HONOLULU — Hawaiian Airlines Inc. flew a record number of passengers in 2018, and its CEO and president will be on Kauai next week.
Hawaiian welcomed 11,840,178 guests last year, a 2.9 percent increase over the previous year.
The record number of passengers in 2018 marks 14 straight years of growth as Hawaiian continues to expand its network and fleet, providing travelers with more options to fly to, from, and within the Hawaiian Islands.
Hawaiian took delivery of nine A321neo aircraft in 2018, bringing the total size of its A321neo fleet to 11.
The A321neo will help the airline build upon its U.S. West Coast presence, including new, daily, nonstop service to Maui’s Kahului Airport from Portland, Sacramento and San Diego international airports, as well as to Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport from Long Beach.
The airline will also begin new, five-times-a-week, nonstop service to Honolulu from Boston’s Logan International Airport on April 4.
Since 2010, the 89-year-old destination airline has diversified its business by expanding in the Asia Pacific region. New services between Honolulu and Tokyo, Osaka and Sapporo, Japan; Seoul, South Korea; Brisbane, Australia; Auckland, New Zealand; and Beijing, China, complement the carrier’s robust interisland and North America network.
It’s been doing well financially. Hawaiian Holdings Inc., parent company of Hawaiian Airlines, reported a third-quarter profit of $93.5 million, an increase of 30 percent from a year ago.
If people want a chance to hear more about Hawaiian Airlines and its plans, Peter Ingram, president and CEO, will be the keynote speaker at the Jan. 15 meeting of the Kauai Chamber of Commerce at the Aqua Kauai Beach Resort near Hanamaulu.
Ingram, 52, will talk about the airline’s achievements and the challenges ahead. The topic of airfares generally comes up at this annual visit by Hawaiian Airlines’ top officer.
Ingram joined Hawaiian as chief financial officer in November 2005 and served as executive vice president and chief commercial officer from November 2011 through February 2018.
Prior to joining Hawaiian Airlines, Ingram spent 11 years with AMR Corporation, parent company of American Airlines and American Eagle Airlines.
The luncheon is set for noon at the Aqua Kauai Beach Resort. Tickets are $70. Non-members pay $80. Info: 245-7363
