Southwest is back in the Hawaii fight, and Burbank just became the front line

LOS ANGELES – If you’ve ever sat in LAX traffic on the 405 wondering why getting to Hawaii from Southern California has to feel like a job, this week brought some good news.

Two airlines just turned Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR) into a real Hawaii gateway, and one of them spent the last two years pulling back from the islands before suddenly showing up swinging.

Alaska Airlines launched daily nonstop service from Burbank to Honolulu on May 14, 2026, running through August 18. Southwest’s daily Burbank to Honolulu flight starts August 4, 2026. That’s two airlines, same airport, same route, same summer.

So yes, if you’re flying to Hawaii from SoCal anytime between now and fall, this affects you and me!

Does this affect your Hawaii trip?

For most SoCal travelers, this is a real upgrade.

Burbank is smaller, faster to get through, and easier to park at than LAX.

If you live anywhere from Santa Clarita to Pasadena to the Inland Empire, BUR can save you an hour each way, sometimes more on a bad traffic day.

It also means you finally have choice.

For years, the only nonstop Hawaii options from the LA area meant LAX or paying a premium out of John Wayne or Long Beach. By the way, I love Long Beach airport!

Now there’s a third path with two airlines competing for the same seats. That kind of competition usually does good things for fares.

Just keep the seasonal piece in mind.

Alaska’s flight runs through August 18, 2026.

Book a return after that and you’ll be rerouting through somewhere else.

For a wider look at what to expect on pricing this season, see Hawaii Airfare Summer 2026.

Burbank to Hawaii flights: what Alaska and Southwest are offering

Here’s how the two routes compare:

Both are widebody-capable transpacific routes, and both land in Honolulu, not Maui, Kauai, or Kona.

Alaska’s product reflects its merger with Hawaiian Airlines, so if you’re earning miles or using the new combined booking experience, it’s worth checking how that fits your trip.

More on that here: Alaska Hawaiian App.

What about Maui, Kauai, and the Big Island?

For now, Honolulu is the only Burbank gateway.

If your trip is built around a neighbor island, you’ll connect through HNL on Hawaiian, Southwest, or Mokulele depending on where you’re headed.

That adds time, but the interisland leg is usually short and not too expensive if you book early. See current pricing patterns at  Interisland Flights Hawaii Prices.

Why Southwest is suddenly back after two years of Hawaii cuts

Here’s where it gets interesting.

Southwest spent most of 2024 and 2025 quietly retreating from Hawaii.

After activist-investor pressure pushed the airline to focus on profitable routes, Southwest cut up to 30% of its interisland flights starting April 2025.

Honolulu to Kahului dropped from 77 weekly flights to 55. Other Hawaii frequencies got trimmed or shifted to red-eye times to free up planes for the mainland.

For two years, the story was Southwest pulling back.

Then, the same week Alaska launched its Burbank to Honolulu flight, Southwest announced four new SoCal-to-Hawaii routes of its own, all starting August 4, 2026.

Burbank is the most direct overlap with Alaska, and the timing isn’t a coincidence.

Ontario, Long Beach, and San Diego give Southwest a near-total grip on Southern California’s secondary airports, which is a real shift from where the airline was a year ago.

Southwest’s new SoCal to Hawaii routes (all starting August 4, 2026)

What that means for you: when two airlines fight over the same route, fares tend to soften, and schedules tend to expand.

There’s no guarantee, and Hawaii routes have always been tougher to discount than mainland ones. But this is the first real competitive pressure on Burbank to HNL pricing, and that’s a good thing for travelers.

If you live closer to Ontario, Long Beach, or San Diego, you’ve got a brand new nonstop option too.

What to do next

A few practical moves if Burbank is a fit for you:

• Set fare alerts on both Alaska and Southwest for BUR to HNL. Watch them for a couple of weeks before booking.
• If you want Alaska’s seasonal flight, check that your return falls before August 18. This is the easy mistake.
• Don’t cancel an existing LAX booking just because BUR exists. Add up bags, seat selection, parking, and timing first. Sometimes LAX still wins.
• If you’re a frequent SoCal-to-Hawaii traveler, this is a good moment to rethink your default airport.

For a wider view of how this fits into the rest of the summer travel picture, including hotel pricing and demand trends, Hawaii Summer Travel Outlook 2026 is a good next read.

The bottom line: Southwest spent two years backing away from Hawaii. Now they’re back, and they’re walking right onto Alaska’s runway.

SoCal travelers haven’t had this much real choice to Hawaii in years.

Who are you going to fly with?

FAQs

1. When do the Burbank to Hawaii flights start?

Alaska Airlines started daily nonstop service from Burbank (BUR) to Honolulu (HNL) on May 14, 2026, running through August 18. Southwest Airlines begins daily Burbank to Honolulu service on August 4, 2026.

2. Which Southern California airports will have new Hawaii flights in 2026?

Southwest is launching daily nonstop service to Honolulu from four SoCal airports starting August 4, 2026: Hollywood Burbank (BUR), Long Beach (LGB), Ontario (ONT), and San Diego (SAN). Alaska Airlines also added seasonal daily service from Burbank starting May 14, 2026, running through August 18.

3. Can I fly nonstop from Burbank to Maui or Kauai?

No. Both Alaska and Southwest are flying Burbank to Honolulu only. If your trip is to Maui, Kauai, or the Big Island, you’ll need to connect in Honolulu on an interisland flight. Most interisland legs are short and reasonably priced if booked ahead.

4. Will these new Burbank flights make Hawaii cheaper?

Two airlines competing on the same route usually puts downward pressure on fares, especially during slower booking windows. There’s no guarantee, but it’s the first real competitive pricing setup Burbank to Honolulu has ever had. Setting fare alerts on both airlines is the smart move.

5. Why is Southwest suddenly adding Hawaii flights after cutting them?

Southwest spent 2024 and 2025 trimming its Hawaii network, including a roughly 30% cut to interisland flights starting April 2025. The new SoCal-to-Hawaii routes launching in August 2026 represent a clear shift back toward growth on routes the airline thinks it can win, especially against Alaska.