Hawaiian banks on Japan reopening for summer recovery

Hawaiian Airlines expects its recovery to begin in earnest next summer, when it believes its essentially shuttered international network will spring back to life. Although the Omicron variant has roiled its recovery timeline, the carrier forecasts that key international markets will ease travel restrictions in time for peak summer demand. The most important of these markets for Hawaiian is Japan, which had taken tentative steps toward reopening, but has since begun to lower the portcullis again to stay the Omicron variant’s advance. The year has been a series of setbacks for the Japanese market, as the country’s leaders had “anxiety” around the Olympic Games and parliamentary elections, Hawaiian CEO Peter Ingram told analysts during the airline’s investor presentation on Monday. Hawaiian has been in talks with its local distribution partners and partner Japan Airlines on when the country may begin to relax its entry restrictions, but no definite timeline has emerged, he said. Ingram derided policymakers’ reaction to the Omicron variant as “chaotic.” Governments reacted too quickly to re-impose restrictions without waiting for the science to emerge. Quarantines, in particular, are unnecessary and stifle demand for leisure travel. “Quarantines make it very difficult for someone to take a leisure trip,” he said. “They add immeasurably to the time burden of travel... We have demonstrated with domestic [flights] that people are willing to provide information on vaccine status. They are willing to be tested before or after travel.” Domestic demand this year on mainland routes exceeded 2019 levels, soaring after Hawaii relaxed its strict entry rules.<br/>