Alaska Air’s new route will link Kauai, San Diego

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Alaska Airlines, which has focused on the neighbor islands while expanding in the Hawaii market, plans to begin daily service between San Diego and Kauai next year.

The route will generate $41 million in visitor spending and $4.5 million tax revenue annually for the state, according to the Hawaii Tourism Authority.

“Alaska Airlines has been a great partner in expanding air service to all four of the major Hawaiian Islands from the U.S. mainland,” HTA CEO Mike McCartney said Friday in a statement.

Seattle-based Alaska Airlines, which flies 20 percent of its flights to Hawaii, operates more than 700 flights a month to the state. That accounts for 23 percent of total U.S. West seats coming into the islands.

The San Diego-Kauai service will begin June 7 as a daily route and continue with that frequency until Aug. 24 after which it will change to four days a week. Introductory one-way fares start at $209. Tickets must be purchased by Nov. 23 and can be used for travel through July 18.

Alaska Airlines also announced it would offer daily service between San Diego and Boston.

“Bolstered by strong demand from the business community and vacation travelers alike, we’re thrilled to announce convenient nonstop service from San Diego to historical ‘Beantown’ and the beautiful ‘Garden Isle,’” said Joe Sprague, vice president of marketing for Alaska Airlines. “With the addition of these two new routes, Alaska Airlines will offer 160 flights a week from San Diego to a dozen cities by next summer.”

Alaska also offers nonstop service to Kauai from Oakland, Calif.; Portland, Ore.; Seattle; and San Jose, Calif.

Among other carriers, American Airlines and Delta Air Lines fly nonstop to Kauai from Los Angeles. United Airlines flies to Kauai from Los Angeles, as well as Denver and San Francisco. US Airways offers service from Phoenix, while WestJet flies from Vancouver, British Columbia.

“Our economy is seeing more signs of improvement, and this move by Alaska indicates confidence in Kauai as a visitor destination,” Kauai Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. said.