Airlines added flights to evacuate travelers from Maui after wildfires on the Hawaiian island killed at least 36 people.
American Airlines and southwest Airlines they said they were adding service to help customers out. More than 11,000 people have been evacuated from the island since the fires began, Ed Sniffen, the state’s transportation director, said at a news conference late Wednesday local time, reported NBCNews. Much of the coastal city of Lahaina had burned, after the fires were fanned by hurricane winds.
An American Airlines spokeswoman said the company plans to operate all scheduled flights to and from Kahului Airport on Maui on Thursday. A spokeswoman said the company has “added an additional flight and upgraded an aircraft today to ensure that customers evacuating OGG can do so.”
The airline replaced the narrow-body Airbus A321 aircraft on some of the flights, with a capacity for about 190 passengers, with a Boeing 777-200, one of the largest aircraft in its fleet, with 273 seats, according to the American website. .
Southwest Airlines also said it was adding service to Hawaii from the mainland US and intra-island flights.
United Airlines said it has canceled Thursday inbound flights to the Kahului airport, but is flying empty planes to pick up people on Maui.
All major airlines waived fare differences and cancellation penalties for travelers whose trips were affected by the fires.
This article It was originally published in English by leslie josephs for our sister network CNBC.com. For more from CNBC enter here.
