Alaska Airlines Launches New Daily Boise-Honolulu and Weekly Spokane-Honolulu Boeing 737 Routes

Alaska Airlines has unveiled plans to initiate two long-haul nonstop routes between the Western United States and Hawaii this winter, restarting direct air links that have been dormant for over a decade. Beginning December 17, the carrier will operate daily Boeing 737 MAX 8 flights from Boise Airport (BOI), Idaho, to Honolulu International Airport (HNL), Hawaii. Two days later, on December 19, Alaska will inaugurate weekly service on the Spokane International Airport (GEG), Washington, to Honolulu route, employing a Boeing 737-900ER. These announcements signal a strategic expansion of Alaska’s Hawaii operations beyond its established Seattle hubs.

The Boise to Honolulu connection, spanning approximately 2,464 nautical miles, will feature a maximum flight block time of seven hours, making it one of Alaska’s longer Boeing 737 missions though not entering its top 10 longest flights. The daily service is notable given the challenges of ultra-long 737 routes and contrasts vividly with the weekly service operated by a predecessor carrier. Flight schedules are set for a morning departure from Boise at 10:20 AM to arrive in Honolulu at 2:20 PM local time, and a midday return departing Honolulu at 12:42 PM, landing in Boise at 9:45 PM.

Previously, these routes were served by Allegiant Air in 2013-2014 using Boeing 757 aircraft under an ultra-low-cost model. Allegiant flew weekly flights on both city pairs but discontinued the service after a brief period. Alaska’s decision to offer daily flights from Boise immediately after launch appears to lean on a more robust demand assessment and the airline’s broader network support.

Data from the U.S. Department of Transportation for the 12 months ending March 2026 shows that 41,045 passengers flew round trip between Boise and Honolulu, making it Boise’s fourth-largest unserved market at that time, behind Orlando, Austin, and Nashville. Alaska holds a considerable share of the wider Boise-Hawaii market (119,955 passengers to other Hawaiian airports), suggesting the new nonstop services could attract both local travelers and those seeking more direct connections.

The Spokane to Honolulu route, just over 2,500 nautical miles, will operate once weekly on Saturdays. Alaska plans to deploy its 737-900ER for this service, marking it as the aircraft type’s second-longest nonstop flight on the carrier’s network. Despite a scheduled block time exceeding seven hours, this flight ranks as the fifth-longest for that aircraft model within Alaska’s system. Departure from Spokane is scheduled for 9:00 AM with arrivals in Honolulu at 2:03 PM, and returns leave Honolulu at 2:33 PM arriving in Spokane at 10:42 PM, with varying aircraft noted on the return leg.

Spokane-Honolulu had comparable traffic volumes, with 41,234 round-trip passengers in the same period, and the route was identified as Spokane’s fourth-largest unserved market. Alaska’s dominant market share of 39% at Spokane is noteworthy, suggesting the carrier has an established customer base to support this weekly service.

The historical Allegiant service between Boise/Spokane and Honolulu showed strong load factors above 80%, underpinned by competitive fares averaging around $155 one way in today’s dollars. Allegiant’s focus on cost-conscious leisure travelers helped pioneer these routes during 2012-2014, flying high-capacity 757s from multiple Western cities to Hawaii. They carried over 777,000 passengers across 12 lower-48 airports during that span but ultimately withdrew as their network priorities shifted.

Alaska’s renewed focus on these Boeing 737 long-haul routes aligns with a broader strategy to diversify Hawaii connectivity beyond Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and Paine Field, where the airline already operates. The Boise and Spokane additions will increase Hawaii access in the Northwest and potentially stimulate new market growth through daily and weekly scheduled services. Keeping the routes on modern, fuel-efficient 737 MAX 8 and 737-900ER aircraft may improve operating economics compared to previous operations with the 757.

These developments illustrate a shifting landscape in domestic premium leisure air services as carriers explore longer, thinner routes using next-gen narrowbodies. The seasonal timing and incremental frequency reflect Alaska’s measured approach to re-entering these markets after many years of hiatus, likely informed by evolving demand patterns and aircraft performance capabilities.

Alaska Airlines’ launch of these flights starting in December positions the carrier to capture a segment of Hawaii-bound travelers from Idaho and Eastern Washington with convenient nonstop options. These additions complement Alaska’s Hawaii portfolio and demonstrate the evolving role of the Boeing 737 family on longer transpacific flights, a trend likely to continue in the coming years.