Independent Island Air adds
Garden Island to flight roster

Island Air will begin offering service to Kauai next month, including nonstop flights between the Garden Isle and Maui, the airline said yesterday.

Passengers traveling between Maui and Kauai on the state's two larger airlines must currently stop in Honolulu first.

"The nonstop flights from Lihue to Maui make interisland travel from Lihue very convenient," said Neil Takekawa, president of Island Air.

The airline will offer two daily roundtrip flights between Lihue and Kahului, Maui, and also two daily roundtrip flights between Lihue and Honolulu. The Honolulu service will include flights 45 minutes later than any other airline's current schedule -- 8 p.m. from Honolulu and 9 p.m. from Lihue.

"The evening flight will allow business travelers a full day in Lihue or Honolulu," Takekawa said in a statement. "For visitors, the flight schedule makes travel between Kauai and Oahu perfect for a day trip."

Island Air continues to increased the number of aircraft if flies to Kapalua and Kaanapali on Maui, Kona and Hilo on the Big Island and Molokai and Lanai from Honolulu and Kahului.

Island Air, which began operating as an independent airline in May after being sold by the parent of Aloha Airlines, now has nine 37-passenger turboprop de Havilland DASH-8s and plans to add another one late next month, the airline said.