Hawaiian Airlines to use bigger plane to Auckland

HONOLULU -- Hawaiian Airlines plans to use a bigger plane when it launches nonstop service between Honolulu and Auckland, New Zealand in March.

The airline said Tuesday it will use a 294-seat Airbus 330 on the route instead of a 264-seat Boeing 767 as previously announced.

Hawaiian says it's responding to strong demand for the flights, which will operate three days a week.

Hawaiian has been rapidly expanding its service to the U.S. mainland and the Asia-Pacific region.

It will begin flying to Sapporo, Japan next month. It started new routes to New York City and Fukuoka, Japan earlier this year. It began flying to Seoul, South Korea last year.