The first new plane will fly Hawaiian's nonstop route between Honolulu and San Diego. Today's passengers for the inaugural flight were serenaded with Hawaiian music and each was greeted with a fresh flower lei by the flight attendants.
“The introduction of the B-767 to our transpacific operations represents the beginning of a new era for Hawaiian Airlines and our customers,” said Paul Casey, Hawaiian's vice chairman and chief executive officer. “I think our customers will be very pleased with the roominess and amenities this state-of-the-art aircraft has to offer.”
The twin-jet B-767 has earned an industry-wide reputation for being fuel efficient, easy to maintain, environmentally friendly, and popular with customers. Travelers favor the roomy feel of the 767's interior -- especially the seating configuration, which offers window or aisle seating for 88 percent of the passenger cabin and leaves no one farther than one seat from an aisle. The extended-range version being used by Hawaiian has 252 seats, 18 in a 2-2-2 configuration in First Class and 234 in a 2-3-2 configuration in Coach Class, and has a flying time of up to 12 hours.
Hawaiian will incorporate two more B-767s into its transpacific schedule by the end of this year. By 2003 the airline plans to completely replace its existing DC-10 fleet with a total of 16 Boeing 767-300ER aircraft for its service between Hawaii and the U.S. mainland, as well as between Honolulu and the South Pacific islands of American Samoa and Tahiti.
“Now more than ever, airlines need to maximize their operational efficiency and this plane will accomplish that for Hawaiian,” Casey said.
Hawaiian's selection of the B767-300ER as the replacement aircraft for its DC-10 fleet completed the company's long-term fleet modernization plan.
Early this year, Hawaiian began taking delivery of new Boeing 717-200 aircraft to completely replace its narrow-body fleet of DC-9 aircraft used for flights between the islands of Hawaii. The company has 11 of the new jets in service and will take delivery of the last two before the end of this year.
When Hawaiian completes its wide-body fleet modernization in 2003, it is expected to have one of the youngest fleets of aircraft in the industry.
Along with Hawaiian's new fleet has come a new livery and corporate logo centered on the contemporary and colorful Pualani (Flower of the Sky). An evolution of the previous logo profiling an Island girl with a flower in her hair against a red hibiscus blossom, Pualani represents a 21st century Island woman, reflecting Hawaiian's heritage with a sense of grace, elegance, and caring. Founded on November 11, 1929 as Inter-Island Airways, Hawaiian Airlines is Hawaii's largest and longest-serving airline. The nation's 12th largest carrier, it also is the second largest provider of air transportation between the U.S. mainland and Hawaii.
Hawaiian takes great pride in its innovative onboard service programs that highlight and promote the people and culture of Hawaii. The airline has earned numerous international awards for service in recent years -- including the 2001 Zagat Survey's award for Best Overall U.S. Airline in the Premier category, and the 2001 Diamond Award for In-Flight Service from Onboard Services magazine. Hawaiian was also rated third highest in Travel & Leisure magazine's most recent ranking of the Top 10 U.S. Airlines.
Additional information on Hawaiian Airlines, including previously issued company news releases, is available on the airline's Web site at www.hawaiianair.com.