HONOLULU – Mar. 20, 2006 - Hawaiian Airlines announced today the promotion of Rick Peterson to vice president of e-commerce.
Peterson previously served as senior director of e-business and marketing programs. He continues to lead the airline's online marketing strategies for its website, HawaiianAirlines.com, which has been highlighted by two consumer-oriented ‘industry-first' programs unveiled in the past year.
In March 2005, the airline introduced its Hawaiian Fare$hopper booking engine allowing online customers to see all flight options and best available fares over a seven-day period. This past January, Hawaiian announced unprecedented flexibility for members of HawaiianMiles, Hawaiian's award-winning frequent flyer program, to redeem mileage awards, with a new three-tier award structure, one-way mileage awards, no blackout dates, and no booking restrictions.
Mark Dunkerley, Hawaiian's president and CEO, noted, “Rick has been the driving force behind Hawaiian's use of the Internet and automation of our ticket distribution system. His tireless leadership has transformed our website into a major revenue channel for us.”
Peterson joined Hawaiian in 1987 as director of financial analysis. In 1994, he took on the responsibility of marketing HawaiianMiles and then established Hawaiian's e-business unit two years later. He has since led the integration of Hawaiian's data marketing, Internet marketing and HawaiianMiles into a single e-business unit that has averaged 100 percent annual revenue growth per year for each of the past five years.
A native of Lake Oswego, Oregon, Peterson graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in business technology from Oregon State University before joining the US Marine Corps. He was stationed in Hawaii in 1971 following a tour as a combat helicopter pilot in Vietnam. Today, he is a Lieutenant Colonel in the Marine Corps Reserve assigned to Marine Forces Pacific.
Active in the community, Peterson is a board member of Hawaii Public Radio. He and his wife Lynne have been married for 34 years. She is a third-grade teacher at Aikahi Elementary School in Kailua. They have one son, Brant, who is currently studying for his doctorate degree in molecular genetic biology at the University of California at Berkeley.
About Hawaiian Airlines
Hawaiian was the nation's number one carrier for on-time service, fewest flight cancellations and best baggage service reliability in 2005, according to reports by the U.S. Department of Transportation. Consumer travel surveys conducted by Condé Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure, and Zagat all rank Hawaiian as the top domestic airline serving Hawaii.
Now in its 77th year of continuous service in Hawaii, Hawaiian is the state's biggest and longest-serving airline, and the second largest provider of passenger air service between Hawaii and the U.S. mainland. Hawaiian offers nonstop service to Hawaii from more U.S. gateway cities than any other airline (nine), as well as service to Australia, American Samoa and Tahiti. Hawaiian also provides approximately 100 daily jet flights among the Hawaiian Islands.
Hawaiian Airlines, Inc. is a subsidiary of Hawaiian Holdings, Inc. (AMEX and PCX: HA). Additional information is available at HawaiianAirlines.com.