Southwest Announces Plan To Add Flights To Hawaii In 2018

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — It's official like a referee with a whistle. Southwest Airlines Co. recently announced that it will begin selling tickets in 2018 for service to Hawaii.

Round-Trip Flights Under $100 As Southwest Starts 72-Hour Sale

"Hawaii is an important place for Southwest Airlines because so many people count on us to take them everywhere they want to go reliably and affordably. We're ready and excited to address a request we've heard for years," Chairman & CEO Gary Kelly told Southwest employees at a company gathering in Southern California.

Southwest also announced its plan to launch an application process for Federal Aviation Administration authorization for Extended Operations, a regulatory requirement to operate between the mainland and the Hawaiian islands.

"The launch of our ETOPS work begins the next chapter of Southwest Airlines. We're thrilled to bring Hawaii next year as an option to more than 115 million Customers who already fly with us, annually," said COO Mike Van de Ven.

Southwest recently became the first airline in North America to launch scheduled service utilizing Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft throughout the company.