Issue 261: Hawaiian

Riding the waves of challenging times

Profitable, with recent traffic growth nearing 20 per cent, consistently the US’s best airline for on-time performance, well regarded for its customer service, and ranked number one in the annual Airline Quality Rating for 2008 for US carriers, Hawaiian Airlines, like the islands it calls home, stands out as something of a jewel of the Pacific at the moment.

The airline, which flies from its home base of Honolulu to Sydney three times a week and celebrated its 80th birthday in January, is currently navigating the current tumultuous times in the airline industry better than most. Undoubtedly, Hawaiian was the biggest beneficiary of the collapse of its main competitor on inter-island Hawaiian services, Aloha Airlines in March last year – hence the impressive traffic growth figures. But like all airlines in 2008 it was buffeted first by the rising price of fuel, and more recently has been affected by falling visitor numbers to Hawaii as the US recession bites. And it’s certainly not all been smooth sailing for the airline ranked xx in size among US carriers for revenue passenger miles, as between 2003 and 2005 it operated under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.