Hawaiian Airlines will add extra flights to and from Hilo on Monday after canceling most flights there on Sunday due to Hurricane Hone. They will operate two extra roundtrip flights between Honolulu and Hilo to help passengers affected by the storm. Southwest Airlines is also allowing flexible rebooking for flights to various Hawaiian locations, including Hilo, due to travel advisories for August 24 and 25, as reported by Hawaii News Now.
Hawaiian Airlines officials have been monitoring the situation closely and will continue to update customers about their travel arrangements. All updates and changes can be tracked via the Hawaiian Airlines app and on their website. In the aftermath of the storm, several highways in Hawaii have been deemed hazardous, which led to the closure of two Hawaii Island schools on Monday. The State Department of Education announced that Ka’u High and Pahala Elementary School, along with Na’alehu Elementary School, will be closed due to the conditions. Highway 11 is closed by emergency crews making these campuses inaccessible, with families being directly notified by the schools, as reported by KITV.
Additional updates include the Tropical Storm Warning for Hawaii County now being discontinued as Hurricane Hone moves away from the Big Island. Flooding and power outages have affected residents across the island, with more than 11,000 Hawaiian Electric customers without power and road closures due to high waters. Hilo International Airport's terminal remains open, but there are no outbound flights from ITO for the rest of the night, as occurred yesterday evening.
As the community begins a recovery from the hurricane's impact, the emphasis continues to be on safety and clear communication from airlines and government agencies. Matt Pickett, from the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel, emphasized the hotel's storm preparation, saying, "We’ve been preparing for the past four, five days. We test generators. We check batteries," in a statement obtained by Hawaii News Now. With conditions improving, Hawaiian Airlines is tackling the backlog of travel and helping residents and visitors alike find a path forward following Hone's disruption.
