HONOLULU (KHON2) — Hawaiian Airlines announced it is temporarily suspending its five-times-weekly nonstop service between Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) and Incheon International Airport (ICN), beginning March 2 through April 30, due to a spike in COVID-19 cases in South Korea.

“We believe a temporary service suspension is prudent given the escalation of COVID-19 in South Korea and the impact the illness has had on demand for leisure travel from that country,” said Peter Ingram, president and CEO at Hawaiian Airlines. “We will continue to closely monitor the situation and extend our support for public health efforts to contain the virus. We apologize for this inconvenience and are working to support impacted guests.”

Flight 459 is scheduled to depart HNL at 1:10 p.m. on March 1 and arrive at ICN on March 2 at 8 p.m. Flight 460 will depart ICN at 10:00 p.m. on March 2 and arrive at HNL at 11 a.m. the same day. Service is scheduled to resume on May 1 from HNL and May 2 from ICN.

The state’s Executive Director of the Office of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Stephen Levins said during this time of travel uncertainty people should look into travel insurance but make sure the cancellation policies are flexible.

“You really need to read the fine print especially these days when it comes to travel insurance when it comes to booking with an airline and when it comes to booking with a hotel,” Levins said. “You really need to review the policies because you may be under the assumption that it will cover but it may not because some travel insurance may only cover when you’re sick.”

Levins recommends travelers to book with credit cards as some may offer flexibility when canceling. He also said people should consider booking a hotel rate that is refundable, he said it may cost about 20% more but it could save travelers a head ache in the long run.

Hawaiian airlines is offering re-accommodations on alternative flights or providing refunds. They have also issued a travel waiver for guests holding tickets on Hawaiian Airlines codeshare flights departing to/from/connecting via South Korea (KR) airports. More details can be found here.

For further information, please visit HawaiianAirlines.com or call Hawaiian Airlines’ reservations department at (800) 367-5320.