Southwest Airlines shares gained close to 4 percent Thursday after the low-cost airline announced it won federal approval to start its long-planned service to Hawaii, where it’s making a big bet on growth this year.
Boeing 737-800 jets over water for long distances, away from airports where jets could make emergency landings. It announced the approval shortly before the market closed on Wednesday.
The airline will announce flight schedules and start selling tickets to Hawaii in the coming days, it said.
Southwest plans to fly to the islands from four California cities: Oakland, San Diego, San Jose and Sacramento and fly to Honolulu, Kahului on Maui, Kona, and Lihue on Kauai. The airline also intends to offer service between the islands.
Southwest shares were up 3.8 percent in afternoon trading. United Airlines shares were up 0.3 percent, while Delta Air Lines was down 0.5. American Airlines was off 0.2 percent. The NYSE Arca Airline Index, which tracks 15 airlines in the Americas and Europe, was down 0.4 percent.
Source:CNBC
