Flights to Hawaii

Alaska Airlines said it is expanding its service at Oakland International Airport, adding new flights to Hawaii next week.Beginning Nov. 9 Alaska will operate four weekly flights between Oakland and Maui. Then beginning Nov. 10 Alaska will begin thrice weekly service between Oakland and Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii.

The new flights are Alaska Airlines’ first ever service between the Bay Area and Hawaiian Islands.Alaska, owned by Alaska Air Group, Inc. NYSE: ALK, flies between Oakland and Seattle. And its sister company, Horizon, flies between Oakland and Portland, Ore.Hawaiian Airlines, owned by Hawaiian Holdings Nasdaq HA, already operates daily flights between Oakland and Honolulu.

Oakland officials said Alaska’s announcement underscores a growing demand for leisure travel via the airport as the grip of the recession loosens.It’s a good sign that things are coming back, said Rosemary Barnes, an airport spokeswoman. There is demand for these leisure destinations.