Airline Cuts All Service to Hawaii for the Rest of the Year

All airlines are dealing with pilot shortages and higher fuel prices, and adapting their schedules as the situation dictates.

For one airline, it has meant making a dramatic decision.

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Budget carrier Sun Country Airlines said Tuesday it will cut service to Hawaii for the rest of the year due to the mitigating factors, according KHON in Honolulu.

In a message to customers, Sun Country said: “Due to the current pilot shortage impacting all U.S. airlines, Sun Country has regrettably elected to suspend service to Honolulu, HI (HNL) for the 2022 travel season. Passengers who were booked on impacted flights will automatically be refunded to their original form of payment for their reservation. We apologize for any inconvenience this temporary suspension of Honolulu service causes to our customers. We are hopeful for a return of Honolulu service for the 2023 travel season.”

Sun Country will refund passengers who already purchased airfares for trips to Hawaii. The airline will not, however, cover any associated costs such as lodging or rental cars. Connecting flights on other airlines, or inter-island flights on other airlines, also will not be refunded.

“Anticipating that we will continue to be operationally constrained by workforce shortages, including crew, Sun Country is adjusting our summer flying schedule to align better with staffing and aircraft availability,” a Sun Country spokesman said in a statement provided to KHON. “We are eliminating service to Fairbanks and Honolulu – two long-haul flights that will also save on high fuel costs. We apologize to our guests for the change.”

A day later, Sun Country amended its statement to KHON, adding that “Bookings are strong for summer travel, and we know our customers are eager to vacation. After experiencing extremely high demand in the first quarter of the year, Sun Country is adjusting our summer flying schedule to ensure that we are providing a reliable product and to align our flying with current high fuel prices.”