flying the East Bay way on Hawaiian’s beautiful new Airbus A321neo.”
Today, the flight between Oakland and Lihue is just five and a half hours, and comes highly-anticipated following a postponed launch in April. Based in Honolulu, Hawaiian Airlines was one of the initial airlines to receive the Airbus A321neo aircraft, and Oakland was its first stop on the West Coast.
For those originating at OAK, on-airport parking is better than ever with a newly expanded Premier Lot and conveniently located Economy Lot! Coupons are available for five days of free parking in OAK’s Daily Lot for customers flying nonstop to Hawaii, Europe or Mexico through Sept. 30.
