A recent study shows there’s good reason for air travel experts are suggesting a nonstop flight from the Tri-Cities to Hawaii may be in the region’s future. 

Online searches of U.S. vacation destination by Washingtonians overwhelmingly focus on the island of Maui in the state of Hawaii, according to luxury travel advisors The Resorts Collection. The firm found nearly 300 monthly searches on average of the destination by Washington residents over the past 12 months. 

Las Vegas came in second with 190 searches, followed by Yosemite with 168.  

The Tri-Cities Airport already offers daily flights to Las Vegas, as well as multiple destinations in central and southern California within driving distance of the national park. 

It was only a few months ago that Jack Penning, a consultant with Volaire Aviation, told Port of Pasco commissioners there’s the possibility of a nonstop flight from the Tri-Cities to Honolulu on the island of Oahu since Alaska Airlines acquired Hawaiian Airlines. Traveler data indicates there would be an estimated 66 passengers departing and arriving from the Tri-Cities each day. 

Spokane International Airport recently announced that Alaska Airlines will offer seasonal nonstop flights from its terminal to Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport beginning Dec. 19 and running through April 17, according to the Spokane Journal of Business.