Seasonal nonstop air service to Hawaii returns next year

Be patient, Minnesota.

The route from the frozen turf of home to the sandy beaches of Hawaii is going to get considerably easier — a year from now.

Delta Air Lines announced ­Tuesday that it intends to initiate nonstop daily service between the Twin Cities and Honolulu starting in October 2015.

That will end a four-year nonstop drought to the Aloha State.

Daily service to Honolulu was a staple during the reign of Northwest Airlines at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport but ended in February 2011, three years after Delta acquired the Eagan-based carrier.

Travelers instead now make connections to Honolulu through Seattle, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City and Portland, which lengthens a formerly eight-hour trip by three or four hours.

"So many of our clients will be happy," said Nora Blum, a travel consultant for the Travel Leaders agency in Maple Grove. "It's a very popular destination. We had a lot of clients who were very disappointed when Delta dropped that nonstop service."

Service will be provided on a 225-seat Boeing 767-300ER. The internationally configured widebody ­aircraft has 25 flat bed seats in the business elite, or first class section in the front of the plane, 29 seats in its upgraded economy class and 171 seats in general economy class. All seats have individual entertainment systems.

Delta spokesman Anthony Black said the logistics of setting up a new route, including the selling of tickets and the scheduling of aircraft, made it difficult to launch before next fall.