Later this summer, Southwest Airlines will launch a new route from Southern California to Hawaii. Linking Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR) to Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) in Honolulu, the new corridor will have a maximum scheduled westbound block time of almost six hours. The route will operate year-round following its launch in August, with varying monthly frequencies.

Southwest Airlines will be the second carrier to begin service on this route in 2026, following Alaska Airlines’ debut on the same corridor last month. A key difference, however, is that the oneworld member is only set to link Burbank with Honolulu on a seasonal basis. Before this year’s launches, the route was last served nonstop in 2005 by Aloha Airlines.

Southwest’s New Hawaiian Route

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As initially announced by Southwest back in November, the blue-clad budget carrier will begin serving Honolulu from Burbank on August 4 of this year. 2026 has generally been a year of strong growth for the airline between Southern California and Hawaii, with Southwest having also launched a new daily route from Ontario International Airport (ONT) to Honolulu on June 4, 2026.

The corridor from Burbank to Honolulu doesn’t quite have a daily connection, with Southwest instead describing its coverage as “peak-day service.” According to Cirium, an aviation analytics company, it will operate four rotations in August, 16 in September, five in October, 19 in November, and 15 in December. Adam Decaire, Southwest’s SVP of Network Planning & Operations Control, commented on the renovations of both San Diego and Burbank Airports in a statement.

“New facilities like those in San Diego and Burbank, along with our onboard customer enhancements, have positioned Southwest to continue offering more for customers in Southern California and beyond for many years to come.”

Diving Deeper Into The Details

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In the 12-month period ending in March 2026, only around 6,000 round-trip passengers flew between these two airports, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. However, there is a notable catch.

Indeed, Hollywood Burbank Airport is only around 30-35 miles from the much larger hub of Los Angeles International (LAX). As such, many passengers in the Burbank catchment area will likely simply have driven to LAX to catch a direct flight to Honolulu, rather than flying from their local airport and having to change. Almost 1.5 million round-trip passengers fly between LAX and Honolulu each year.

As for Alaska’s new direct nonstop route, the carrier plans to use 175-seat 737 MAX 8 narrowbody twinjets to link Burbank and Honolulu. Flying westbound, passengers can expect block times of up to five hours and 50 minutes. Meanwhile, the eastbound leg isn’t as likely to be hampered by headwinds and will take more like five hours and 15 minutes. Both legs are day flights.

Alaska Also Began Serving This Route Earlier In 2026

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This year also saw Alaska commence operations between Burbank and Honolulu. The carrier is serving this route daily over the summer, with its seasonal schedule for the corridor running from May 13 to August 18. Its aircraft of choice on this route is also the Boeing 737 MAX 8. However, its lower-density two-class layout means these jets have only 161 seats, compared with Southwest’s 175.

Alaska Airlines explained at the time of the new route’s launch that Burbank is its fourth gateway in the Los Angeles area for flights to Hawaii. Indeed, the carrier also serves the ‘Aloha State’ from LAX, Long Beach (LGB), and Ontario. Elsewhere in California, airports such as Oakland, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, and San Jose are also served.