After a 14-year absence, Hawaiian Airlines is launching Honolulu-Sydney nonstops in May. These will compete with Qantas and Air Canada flights that carry Australian leisure traffic to the Hawaiian islands, and will add another option for transpacific passengers between the US mainland and Australia.
Hawaiian's four-weekly Boeing 767-300ER Sydney flights will make same-day connections in Honolulu with its flights to and from US West Coast gateways. This could take some pressure off Qantas, which had been under fire in Australia for its transpacific dominance.
Australian tourism officials have complained that a lack of capacity in the Australia-USA market restricts visitors to Australia. When Qantas and Air New Zealand sought approval for their merger, competition authorities also noted the high level of concentration in this market. Hawaiian's new flights will partly answer these concerns.
Source: Airline Business
