Pull out your puka shell necklace and grab your boardshorts.
On Monday, Alaska Airlines will kick off its new nonstop service between Oakland and Kahului, Maui with a Hawaiian-themed celebration at Oakland International Airport.
The airline will offer four weekly flights between Oakland and Maui. Service between Oakland and Kona, on the Big Island of Hawaii, will begin on Tuesday.
The new flights mark Alaska Airlines' first-ever service between the Bay Area and the Hawaiian Islands.
Alaska Airlines' new flights come at a time when the travel industry has reasons to be optimistic.
According to the U.S. Travel Association, modest projected increases in leisure and business travel in 2010 could allow the travel industry to add 90,000 American jobs.
In a press release, Dr. Suzanne Cook, senior vice president of research for the U.S. Travel Association, says the projected growth "is an indicator of rising consumer confidence and disposable income" following a difficult 2009.
Local
Industry experts say next year domestic leisure travel will increase by 2 percent and domestic business travel will increase by 2.5 percent.
International inbound travel is expected to increase by 3 percent.
