The longest US domestic flight is coming back to take travelers to Hawaii

In good news for travelers wishing to fly to Hawaii for some sunshine and sea during the Christmas holidays, Hawaiian Airlines has announced that it will resume the almost 10-hour service between Honolulu and Boston on 18 December.

Although the 5095-mile flight previously operated five times per week, and is the longest domestic flight in the US, it will return with a twice-weekly nonstop service between Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport and Boston Logan International Airport. Hawaiian will also resume its service between Honolulu and New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport airport, as well as the rest of its 13-city US mainland network.

US travelers can fly to Hawaii for Christmas © Rosanna U via Getty Images

The Boston flight was first launched in April 2019 because it was the largest market in the US without a direct flight to Hawaii at the time, and the flight was aimed at supporting business, as the two states share a seafood industry. It takes about 10 hours to travel from Honolulu to Boston, and the return flight takes about 11.5 hours. Travelers will be glad to learn that Hawaii has now introduced a pre-travel COVID-19 testing program that will enable those arriving there to avoid quarantine.

When the virus took hold worldwide back in March, travelers arriving in Hawaii had to undergo a 14-day mandatory quarantine period, but now they can provide proof of a negative state-approved test taken within 72 hours of departure instead. To facilitate this, Hawaiian Airlines recently began offering convenient drive-through testing in select US mainland gateways.

“We’re pleased with increased demand for travel to Hawaii, and we’re excited to once again offer our East Coast guests the convenience of our nonstop flights as we welcome them to the islands with new health and safety measures,” says Brent Overbeek, senior vice president of revenue management and network planning at Hawaiian Airlines.