Deister will report directly to company President and Chief Operating Officer Robert W. Zoller and succeeds William F. Loftus, who served as interim CFO since July 14, 2000. In her new position, Deister will have overall management responsibility for all of the company's finance, accounting and treasury activities.
"We are fortunate to have an individual of Christine's caliber and deep experience in our industry to fill this important role at Hawaiian," Zoller said. "She will make an outstanding addition to our management team."
Deister's airline experience spans more than 30 years with Trans World Airlines. She began her career at TWA based in London in 1967 as supervisor of international accounting and served in a variety of positions of increasing responsibility within the carrier's accounting and finance division. Since December 2000, she has served as TWA's senior vice president - Finance and Treasurer with responsibilities including corporate acquisitions and financing, financial analysis, global banking, risk management, insurance, pensions, debt and asset management, investor relations and strategic planning activities.
Deister, a British citizen with permanent U.S. residency, has served as a director on the boards of ARINC (Aeronautical Radio Inc.) and ARC (Airlines Reporting Corporation).
Hawaiian Airlines has earned numerous international awards for service in recent years including the 2001 Diamond Award for Inflight Service from Onboard Services magazine. Hawaiian was rated third highest in Travel & Leisure magazine's 1999 ranking of the Top 10 Domestic Airlines.
Founded in Honolulu 71 years ago, Hawaiian Airlines is Hawaii's longest-serving and largest airline, and the nation's 12th largest carrier. Hawaiian's fleet of narrowbody McDonnell Douglas DC-9 aircraft provides award-winning service on approximately 140 jet flights daily among the islands of Hawaii. In 2001, Hawaiian will completely replace its DC-9 fleet with 13 state-of-the-art and environment-friendly Boeing 717-200 aircraft.
The company also operates a fleet of widebody McDonnell Douglas DC-10 aircraft on 16 flights a day between Hawaii and the U.S. mainland. Its DC-10 South Pacific service links Honolulu with American Samoa and Tahiti.
Additional information on Hawaiian Airlines, including previously issued company news releases, is available on the airline's Web site at www.hawaiianair.com.