Southwest Airlines is dropping one of the shortest routes in its entire network: the hop between Kahului on Maui and Kona on Hawaii Island, just 73 nautical miles (135 km) each way. The last flights run on January 5, 2027, and the airline is also axing Kahului–Lihue, between Maui and Kauai, on the same day.
The reason is simple: nobody was filling the plane. US Department of Transportation figures for the 12 months to July 2026 show roughly 280,000 round-trip passengers flew Kahului–Kona, and Southwest carried under a quarter of them while filling only about 50% of its seats — even though it charged lower average fares than the market leader. Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines dominated the route with nearly 77% of passengers and a healthy 76% load factor. Southern Airways Express also flies the link.
The route was barely a proper flight in its own right — around 40–45 minutes in the air, typically early afternoon. Schedules suggest the Boeing 737 MAX 8 covering it was really mainland-bound, stopping in Maui en route from Phoenix before continuing back to the Lower 48. That's typical of ultra-short services: they exist mainly as connections for a bigger network rather than as standalone trips.
Hawaii has been a stubborn patch for Southwest since it entered the interisland market in 2019. The airline has been trimming frequencies across the state, with intra-Hawaii capacity down 17% in 2026 versus the 2024 peak. The Kahului–Kona cut is the first time it has removed an interisland route entirely. For travellers, it leaves Alaska/Hawaiian as the clear go-to for hopping between islands, with more flights, better reliability and fuller planes.
Worth knowing: OGG–KOA was only Southwest's third-shortest route. The two shorter ones survive — Denver–Colorado Springs (63 nautical miles) and Chicago Midway–Milwaukee (70 nautical miles, launched March 2026) — plus a Baltimore–Philadelphia service starting in January 2027, all aimed squarely at connecting passengers. Southwest also has more ultra-short flying on the way elsewhere, with spokes added from Chicago Midway, Nashville, Phoenix and several Florida airports. Meanwhile, if you're planning an interisland Maui–Kauai trip after January, note that Kahului–Lihue is going too, so check Alaska/Hawaiian schedules.
Who should care: anyone booking an island-hopping Hawaii holiday in 2027. Southwest still flies within the state — Honolulu–Kahului remains — but its interisland network is shrinking, and travellers who liked its cheaper fares will have fewer options. Booking the Alaska/Hawaiian carriers is increasingly the practical choice for island-to-island legs.
