What would a Hawaiian Airlines event be without tasty Mai Tai’s, Hula dancers and the spirit of Hawaii in all its island splendour?
There was all that and more as the industry gathered last night to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Hawaiian Airlines’ flights to Sydney.
“It’s a big milestone for us as Sydney was really our first major international market,” said Andrew Stanbury, Managing Director Int’l and North America Sales.
Speaking to LATTE at the event held at the Pullman Quay Grand Hotel on Sydney Harbour this week, he said Hawaiian Airlines wanted to recognise everyone who has been a part of this, the travel agents, and the trade partners who have been incredibly supportive.
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“To all of them, we say a big thank you, we really do care about the Australian market,” said Stanbury.
While Hawaii is still a very attractive destination, he noted that there are certainly some headwinds facing travel to Hawaii and mainland USA.
“Currency and exchange rates make the US a more expensive destination, but Hawaii is a resilient destination and we continue to see strong demand”.
The carrier is installing Wi-Fi on all of its fleet, but top of the list for future development at HA is the prospect of a merger with Alaska Airlines which is still pending legal review and if it’s approved the airline says it expects to see real benefits for consumers and business travellers.
Hawaiian Airlines will become one airline with two different brands and the two networks are very complimentary with a joint loyalty program that will happen in the course of time.
Passengers will be able to connect both to Hawaiian’s international network and then to about 130 additional destinations on the US mainland that Alaska serves.
The carrier is also rapidly expanding, launching its new flagship aircraft, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and another coming in 2025, along with new services from Honolulu to Salt Lake City.
“Despite the earlier problems with the 787, it’s a fantastic aircraft and we have a lot of confidence in it, but it won’t be deployed just yet on our Australian route,” said Stanbury.
“There’s a lot of premium demand to Honolulu and the length of flight would make the 787 a great fit, we just don’t have enough aircraft to fly the route right now,” he added.
Lead image, from left are: Hawaiian Airlines’ Andrew Stanbury, Managing Director, International & North America Sales, Debbie Nakanelua-Richards, Director of Community & Cultural Relations, Honolulu HQ; and Avi Mannis, Senior Vice President Marketing.
