Hawaiian, Alaska suspend Lihue flights

Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines suspended flights to and from Lihue on Kauai on Monday as Hurricane Lowell approached the island, according to Hawaii News Now and the carriers’ advisory pages. The move hit one of Hawaii’s main neighbor-island and mainland gateways as storm conditions threatened airport operations and crew movements. Alaska and Hawaiian said active travel advisories and flexible travel policies were in place for customers affected by weather disruptions. Lihue Airport, listed by the Hawaii Airports System as LIH, serves both overseas and interisland flights on Kauai. Alaska’s airport guide for Lihue says Hawaiian and Alaska operate from the same terminal, with separate counters, underscoring how closely the two brands now handle Hawaii operations. ### Why did the airlines stop flying to Lihue? Hurricane Lowell was the immediate trigger. Hawaii News Now said Hawaiian and Alaska suspended Lihue service at 11 a.m. (airlines.einnews.com) Monday through the rest of the day as the storm neared the islands. Alaska and Hawaiian have used the same playbook in earlier Hawaii storms. In an Aug. 16 update on Tropical Storm Lala, the airlines said they were “proactively” canceling flights, reducing service at Lihue and other islands, and adjusting schedules as teams navigated weather and on-the-ground conditions. (airports.hawaii.gov) That earlier statement said safety of employees and guests was the priority and warned that further schedule adjustments were possible. (airlines.einnews.com) ### What does this mean if you were booked on one of those flights? Alaska’s travel-advisory page says current regional and national advisories may affect flights on Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines and Horizon Air. Hawaiian’s flexible-travel-policy page says customers can find options to change or cancel trips during weather events and other operational disruptions. The airlines’ last detailed storm update for Hawaii said affected guests were being notified and offered reaccommodation options, while waivers let eligible travelers change or cancel flights. (news.alaskaair.com) That does not guarantee the same terms for every Lowell itinerary, but it shows the carriers’ standard disruption process in Hawaii weather events. ### Why are Alaska and Hawaiian issuing joint advisories? (alaskaair.com) Alaska Air Group has been integrating Hawaiian Airlines into its broader system. In May, the company said Hawaiian had moved onto the same Sabre passenger service system used by Alaska, giving customers a single Alaska-Hawaiian app and more consistent self-service tools. (news.alaskaair.com) That integration helps explain why the public-facing disruption pages now carry joint Alaska-Hawaiian branding and why passengers are being directed to the same advisory channels. The airlines’ “On the record” page also publishes combined operational updates for Hawaii storm events. ### How big could the disruption get beyond one airport? The airlines’ Aug. 16 Lala update offers the clearest recent comparison. (news.alaskaair.com) Alaska and Hawaiian said 112 neighbor-island flights and 31 transpacific flights were canceled during that three-day storm period, with impacts most pronounced across Hawaiian’s neighbor-island service. Lihue is a smaller airport than Honolulu, but it is a critical link for Kauai residents and visitors. (alaskaair.com) When flights stop there, the disruption can spill into interisland connections, mainland departures and crew rotations, especially if weather limits operations across multiple Hawaiian airports. That linkage is reflected in the airlines’ past statements about network-wide schedule adjustments during storms. (news.alaskaair.com) ### Where should travelers look next? Alaska’s advisory page and Hawaiian’s flexible-policy page are the main airline sources for waivers and rebooking options. Lihue Airport’s official flight pages list airlines serving LIH and current flight information, while Alaska and Hawaiian also maintain flight-status tools for individual itineraries. Monday’s next concrete update is likely to come from those airline advisory pages or from local Hawaii outlets tracking Lowell’s effect on Kauai operations. (news.alaskaair.com) As of the latest available reports, the suspension covered flights to and from Lihue from 11 a.m. Monday through the rest of the day. (airlines.einnews.com) (alaskaair.com)