New uniforms, lie-flat Business Class, expanded services, a new team and so much more – there’s practically a whole new Hawaiian Airlines in town and there’s certainly a lot to be grateful for.
Over the last 12 months, the carrier has undergone a bit of a renaissance, particularly in the local market where passengers numbers just continue to climb.
Aussies want that Hawaiian experience, and as the destination’s largest airline, Hawaiian Airlines has quickly adapted to meet that desire before guests even touch down in Waikiki.
Speaking to KarryOn at a special Thanksgiving gathering in Sydney last night, the carrier’s Regional Director of Australia & New Zealand, Gai Tyrrell, said she’s pleased with the team’s achievements within the first year of operations in Australia, particularly in building passengers numbers while establishing strong relations with various local partners.
“The incredibly warm support we have received from our retail partners convinces us that establishing a local sales, marketing and administration team was absolutely the right thing to do.”
Gai Tyrrell, Hawaiian Airlines Regional Director of Australia & New Zealand
“Passenger numbers have been strong but we expect to grow our business even further as we roll out our new state of the art inflight products from December – the exceptional new lie-flat Business Class cabin; the expanded number of the highly popular Extra Comfort seats from 40 to 68 seats – and with our new look uniforms coming soon too.
“I love the fact that we are keeping all the best of our unique culture and style, which has made us so popular with Australian travellers over many years, but now we are stepping into the future with an absolutely state of the art product offering.
“We are thankful for all the support we have received and excited by all the new and positive develops yet to come.”
On that note, here are 10 things Gai says she’s particularly thankful for:
1. Hawaiian Airlines – One of a Kind:
Hawaiian holidays start the moment passengers step on board Hawaiian Airlines. The airline is renowned for its signature Mea Ho‘okipa (translation: “I am host”) authentic Hawaiian hospitality and inflight service, a warm and friendly celebration of the culture, people, and Aloha Spirit of the Hawaiian Islands.
Now in its 87th year of continuous service, Hawaiian is Hawai‘i’s biggest and longest-serving airline, a destination carrier proudly bringing Hawaii to the rest of the world and bringing visitors from around the world to Hawaii.
2. New lie-flat Business Class
Hawaiian’s fabulous new Lie Flat Business Class is now on sale and starts next month on flights from Brisbane (5 Dec) and Sydney (13 Dec).
The airline’s Airbus A330 Business Class cabin blends island-inspired luxury and comfort with the airline’s signature in-flight hospitality. Clever and spacious cabin design incorporates flowing curves evocative of the winds and ocean and 18 lie-flat leather seats that fold into 180-degree beds at a roomy 20.5 inches wide and 76 inches long. Aligned in a 2-2-2 configuration, the seats are ideally tailored to leisure guests such as couples, families and honeymooners, while offering superior functionality to the business traveller.
Guests will enjoy intuitive seat controls and access to multiple power ports, including two USB connections and one A/C outlet. An advanced in-flight entertainment system with over 100 hours of movies and TV is powered by a 13-inch wide-screen tablet resting on an adjustable telescoping arm for optimal viewing angle and comfort.
And wait ’til you see their amenity kits that invite travellers to “E-Hiamoe Maika’i”- Sleep well. A cotton quilt and pillow in an ‘Auli’ilani lehua flower pattern and a selection of soothing products – hand and body balm, lip balm, hydrating mist, dental kit, bamboo comb, and socks with a cute thongs design. An eye mask, plush mattress pad and pillow are also provided for added comfort.
3. Popular extra comfort seating
Australians LOVE Hawaiian Airlines Extra Comfort seating. Because of popular demand, the airline will shortly expand this seating on all Airbus A330 aircraft from 40 to 68 seats Extra Comfort seats on every plane. Extra Comfort option features 36 inches of seat pitch, priority boarding at gate, complimentary on-demand seat entertainment and personal power outlet.
4. Coming up, new uniforms
Hawaiian has unveiled new uniforms for more than 5000 front-line employees. The new designs are the result of collaboration among 40 front-line Hawaiian employees, Affinity Apparel and renowned Hilo based design firm Sig Zane Kaiao. The new look will debut in late 2017 to coincide with the entry into service of Hawaiian’s first A321 neo long-haul aircraft.
5. Great schedules
Land, be on the sand with a cocktail in hand by mid afternoon! Hawaiian flies wide-body, twin-aisle, A330-200 aircraft daily from Sydney and four times weekly from Brisbane to Honolulu. Scheduled flights from Sydney depart mid-evening while those from Brisbane depart late evening, crossing the international dateline and arriving in Honolulu the same morning.
After clearing U.S. Customs, Hawaiian’s passengers can transfer to their hotels in the Waikiki Beach precinct and spend the day relaxing, shopping, surfing or exploring the gateway island of Oahu.
6. Fly from Australia to the US mainland
Hawaiian Airlines has especially designed its schedules ex-Australia to also offer passengers an attractive option for travelling to the US mainland, with convenient connections through Honolulu on to 11 mainland cities including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, New York, Seattle, Portland, Sacramento, San Jose, Oakland, San Diego and Phoenix. This also opens exciting dual destination travel opportunities, stopping over in Hawaii en route to, or returning from, the US.
The airline now flies Sydney-Honolulu daily and Brisbane-Honolulu four times weekly with convenient connections to the US mainland.
7. 64 kilos per passenger of checked baggage – free!
While there are many unique aspects to Hawaiian Airlines service, one point of difference hugely popular with Australians is the airline’s industry-leading baggage allowance. Every customer flying Hawaiian Airlines from Australia receives an extremely generous 64-kilogram free baggage allowance per person (two bags weighing up to 32kg each) as well as complimentary meals and beverages, video and audio entertainment, blankets and pillows.
8. Hawaiian’s team
Hawaiian has a fun new team in Australia and is known around the world for it’s exceptional people. The airline this year won the coveted 2016 Skytrax World Airline Awards for ‘Best Airline Staff – North America’ which recognises service excellence across all areas of frontline customer service.
Hawaiian Airlines President and CEO Mark Dunkerley said: “Hawaii is a special place with a rich history and unique culture of aloha. Our employees deliver authentic Hawaiian hospitality to over 11 million guests every year. On behalf of our entire ‘ohana, I’m honoured to accept this award”.
9. Watch out for the Moana aircraft
Hawaiian Airlines, in collaboration with The Walt Disney Studios, has recently unveiled three custom Airbus A330 aircraft adorned with imagery from the highly anticipated, CG-animated comedy adventure “Moana”.
The aircraft feature characters from the movie on Hawaiian’s fuselage as they take off on their way-finding journey. The unique artwork, created by Walt Disney Animation Studios in collaboration with Hawaiian’s team, reimagines each aircraft as a modern-day voyaging canoe, flying Moana, Maui, and their friends to new and exciting destinations. The overhead luggage bins on all three “Moana”-themed Airbus A330s are also decorated with characters and artwork from the film.
The planes will fly on Hawaiian’s regularly scheduled U.S. domestic routes as well as to international destinations including Brisbane and Sydney.
10. Exclusive Waikele Factory Outlets shopping voucher
Hawaiian Airlines guests from Australia receive a Free ‘Savings Passport’ and exclusive gifts when shopping at Waikele Premium Outlets. Hawaiian is the exclusive airline partner of Waikele Premium Outlets, one of the most popular shopping destinations in Hawaii just 30 mins from Honolulu International Airport.
Bring your HA boarding pass to receive the Savings Passport and enjoy amazing additional savings of 25 percent – 65 percent on designer and name brands including Adidas, Coach, Michael Kors, Polo Ralph Lauren, Tumi and many more.