Hawaiian Airlines Resumes Seasonal Flights to New Zealand

Hawaiian Airlines resumed its seasonal flights from Honolulu (HNL) to Auckland, New Zealand (AKL) this week, recreating an air bridge between two destinations with a common Polynesian heritage.

Hawaiian will offer three weekly roundtrips between its home base and New Zealand until April 30, 2025, taking advantage of summer in the southern hemisphere.

Photo: Courtesy of Hawaiian Airlines

The eight-hour flight will take travelers across the International Date Line from Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time (UTC-10) to New Zealand Daylight Time (UTC+13).

Russell Williss, country director for New Zealand at Hawaiian Airlines, said: “We love connecting people with aloha and take our decade-long commitment to connecting New Zealand with Hawai’i and the United States (and vice versa) very seriously.

“There’s no greater thrill than seeing our Kiwi travelers light up when they see our Pualani tail at Auckland Airport and know they’re about to embark on a memorable travel experience that no other airline can provide,” he added, referring to the distinctive livery of Hawaiian’s planes.

Photo: Courtesy of Hawaiian Airlines

Across the fleet, tail fins are painted with the carrier’s ‘Pualani’ (flower of the sky) logo, depicted in the hair of native Hawaiian Leina’ala Ann Teruya Drummond, who worked as a flight attendant in the 1960s.

Although Hawaii and Aotearoa (the Māori-language name for New Zealand) are separated by 4,400 miles of the South Pacific, they have shared ancestry and many cultural similarities.

Easy Connections in Honolulu

The flight also serves as a gateway to North and Central America for Kiwis. Once landing in Honolulu, they can easily connect to 140 destinations across the combined network of Hawaiian Airlines and its new owner, Alaska Airlines.

Hawaiian will use Airbus A330s on the route with 278 seats: 18 first class, 68 economy comfort, and 192 economy.

Photo: Courtesy of Hawaiian Airlines

The planes have recently been equipped to offer free Starlink Wi-Fi, a venture from Elon Musk’s SpaceX that uses low earth orbit satellites to provide high-speed satellite internet.

Hawaiian Airlines is one of the first airlines to get on board with Starlink and has been followed by Qatar Airways. JetBlue, United, and Air France. It says the Internet will be available to passengers on the New Zealand flights throughout their journey.

“A tremendous level of care has gone into ensuring the return of our service was a success — for both our wonderful guests and incredible employees, who are just as excited to serve this important part of our network,” said Williss.

Hawaiian Airlines was officially acquired by Alaska Airlines in September. However, Alaska maintains a separate Hawaiian brand and distinct identity. The airline’s branding, including the Pualani logo, was recently named the most distinctive among U.S. airlines by market researcher Distinctive BAT.

Flight Details

HA445 will depart Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport at 1:05 PM on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and land in Auckland the following day at 9:20 PM.

HA446 will depart from Auckland at 11:30 PM local time on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays and arrive in Honolulu at 9:15 AM the same day. The early-morning arrival allows travelers from New Zealand to connect onward to other destinations served by Hawaiian Airlines, including the “Neighbour Islands” it serves throughout the Pacific, such as French Polynesia (PPT) and Cook Islands (RAR).