Mar. 15—Here's some news that may disappoint Bay Area residents hoping to book a tropical vacation when the pandemic subsides: Alaska Airlines is cutting its direct flights between Oakland International Airport and Hawaii.
The airline said in a statement Monday it "made the difficult decision" to discontinue service between the East Bay and four Hawaiian Island markets: Oahu, Maui, Kauai and Hawaii Island (Kona), beginning May 21.
Alaska will continue its service between the Bay Area and Hawaii with its flights from San Francisco and San Jose, the airline said in the statement. In coming months, it will also increase the number of flights and Hawaii service from other West Coast hubs, including from Seattle, Los Angeles and San Diego.
"For the flights between Oakland and the Islands, our guests with reservations between now and May 20 will not be impacted; for our guests with flights booked on May 21 and beyond, we'll be in contact with them as we work on different travel arrangements," the airline said.
Alaska temporarily suspended flying between Oakland and Hawaii at the start of the pandemic in March, according to the travel website the Points Guy. Flights resumed during the holidays and were put on hold again in January. The plan was to return May 21, but instead the airline is discontinuing service, the Points Guy explained.
If you want to fly nonstop between Hawaii and Oakland, Southwest and Hawaiian airlines are continuing to offer service.
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