HTA predicts 11.8% rise in number of airline seats to isles

Scheduled nonstop air seats to Hawaii are expected to jump 11.8 percent through the next three months from the year-earlier period as the tourism industry takes aim at a second straight record year for visitor arrivals.

International flights are projected to provide most of the impetus in the March-May period with air seats doubling on routes from Auckland, New Zealand, and Fuku­oka, Japan, according to a revised outlook released this week by the Hawaii Tourism Authority.

Hawaiian Airlines began daily nonstop service to Fuku­oka on April 16 and inaugurated three-days-a-week service to Auckland on Wednesday.

HTA updates its seat outlook every month.

Overall, air seats are expected to hit 2.72 million during the March-May period compared with 2.43 million a year ago. In January, HTA forecast that scheduled nonstop air seats would hit 2.70 million during the three-month period and reach 10.75 million for the year.

Tourist arrivals fell just shy of 8 million in 2012, and the HTA is targeting 8.5 million for this year as well as a record $15.8 billion in visitor spending.

"I think we’re on pace to achieve those numbers that we’ve projected, but the key to this is further strength in our distribution to the neighbor islands," said David Uchi­yama, vice president of brand management for HTA.

Uchiyama said he has had recent discussions with US Airways, which is seeking court approval to buy American Airlines out of bankruptcy. He said he asked the airline about reinstating routes from San Francisco and Chicago that American either eliminated or reduced service.

He also said he met with Allegiant Air about offering more nonstop flights to the neighbor islands besides its lone service between Bellingham, Wash., and Maui.

Uchiyama said he also met with go! parent Mesa Airlines in its Phoenix office to discuss the airline’s goal for the neighbor islands.

International air seats are predicted to rise 19.5 percent in the March-May period to 924,762 from 773,603, according to the report. Domestic air seats are projected to rise 8.2 percent to 1.79 million from 1.65 million.

Oceania, which comprises Australia and New Zealand, is expected to be the fastest growing for air seats with a 78.9 percent increase. "Other Asia," which encompasses Seoul and Shanghai, is forecast to increase air seats 25.2 percent, followed by Japan, 17.7 percent, and Canada, 0.1 percent. An assortment of eight other areas, which include Manila and Guam, is projected to rise 2.4 percent.

Domestically, U.S. East air seats are projected to rise 31.2 percent during the March-May period due to nonstop flights from New York and Washington, D.C., that weren’t operating during that three-month period a year ago.

Among routes that were operating, Chicago is expected to show the largest increase at 4.3 percent.

In the U.S. West, Bellingham, Wash., air seats are projected to be up 105.7 percent due to service provided to Maui and Hono­lulu from Allegiant and Alaska Airlines. The city with the second-largest percentage increase in air seats is Denver, up 24.3 percent.