Hawaiian Airlines, University of Hawai‘i Athletics Team Up for 2017-18 Sports Travel

HONOLULU – Hawaiian Airlines has signed a one-year agreement to become the official airline partner of the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Athletics. Hawai‘i’s largest and longest-serving carrier will welcome onboard student-athletes, coaches and staff from all 21 UH-Mānoa sports teams as they travel between Hawai‘i and North America to compete during the 2017-18 season.

“As Hawai‘i’s hometown carrier, we are delighted to extend our support for our University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa student-athletes and their staff with this exclusive agreement,” said Peter Ingram, executive vice president and chief commercial officer for Hawaiian Airlines. “We look forward to delivering our authentic Hawaiian in-flight hospitality so they may arrive rested and ready for game time.”

“This agreement is a difference maker for UH Athletics as it will lead to significant savings,” said UH Athletics Director David Matlin. “We’ve had a very special relationship with Hawaiian Airlines over the years and are proud our teams will continue to fly Hawaiian. They have a special way of taking care of our student-athletes, coaches, and staff and we’re appreciative of all they do for us. Mahalo nui loa Hawaiian!”

UH-Mānoa men and women’s teams will enjoy the convenience and flexibility of Hawaiian’s comprehensive network of flights between Hawai‘i and North America as they plan their itineraries for regular season and post-season games. In fact, the Rainbow Warriors football team will fly on Hawaiian Airlines for Saturday’s historic trip to play UCLA at the Rose Bowl.

Hawaiian is a Diamond Level partner of UH Athletics and a sponsor for three decades, including title sponsor of the recently completed Rainbow Wahine Volleyball Classic, which celebrated its 30th year. The full sports calendar for UH-Mānoa teams, including home and away games, is available at www.hawaiiathletics.com.

The new partnership, which runs through June 15, 2018, also allows Big West Conference and Mountain West teams playing in Hawai‘i to travel aboard Hawaiian Airlines in accordance with athletic agreements between the competing schools.

About Hawaiian Airlines         
Hawaiian®, the world’s most punctual airline as reported by OAG, has led all U.S. carriers in on-time performance for each of the past 13 years (2004-2016) as reported by the U.S. Department of Transportation. Consumer surveys by Condé Nast Traveler and Travel + Leisure have placed Hawaiian among the top of all domestic airlines serving Hawai‘i.           

Now in its 88th year of continuous service, Hawaiian is Hawai‘i’s biggest and longest-serving airline.

Hawaiian offers non-stop service to Hawai‘i from more U.S. gateway cities (11) than any other airline, along with service from Japan, South Korea, China, Australia, New Zealand, American Samoa and Tahiti. Hawaiian also provides approximately 170 jet flights daily between the Hawaiian Islands, with a total of more than 250 daily flights system-wide.            

Hawaiian Airlines, Inc. is a subsidiary of Hawaiian Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: HA). Additional information is available at HawaiianAirlines.com. Follow updates on Twitter about Hawaiian (@HawaiianAir) and its special fare offers (@HawaiianFares), and become a fan on its Facebook page.  For career postings and updates, follow Hawaiian’s LinkedIn page.

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