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Hawaiian Airlines Celebrates 80 Years of Service for Hawaii
HONOLULU, Nov. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Hawaiian Airlines, the pioneering carrier of the Pacific and one of the nation's longest-serving carriers, today celebrated its 80th anniversary of continuous service for Hawaii.
Hawaiian's airport stations statewide were decorated to recognize the historic occasion, and arriving passengers at Honolulu International Airport were greeted with fresh flower lei and serenaded with live Hawaiian music.
Mark Dunkerley, Hawaiian's president and CEO, noted the significance of the anniversary and thanked employees and customers. "Hawaiian Airlines has been flying since essentially the dawn of commercial aviation and has weathered the turbulence of a stormy business over 80 years. That is a remarkable achievement in itself, considering all the iconic airlines in history that never reached this milestone," said Dunkerley.
"It is a credit to our dedicated employees and our loyal customers that we are able to celebrate Hawaiian's rich 80-year history in aviation and envision a promising future as we work to continue growing and diversifying our service," Dunkerley said.
Hawaiian's 80th anniversary year has been devoted to giving back to the community. In May, the company presented a $150,000 cash and in-kind donation to Bishop Museum that includes the transporting of museum curators and educators to schools and communities on the Neighbor Islands through 2011 in support of its Holoholo Science educational outreach program.
During summer and fall, Hawaiian partnered with The Nature Conservancy of Hawaii on a series of projects to help restore native Hawaiian habitats on Oahu, Maui, Kauai, and the Big Island. In addition, Hawaiian is promoting the message of environmental conservation through its inflight video and other communication channels, and has provided a $10,000 gift in support of the Conservancy's programs.
Other 80th anniversary year highlights for Hawaiian included the restoration and returning to Hawaii of the company's original airplane, a 1929 Bellanca CH-300 Pacemaker, and introducing new employee uniforms with a contemporary print design linked to Hawaii's culture and history.
