Mokulele begins Kahului to Hana air service on Maui
By Rebecca Pang
Have you “survived” the world-famous Road to Hana already? Now you can see it again, but from the sky!
In a welcome move for both residents and visitors to Maui, Mokulele Airlines just began twice-daily flights from Kahului to Hana, meaning you can skip the two hour (or sometimes longer) drive and be to Hana in 20 minutes. It’s fun navigating the turns and twists along the awe-inspiring Hana Highway, but it’s also nice to have this option to fly. The nine-passenger flight is said to be smooth and incredibly scenic, and tickets start at $59 each way.
Earlier this week, several friendly members of the Hana community and Travaasa Hana cheered as Mokulele Airlines’ inaugural flight from Kahului into Hana arrived and welcomed the first passengers with fresh flower lei, Hawaiian music, and a colorful hula halau performance reminiscent of old Hawaii. According to Senator J. Kalani English, who lives in Hana, these flights are the first real commercial flights to Hana since 2000.
The morning flight departs Kahului Airport at 11:19 a.m. and arrive at Hana Airport at 11:40 a.m. It departs Hana at 12:00 p.m. returning to Kahului at 12:21 p.m. The afternoon flight departs Kahului at 4:14 p.m. arriving in Hana at 4:35 p.m. It leaves Hana at 4:55 p.m. and arrives back in Kahului at 5:16 p.m. Travaasa Hana (formerly the legendary Hotel Hana-Maui), will meet both flights and shuttle passengers a short four-mile drive to the hotel.
To sweeten the deal, Travaasa Hana is offering complimentary roundtrip flights for guests who book a three-night, all-inclusive Total Travaasa package.
Mahalo Mokulele Airlines and Travaasa Experiential Resorts for helping make Heavenly Hana that much closer!
Rebecca Pang is a Honolulu-based PR practitioner at Anthology Marketing Group, representing the Hawaii Visitors & Convention Bureau. When she’s not working (or even when she is), she enjoys travel, good eats, and meeting great people. Follow her on Twitter @RebeccaPang.