Honolulu-based Hawaiian Airlines is the heartbeat of Hawaiian aviation, connecting the state archipelago to the rest of the world. The airline, which is now part of the Alaska Air Group, has proactively been replacing its aging Airbus A330 aircraft with the state-of-the-art Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, so next time you’re set to fly on this fabulous airplane, could it be one of the longest routes the 787 flies for Hawaiian?

Hawaiian Airlines is the largest operator at Honolulu Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL), and remains one of the top ten largest airlines in the United States. The airline operates primarily from its home at HNL; however, it also maintains a secondary hub on the island of Maui, at Kahului Airport (OGG).

The carrier operates a robust network of some of the longest domestic flights in the United States. Also, it extends its reach to countries around the Pacific Rim, including Australia, New Zealand (seasonally), Japan, the Cook Islands, and South Korea.

The 787 For Hawaiian

Hawaiian Airlines initially had plans for fleet renewal by ordering the Airbus A330-800, but opted for the Boeing 787-9. This was part of an overall shakeup where Boeing Capital released Hawaiian from 767-300ER leases, with these aircraft eventually ending up at Chicago-based United Airlines.

Hawaiian eventually confirmed a deal with Boeing in March 2018, with plans to obtain ten 787-9, with options for ten more. The deal was finalized in the United Kingdom, at the July edition of the Farnborough Air Show.

By 2023, Hawaiian Airlines noted that it would bump up its order to 12 firm, as part of a delivery deferral agreement with the American plane maker. After multiple delays, the first plane arrived at the beginning of 2024, initially entering into domestic service on routes to the US West Coast.

Data from ch-aviation identified that Hawaiian now operates four Boeing 787-9; however, all are set to be transferred to Alaska Airlines by the beginning of Spring 2026.

There are also plans for up to five 787-9 on order with Boeing, to be converted to the 787-10, which will allow for greater capacity on flights to Europe, and include a new Premium Economy cabin.

Hawaiian Airlines’ 787-9 aircraft are configured to carry up to 300 passengers across two classes, including 34 in Premium Cabin (international business / domestic first), 79 in Extra Comfort (economy plus), and 187 in Main Cabin (economy). These are marginally larger than the Airbus A330-200 when it comes to seat capacity, which can cater for 278 passengers.

Using data from Cirium, an online aviation analytics company, My analysed the airline’s longest routes that are operated with the Hawaiian Airlines Boeing 787-9 for the 2025 calendar year.

Seattle To Seoul

Making headlines earlier this year was Hawaiian Airlines’ plan to operate a flight from the mainland United States to South Korea. This was part of its merger with Seattle-based Alaska Airlines, where the Hawaiian carrier would operate its widebody aircraft on behalf of Alaska Airlines.

This was the first time that Alaska had the opportunity to use widebody aircraft to fuel its international long-haul ambitions.

September 12 marked the first flight from Seattle Tacoma International Airport (SEA) to the South Korean capital, Seoul, touching down at Incheon International Airport (ICN) the next day.

This year, Hawaiian aircraft will operate the route 80 times in each direction, with the carrier operating the route on behalf of Alaska Airlines up to five times per week.

Between the airline’s launch date and the end of the year, Hawaiian Airlines will provide a total of 24,000 new seats on the route, equating to 1,500 per week.

At a total distance of 5,217 miles (8,395 km) gate to gate, it remains the airline’s longest route with the 787-9. The flight time is blocked out at 11 hours, 50 minutes on the outbound, and ten hours, five minutes on the return.

Honolulu To New York

One of the longest domestic flights in the United States is operated by Hawaiian Airlines, connecting Honolulu to the Big Apple, which covers a distance of 4,983 miles (8,019 km).

While Hawaiian Airlines also operates direct flights to Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) – slightly further in distance (5,087 miles / 8,186 km), this route is operated with the airline’s Airbus A330-200, so it is excluded from this analysis. Hawaiian will also withdraw its service to Boston from November 19.

The aircraft type was launched on the New York John F. Kennedy route on April 22, expected to replace the airline’s aging A330s on the route. However, network adjustments have meant the Airbus variant is now back serving the route, as noted by Flightradar24, when searching for the flights this month. The schedule of New York flights is outlined below:

This year, Hawaiian Airlines will record a total of 143 non-stop flights to New York City, representing a total of 42,900 seats with the 787-9. When taking this into consideration, this provides a total of 213,770,700 available seat miles (ASMs) on the popular route.

The only other airline that offers non-stop flights between these two cities is United Airlines’ seasonal service from HNL to Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR).

Honolulu To Phoenix

Non-stop services to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) connect the state of Arizona to the Aloha state. HA started flying the 787 to Phoenix on May 15, 2024, when the airline’s second 787 was delivered.

This was the day after it also introduced the widebody aircraft on flights to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), on May 14. However, the honeymoon was short-lived, with the airline removing the 787 from its dedicated Phoenix service in April, with the A330 returning to the Valley of the Sun.

Regardless, Hawaiian has scheduled 111 non-stop flights in 2025 between HNL and PHX on the 787, providing more than 33,600 seats on the city pair.

Covering a distance of 2,918 miles (4,696 km), this route is substantially shorter than the other two longest routes served with this aircraft, but remains an integral part of the HA route map.

Nonetheless, Hawaiian connects Honolulu to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport daily, with its HA36 flight pushing back from HNL at 11:00 for the nearly five and a half hour journey to Arizona, to a scheduled arrival of 19:58.

Return flights are operated as HA35 leaving the next morning, at 08:00, and arriving back in Honolulu at 11:49. These flights are not only timed perfectly to make the most of your day in Hawaii, but also reap the rewards of convenient transfer times into the airline’s wider international network from HNL.

Honolulu To Seattle

Hawaiian Airlines’ fifth-longest Boeing 787 route is that of Honolulu to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The route, which will see more than 251 direct flights this year, provides sufficient capacity into both the Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines networks through its two largest airport hubs.

Covering a distance of 2,677 miles (4,308 km), the carrier will add a total of 75,300 available seats on the route in each direction.

Not only are Hawaiian 787 aircraft frequently spotted at the Washington State airport, but so are its Airbus A330s, given the carrier’s wider route offering, including that of Tokyo Narita Airport (A330), Kahului (A330), and Anchorage (A330 – seasonal).

The flight between Honolulu and Seattle has an average flight time of five hours, 50 minutes, whereas the return takes marginally longer, surpassing six hours, 15 minutes. In the 2025 calendar year, this direct link will provide 201,578,100 available seat miles.

Partner, Alaska Airlines, also operates the route with its own Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. Eligible Hawaiian Airlines passengers can access the Alaska Airlines lounges located at Seattle.

Flying High With Alaska Airlines

As already mentioned, the Hawaiian Airlines Boeing 787s are expected to be transferred to Alaska Airlines early next year. This will open the door for Alaska to launch its own international 787 service. This year already, the carrier has used the back door to launch Tokyo and Seoul (albeit operated by Hawaiian).

By spring 2026, Alaska plans to add London and Rome with the widebody planes, while also adding seasonal flights to the capital of Iceland, Reykjavik, with direct flights onboard the airline’s Boeing 737 MAX 8.

Introducing the 787 into the Alaska fleet is central to the carrier establishing Seattle as its global gateway. The airline is aiming to serve 12 long-haul international gateways by the end of the decade. Part of this initiative is establishing a new global livery and new aircraft interiors.

For Hawaiian Airlines, it will mean that these ultra-modern aircraft will become a thing of the past, leading the Honolulu-based carrier to refocus its medium and long-haul domestic and international operations with the Airbus A330, which will all receive updated interiors that include lie-flat business class and new Extra Comfort seats.

Currently, Hawaiian Airlines operates a total of 24 Airbus A330-200 aircraft, alongside ten Airbus A330-300P2F, which are operated on behalf of Amazon Air.