Delta Adds 3 Long-haul Routes to Hawaii [Atlanta, Detroit, New York]

Delta Air Lines is adding 3 new long-haul routes to the sunny state of Hawaii, allowing passengers from the mainland to head to the island state from more locations. Starting this fall and winter, Delta will add nonstop, daily, round-trip flights from Atlanta to Maui, Detroit to Honolulu, and New York-JFK to Honolulu.

The Routes

Delta currently serves Hawaii from Atlanta, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Salt Lake City, and Seattle, but with the addition of these new routes, Delta will also add Detroit and New York-JFK to its route map.

• Depart Atlanta (ATL) at 11:00 a.m. — Arrive Maui (OGG) at 4:00 p.m. (+1)
• Depart Maui (OGG) at 5:25 p.m. — Arrive Atlanta (ATL) at 6:40 a.m. (+1)

• Depart Detroit (DTW) at 12:15 p.m. — Arrive Honolulu (HNL) at 4:00 p.m. 
• Depart Honolulu (HNL) at 5:00 p.m. — Arrive Detroit (DTW) at 6:30 a.m. (+1)

• Depart New York (JFK) at 9:00 a.m. — Arrive Honolulu (HNL) at 3:35 p.m. 
• Depart Honolulu (HNL) at 4:55 p.m. — Arrive New York (JFK) at 7:25 a.m. (+1)

Delta currently serves Atlanta with its Honolulu flight, and both Detroit and New York do not see any other current Delta Hawaii service. While there will be no other carrier competing with Delta out of Detroit, Hawaiian Airlines currently offers daily nonstop service from New York to Honolulu and United Airlines offers seasonal daily flying from its Newark hub to both Honolulu and Maui.

Aircraft

Each flight will be operated by a Boeing 767 aircraft with a Main Cabin and Delta One product. Interestingly, the aircraft will not contain Premium Select seats, Delta’s premium economy product. Because of Delta’s upgrade policies, those using an upgrade instrument to try to move cabins will be able to go directly from the Main Cabin to Delta One, without having to first be booked in Premium Select. For those looking to upgrade, this is a major perk and certainly makes using an upgrade on one of these Hawaii routes very appealing.

Benefits of These Flights

Flying to Hawaii can be a very long, arduous adventure. A nonstop flight from the East Coast to Hawaii can run over 11 hours, and if you stop in a connecting city, this can easily take up a full day or longer.

By serving Hawaii from Detroit, Atlanta, and New York, customers are able to complete their flight to Hawaii as the longest segment of their journey, expediting their trip to the islands.

On the red-eye return flight back to the mainland, customers can get a full night of sleep without having to stop in Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, or Seattle as a halfway-between point that interrupts the night.

Hot Tip: Check out our ultimate travel guides to Hawaii, including Oahu, the Big Island, and Lanai and Maui and Kauai. We also have a guide to the best times to visit Hawaii, detailed by seasons and islands.

Final Thoughts

Demand to Hawaii has increased exponentially throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, thanks to Hawaii’s warm climate and outdoor-centered environment. These new Delta flights will allow more passengers to connect onwards to the 50th state and some passengers living in these hub cities will be especially lucky to fly on a nonstop journey.