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Hawaii's
largest airline since its founding in
1929, Hawaiian Airlines today serves 14 domestic and international
destinations in the Pacific region. It specializes in air transportation
among the Hawaiian Islands and bringing visitors to Hawaii from points in
the Western U.S. and the South Pacific.
Carrying more than 6 million passengers a
year, Hawaiian Airlines provides high-frequency jet service daily to seven
destinations on six Hawaiian Islands and weekly service to the South
Pacific destinations of Tahiti and American Samoa. In North America it
provides daily service to Hawaii from Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle,
Las Vegas, and Portland, Oregon.
A pioneer of Pacific aviation, Hawaiian
Airlines was incorporated on January 30, 1929 under the name Inter-Island
Airways Ltd. On November 11 that same year, thousands gathered at
Honolulu's John Rodgers Airport to witness the departure of Hawaii's first
scheduled interisland flights: Inter-Island's inaugural flights to Maui
and the Big Island of Hawaii. Two eight-passenger Sikorsky S-38 amphibian
planes thus began three weekly round trips between these destinations.
The airline continued to modernize its
fleet as aviation technology advanced. In 1935 larger, 16-passenger
Sikorsky S-43s were added to accommodate increased traffic and newly
authorized interisland airmail service.
In 1941 Inter-Island changed its name to
Hawaiian Airlines and introduced the 24-passenger DC-3 into Hawaiian
skies. This "workhorse" of the piston era was the mainstay of
the airline's fleet for many years. It became vital during wartime
operations when all interisland traffic was placed under military control.
Granted the very first air cargo certificate issued by the Civil
Aeronautics Board, Hawaiian Airlines provided an aerial lifeline to
Hawaii's Neighbor Islands during World War II. In
1952 Hawaiian continued to lead in interisland air transport with the
introduction of the Convair 340, providing Hawaii with its first
pressurized, air-conditioned cabin service. The airline later purchased a
long-range four-engine DC-6 aircraft for military charter transpacific
flights in 1958.
The advent of commercial jet service in
the 1960s resulted in increased air traffic to and from Hawaii. Hawaiian
grew to accommodate the travel needs of a growing residential population
as well as an expanding visitor industry. In 1966 the airline brought to
Hawaii its first pure jet interisland aircraft, the McDonnell Douglas
DC-9. Travel time between the islands was reduced to a mere 20 to 30
minutes. The DC-9 remains the backbone of Hawaiian's mixed interisland
fleet, Hawaii's best answer to the travel needs of residents and visitors
alike.
In 1984 Hawaiian began to provide
worldwide charter services with three long-range DC-8 jets. Soon after,
scheduled service began to Pago Pago, American Samoa and Nuku'alofa,
Tonga. A year later Hawaiian acquired five Lockheed L-1011 widebody
aircraft for scheduled and charter service. June 12, 1985 marked the
inauguration of Hawaiian Airlines' scheduled widebody jet service between
the West Coast and Hawaii with daily flights to Los Angeles. Daily flights
between Hawaii and San Francisco and Seattle started in January, 1986.
Service to Western Samoa soon followed.
In 1987 Hawaiian expanded its South
Pacific service by inaugurating flights to Tahiti, and Rarotonga in the
Cook Islands. South Pacific service was scaled back in 1993 with the
retirement of DC-8 aircraft used on these routes.
In 1990 the international travel and
hospitality publication Condé Nast Traveler rated Hawaiian Airlines one
of the world's safest airlines. In an exclusive 20 year study (August 1990
issue), Condé Nast noted that Hawaiian was one of only five U.S.
carriers, along with four with relatively short histories, that had never
had an air fatality in their entire histories. Eleven years later,
Hawaiian's record of safety continues unbroken.
In late 1993 Hawaiian Airlines entered
into a series of marketing and services agreements with American Airlines'
parent AMR Corporation. Consequently, Hawaiian in 1994 converted its
reservations and operating computer system to American's SABRE system,
became a participating carrier in American's AAdvantage® Travel Awards
program and replaced its entire widebody fleet of Lockheed L-1011 aircraft
with DC-10 aircraft provided and maintained by American. In 2001, Hawaiian
operates a fleet using McDonnell Douglas DC-9s on Hawaii interisland
routes and DC-10s between Hawaii and the mainland U.S. and South Pacific
destinations. The company has taken delivery of three of 13 new Boeing
717-200 aircraft that will completely replace its DC-9 fleet in 2001.
Hawaiian has been rated one of the
"10 Best" U.S. airlines by readers of Conde Nast Traveler and
Travel & Leisure for the past several years and this year was rated
the top U.S. airline for "Premium" class service in the 2001
Zagat Survey.
In addition to a consistently high rating
by discriminating travelers, Hawaiian's service has won several
international honors. "Hawaiian Skies," the company's onboard
video program highlighting the people and culture of Hawaii, earned a
Bronze World Medal at the 42nd Annual New York International Film and
Video Festival in 2000 as well as the Avion Award for excellence from the
World Airline Entertainment Association (WAEA) in 1999. In 1998, Inside
Flyer magazine rated HawaiianMiles, the company's frequent flyer program,
one of the best in the world. In 1997, the International Inflight Food
Service (IFSA) awarded Hawaiian its highest honor, the President's Award,
for the company's Coach class service between the West Coast and Hawaii.
The company had already won the coveted OnBoard Services Award for
innovation and excellence in First Class service on West Coast-Hawaii
flights.
Hawaiian continues to build on an unbroken
71-year record of safety and to date has transported more than 120 million
passengers.
Hawaiian is the only airline able to
provide single-carrier service from the Western U.S. and the South Pacific
to each of Hawaii's islands. On board, passengers are surrounded with the
gracious warmth unique to the people and culture of the Islands. Visitors
to Hawaii are able to begin their vacation the moment they step on board a
Hawaiian Airlines aircraft. For
more general information
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