A year ago, Boston travelers took nonstop flights to Hawaii on two different airlines. This winter? There isn’t any. That’s because Delta Air Lines and Hawaiian Airlines have both canceled flights between New England and the Aloha State.
But there is good news to report.
Delta Air Lines just announced the resumption of Boston-Honolulu flights.
The Atlanta-based airline said Friday it will resume service between Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) and Honolulu Daniel Inouye International Airport (HNL) ahead of the 2026 holiday season.
The route will regain the title of the longest domestic flight in the U.S. and mark a return to a seasonal route that Delta previously operated for just one winter, in 2024 to early 2025.
But that’s not the only Hawaii news the airline has shared.
Delta Air Lines also announced the launch of a Minneapolis-St. Louis route. Paul International Airport (MSP) hub will launch new nonstop flights next winter to a second destination in Hawaii: Maui.
Both flights will depart on December 19th, which for those browsing the calendar is the Saturday before Christmas. (The holiday falls on Friday this year.)
The routes – one new, one returning – are among a series of other moves Delta has revealed to bolster service between the continental U.S. and Hawaii next winter, a warm thought after weeks of freezing temperatures across much of the country.
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Boston to Honolulu
Delta Air Lines will operate four weekly routes from Boston to Honolulu through much of next winter, but plans to operate daily flights between New England and Oahu during the peak holiday travel period.
The airline will operate its BOS-HNL flights using an Airbus A330-300, which is equipped with:
- 34 Delta One lie-flat seats
- 21 Delta Premium Select (Premium Economy) Recliners
- 24 comfortable seats with extra legroom
- Main cabin has 203 seats
While Delta has previously gone head-to-head with Hawaiian Airlines for the longest domestic route in the U.S., and will soon be the longest domestic route in the U.S. again, it looks like Delta will be competing alone (at least for now)…unless Hawaiian follows Delta’s lead and makes a U-turn on routes it cut last year, citing poor performance.
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Minneapolis-St. Paul to Maui
Travelers will also see the A330-300 aircraft on Delta’s new nonstop route from MSP to Maui’s Kahului Airport (OGG).
Delta will operate five round-trip flights per week on the route through most of the winter, but will expand it to daily flights during the peak holiday season and busy spring break period.
This will be the airline’s second nonstop flight from Minneapolis to Hawaii. It has flown between MSP and HNL.
Other new additions to Hawaii
In addition to these new additions, Delta is also planning a larger expansion in Hawaii next winter.
The airline will operate additional weekly flights to Honolulu from three hubs: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) and New York John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK).
Elsewhere, the airline plans to start early this fall its winter seasonal flights from Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) to Ellison Onizuka-Kona International Airport (KOA) in Keahol (KOA) on the Big Island of Hawaii.
Winter flights from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to KOA will also feature a larger aircraft, a Delta Air Lines twin-aisle Boeing 767-300.
Learn more: Some of our favorite ways to use Delta SkyMiles
Take back the mantle
The return of flights from Boston to Honolulu means flights currently flying from the New York City area to Hawaii will lose their status as the longest domestic flight in the United States.
Still, TPG’s Clint Henderson recently experienced firsthand that there are plenty of options for direct flights to the Aloha State from JFK and nearby Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR).
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bottom line
If you have a lot of Delta SkyMiles available and like the sound of a Hawaiian vacation, I’ll be keeping an eye on Delta’s booking pipeline over the next few days to try and get a feel for what the newly announced award space will look like. Remember, as long as you don’t book one of the carrier’s “base” award flights, your miles, taxes, and fees are fully reinstated and refundable if you have to cancel your reservation later.
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