The Pilots of ALPA - Air Line Pilots Association

THE PILOTS OF ALPA
Hawaiian
Gearing Up for
Growth
By Rusty Ayers, ALPA
Senior Communications
Specialist
HAL at a Glance
Pilots Joined ALPA: 1948
Number of Pilots:
Approximately 450
Headquarters: Honolulu,
Hawaii
Bases: Honolulu, Hawaii, and
Seattle, Wash.
Operations: As the only
transpacific airline based
in the Hawaiian Islands,
Hawaiian’s widebody fleet flies
to all major markets on the
U.S. West Coast. International
operations are conducted
to American Samoa, Tahiti,
Sydney, Manila, and Tokyo,
with service to Seoul, Korea,
set to begin in January 2011.
Interisland, Hawaiian operates
approximately 120 daily flights
connecting the islands of
Oahu, Maui, Kauai, and Hawaii
Fleet: 15 B-717-200s, 4 B-767-
300s, 14 B-767-300ERs, and 3
A330-200s. Firm orders for 13
more A330s and 6 A350XWBs,
with additional Airbus options
36 Air Line Pilot January/February 2011
After years of living
under a concessionary
bankruptcy-era
contract, the pilots of Hawaiian
Airlines entered 2010 by
ratifying a lucrative new work
agreement. Their challenge
for the coming
year is to help
their airline successfully
manage
its aggressive
growth and stay prepared for
the unexpected, especially a
potential buyout or merger. In
a sense, the pilots are victims
of their own success, but few
are complaining.
After several years of
contract negotiations led to
an impasse and 99 percent
of the pilots approved a
strike vote, in January 2010
the pilots ratified a new
5-year contract with industryleading
pay rates for the
Boeing 717 and 767 and the
second-highest rates in the
industry (behind Delta) for
the new A330s coming on the
property. The new collective
bargaining agreement also
raised company contributions
to the pilots’ retirement accounts,
reestablished profitsharing,
and improved most
work rules.
The new agreement came
none too soon, as Hawaiian
began replacing its B-767
widebody fleet with A330s
this year. The first 3 A330s
are now on the line, with 13
more firm orders for delivery
over the next 5 years, and the
airline plans to acquire even
larger A350s in the future.
The A330s offer Hawaiian
increased seating and payload
capacity, longer range, and
better fuel economy, which
will allow the airline to pursue
long-term plans of expanding
service both east and west.
Management has publicly
stated that Hawaiian would
like to expand its U.S. main-
JAN W. STEENBLIK
land presence beyond the
West Coast. It recognizes that
the West Coast–Hawaii travel
market is highly competitive
and offers limited growth
opportunity, so Hawaiian is
actively seeking East Coast
destinations that are currently
underserved for future growth.
Looking to Asia, Hawaiian
sees even greater growth
opportunity. In November,
Hawaiian began daily service
to Haneda Airport, located
in downtown Tokyo, and in
January 2011, Hawaiian will
inaugurate service to Incheon-
Seoul, Korea. On the horizon,
the company would like to
add more destinations in
Japan, with China also on the
airline’s radar.
“We’re very excited about
the airline’s growth plans, but
the biggest uncertainty we’re
facing in this era of airline
consolidations is whether
we can survive as a standalone
company,” says Capt.
Chris Elley, the pilots’ Master
Executive Council (MEC)
chairman. “The Hawaiian
pilots have seen a lot of equity
funds and management
teams come and go over
the years, but the common
denominator is that none
of them were interested in
owning an airline long term.
We recognize that our air-
line’s unique route structure
and sound finances make it
an excellent investment, so
our MEC has made it a top
priority to be prepared for any
potential merger or acquisition
activity.”
One of the pilot group’s
greatest successes in 2010 was
the creation of its new Com -
mu nity Service Committee.
In just more than a month of
work, the Committee raised
more than $3,000 to buy
Christmas gifts for sick children,
held a holiday party
at a children’s hospital in
Thanks to their ALPA contract, the pilots of this Hawaiian
Airlines B-717, on short final for Lihue Airport, earn industryleading
pay rates.
Honolulu, and began a flight
pass donation program to
reunite families from neighbor
islands with their hospitalized
children on Oahu. In 2011 the
pilot group plans to continue
its charitable work with such
organizations as Habitat for
Humanity, the American Red
Cross, the Hawaii Food Pantry,
and the River of Life Homeless
Shelter.
“We feel very blessed by
all the good things that have
come to us this year, and we
want to share those blessings
with others,” Elley says. “With a
proud 80-year history of serving
the islands, we’re looking
forward to hiring more pilots,
flying to more places, and
bringing the aloha spirit to
more of the world in 2011.”