Southwest Airlines’ Hawaii service debuted Sunday, finally giving the nation’s largest domestic carrier a footprint in the vacation hot spot.
Southwest Flight 6808, a 5 1/2-hour nonstop flight from Oakland, California, to Honolulu, landed at 2 p.m. local time. It was met by Hawaii Governor David Ige and Southwest Airlines President Tom Nealon.
Passengers on the inaugural flight were treated to leis and in-flight hula dancing and were the first to sample the expanded snack pack that will be served on the no-frills airline’s Hawaii flights. In addition to the airline’s standard red bag of pretzels, passengers got Wheat Thins, Welch’s fruit snacks, Tic Tacs and a white-cheddar cheese spread. New drinks include Longboard Island Lager from Kona Brewing Company, Minute Maid pineapple orange juice and Blue Chair Bay coconut spiced rum.