THE SECOND QUARTER CENTURY
1925-1949
Territorial Gov. Lawrence M. Judd's comment at the inauguration of Hawaii's first scheduled interisland flights Nov. 11, 1929, was more prophetic than he could possibly have foreseen. Hawaiian got isles
off to a flying startThe airline began Hawaii's first
scheduled interisle flights in 1929By Helen Altonn
haltonn@starbulletin.comLooking at two new Sikorsky S-38 amphibian aircraft, he told thousands gathered at Honolulu's John Rodgers Airport, "The march of progress is again in evidence this morning."
The progress on that historic day -- a flight to Hilo with a stop on Maui -- catapulted the territory into a burgeoning era of Pacific aviation.
Hawaii's oldest airline, now 12th largest in the nation, began as Inter-Island Airways with the two eight-passenger amphibians making three weekly round trips between the islands.
More modern airplanes gradually were added to the fleet to serve increased passenger and cargo needs and an interisland airmail service.
The company changed its name to Hawaiian Airlines in 1941 and introduced the 24-passenger DC-3 to Hawaii -- an "aerial lifeline" to the neighbor islands during World War II.
In 1952 it started the first pressurized, air-conditioned cabin service in Hawaii with the Convair 340, and purchased a long-range, four-engine DC-6 for military charter trans-Pacific flights in 1958.
HAWAII STATE ARCHIVES
Hawaiian Airlines has come a long way since 1929, when its Sikorsky craft started taking passengers.The airline cut travel time between the islands to 20 or 30 minutes in 1966 with the first interisland jet, the McDonnell Douglas DC-9. Worldwide charter services and increased daily jet flights followed between the islands and mainland and South Pacific destinations.
Hawaiian WAS rated one of the world's safest airlines in 1990 by the international travel and hospitality publication Conde Nast Traveler. It was one of only five U.S. carriers with a history of no air fatalities -- an unbroken record for Hawaiian.
The publication's readers have rated it one of the "10 Best" U.S. airlines.
Over the years, the "Wings of the Islands" has been buffeted by unprofitable routes, operating losses, restructuring, power struggles and several failed merger attempts.
STAR-BULLETIN
A new logo debuted in 2001 on new Boeing 717-200 planes.
The most recent proposal to merge the competing Hawaiian and Aloha Airlines to ensure their financial viability after years of operating losses fell apart in March.
But significant investments in new aircraft reflect Hawaiian's financial stability and commitment to future service, said spokesman Keoni Wagner.
The company replaced its interisland fleet last year with 13 Boeing 717-200 aircraft valued at more than $430 million. It also began replacing its 15 wide-body DC-10s with 16 B-767-300ER (extended range) aircraft for an estimated long-term investment of $1 billion.
New nonstop routes have been added to Maui from West Coast gateways, and other long-distance routes are being explored for the 12-hour aircraft, Wagner said.
"The whole Pacific Rim is now within our reach, as well as the whole of the U.S., on a nonstop basis."
Founded: Jan. 30, 1929, as Inter-Islands Airways Ltd. Hawaiian Airlines
Name change: Oct. 1, 1941, to Hawaiian Airlines
First scheduled flights: Nov. 11, 1929
Fleet: 28 aircraft
Flights: 160 daily
Employees: 3,500
Passengers: About 6 million annually
Alliances: Alaska, American, Continental and Northwest Airlines
Routes include: Interisland service daily to all islands; round-trips daily between Honolulu and Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco and Ontario, Calif.; Las Vegas; Portland, Ore.; and Seattle. Round-trips daily between Kahului, Maui, and Los Angeles; San Francisco and Seattle.
