Aloha Airlines seeks
to begin East Coast runsThe carrier is vying with others
for flights into and out of D.C.
Aloha Airlines has filed to initiate its first East Coast-West Coast daily direct flights, which would feed passengers from Washington, D.C., through Southern California to Hawaii.
But the airline faces competition from other carriers for federal approval.
Congress created exemptions in November that will allow airlines to offer six more daily direct round-trip flights between Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Western U.S. points beyond a 1,250-mile perimeter.
The deadline for applications was yesterday, and the U.S. Department of Transportation is reviewing them in a formal proceeding.
Aloha applied yesterday to provide two daily direct flights between Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and John Wayne Airport in Orange County, Calif., where Aloha has connecting flights to Hawaii.
It would be the only direct service between the three Washington, D.C., airports and Orange County, which has a population of roughly 3 million.
American Airlines applied yesterday to start daily direct service between Ronald Reagan Airport and Los Angeles, and United Airlines filed to offer two daily direct flights between Reagan and both San Francisco and Denver. Delta, Alaska, America West, Primaris and Frontier airlines also filed applications yesterday, according to the DOT Web site.
It was unclear when the DOT would announce a decision, but Aloha would begin the new flights July 1 if it wins approval, the airline said. The carrier would use its 737-700 aircraft configured with 12 first-class and 112 coach seats, according to its application.
Along with building Hawaii's market for high-spending East Coast tourists, the Orange County flights would mark the first transcontinental service for Aloha, which initiated Hawaii-West Coast flights in 2000 with twice-daily service to Oakland, Calif.
"Clearly, this proposed service will be especially beneficial to business and leisure travelers who prefer to fly during the morning or evening hours in order to maximize their day," said Glenn Zander, president and chief executive of Honolulu-based Aloha.
Local competitor Hawaiian Airlines has no East Coast flights, though it has studied the possibility of expanding to that market, according to spokesman Keoni Wagner. The carrier's 767 aircraft are capable of making the trip nonstop from Hawaii, he said.
Aloha, in addition to its Hawaii-mainland and interisland flights, has daily flights between Phoenix and Orange County; Reno and Orange County; Las Vegas and Oakland; Las Vegas and Burbank, Calif.; and Burbank and Sacramento, Calif.