LIHU‘E — Southwest Airlines CEO Bob Jordan has been with the company for 34 years, and had never been to Kaua‘i.
Until Wednesday.
“Embarrassingly, I’ve never been to Kaua‘i,” Jordan said during the Kaua‘i Chamber of Commerce luncheon Wednesday at the Royal Sonesta Kaua‘i Resort Lihu‘e. “This is my first time here, and I love all the ways the people have accepted us.”
Brad Hawkins, the senior advisor for communications for Southwest Airlines, said the trip was purely to build a relationship with the island, not a news announcement trip outside of a business update.
The Kaua‘i visit comes in the face of news accounts on Southwest Airlines’ “expansion” and the addition of more inter-island flights.
“You can check our online flight schedules,” Hawkins said.
Southwest Airlines currently offers 38 inter-island flights daily. This is expected to grow to 60 flights by the fall.
Jordan said Southwest entered the Hawai‘i market several years ago after learning that California, one of the airline’s large market shares, has Hawai‘i as its top destination.
“We’re just taking care of what customers want,” Jordan said. “We bring the benefits, including the Rapid Rewards and credit card of Southwest that customers have grown adjusted to.”
He said Southwest did a lot of research before entering the Hawai‘i market, talking to people, communities and government leaders to find out about Hawai‘i.
“I’m very proud of how Southwest entered the market,” Jordan said. “We had research, including finding out what was important for Hawai‘i people, for at least two years before coming to Hawai‘i.”
In the current post-COVID-19 climate, Southwest is cutting back on flights on the mainland, one of the reasons being over-tourism, while increasing the number of inter-island flights. Additionally, information on southwest.com advertises $29 one-way fares from Honolulu for Tuesday and Wednesday travel as well as other specials, including travel points.
“It looks like they’re here to stay for a long time,” said Kaua‘i Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Mark Perriello. “And they still have the $29 fares.”
•••
Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
