Virgin America will launch flights between San Francisco and Honolulu November 2, and to Kahului, Maui, beginning December 3.

The California-based airline will employ new Airbus aircraft that offer three classes of service, touch-screen entertainment and a food and cocktail menu on every flight, according to an announcement.

“With a loyal following of Bay Area-based business travelers who have long requested our expansion to the islands, we couldn’t be more pleased to offer our ‘work-hard/play-hard’ frequent flyers the opportunity to fly in style to the ultimate getaway,” said Virgin America President and Chief Executive Officer, David Cush, in a statement. “We look forward to bringing a new kind of flight service to the market and to building lasting community ties with the state of Hawaii.”

Introductory $199 one-way fares were announced with the launch.

“These flights will boost air seat capacity to Hawaii from our core U.S. West market and attract new visitors through Virgin America’s vast flight network across the United States,” said David Uchiyama, Hawaii Tourism Authority vice president for brand management, in a statement.

Cush said in an interview that Hawaii was “the big glaring hole” in his airline’s network from San Francisco.

While Virgin will face several rivals to Hawaii, Cush said routes between New York’s Kennedy Airport and both San Francisco and Los Angeles are even more competitive, “and we do just fine against five competitors in each of those.” He expects Hawaii flying to be profitable in about a year.

United Airlines, Delta Air Lines and Hawaiian Airlines already fly to Honolulu from San Francisco, and Alaska Airlines flies there from San Jose and Oakland, California. Southwest Airlines has long considered flying to Hawaii, although it has not announced any service.

Virgin America Inc. still needs approval from the Federal Aviation Administration for the long over-water flights using 149-passenger Airbus A320 jets. The airline flies to 21 destinations on the U.S. mainland and Mexico, with its biggest markets in San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Shares of the Burlingame, California-based airline rose 38 cents to $29.70 in afternoon trading.

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The Associated Press contributed to this story.