Southwest adds nonstop service between Hilo and continental US
Southwest Airlines is giving the city of Hilo its first nonstop link to the mainland in more than three years.
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Southwest Airlines is giving Hilo its first nonstop connection to the continental U.S. in more than three years.
The expansion means faster trips for Hilo travelers with nonstop flights from major hubs like Las Vegas cutting down on long layovers and making it easier to get to and from the mainland.
“We saw an opportunity in the marketplace, so we jumped on it both to provide people in Hilo town and East Hawaii to get to the mainland, but also to bring visitors and business people to Hilo,” Southwest COO Andrew Watterson told Hawaii News Now.
Watch the full interview below:
Southwest’s nonstop service between Las Vegas and Hilo launches August 6, 2026, and will run year-round.
The airline also plans to add extra flights during the Merrie Monarch Festival, including service from Las Vegas and interisland routes, to handle the surge in visitors.
Hilo has been without a direct mainland connection since United Airlines ended its Los Angeles service in early 2023.
For travelers like Waiakea High School teacher Donn Yamamoto, the new nonstop service could be a major time-saver.
Yamamoto travels each year with his students to a national television convention, a trip the students fundraise for all year, making both travel time and cost a major factor.
“Our flights, you know, flights and connecting layovers, were about 18 or 19 hours altogether,” he said.
Yamamoto says cutting out those long connections could also help reduce overall costs.
“Competition-wise, it’s always good to have another carrier,” he said, “so if we can save some money, I’m sure, you know, that’s going to factor into our decision. So yeah, it’s going to give us options.”
Hawaiian Airlines, in combination with Alaska Airlines, offers daily Hilo-Las Vegas service with one-stop connections in Kahului and Honolulu, and an average of 13 flight departures from Hilo on a daily basis.
Yamamoto says nonstop flights could make his annual trips to the Ninth Island easier for his family.
“I really enjoy visiting Las Vegas. I have a son that lives there, and we do travel to visit him at least once a year,“ he said. ”In terms of convenience, this is probably one of the best things for us.”
Aviation analyst Peter Forman says the move also helps Southwest compete, not just on mainland routes, but interisland travel as well.
“What this does is it brings more passengers into their system, and then some of those passengers are going to go to other islands,” Forman said. “So it does help out not only the flying to Hilo, but the interisland flying for them as well.”
Forman adds the nonstop service could also ease congestion at Honolulu’s airport by routing more visitors directly into Hilo.
