Every day, Hawaiian Air Cargo plays a vital role in the community of Hilo on the east coast of Hawaiʻi Island (also known as the Big Island), shipping local crops like papayas, carrying in key consumer goods like auto parts, and even returning keys or wallets left behind by guests traveling between the Neighbor Islands.  

But for the Hawaiian Air Cargo Hilo team, there’s no time like Merrie Monarch Festival season to experience the spirit of the Hilo community and their place within it.  

Hawaiian Airlines is a long-time major sponsor of the Merrie Monarch Festival, and Hawaiian Air Cargo proudly supports hula participants and vendors with special shipping programs. 

For more than 50 years, the weeklong Merrie Monarch Festival, held in April, has celebrated Hawaiian culture in Hilo and across the Islands. Named in honor of Hawaiian King Kalākaua, a patron of the arts and known for his fun-loving ways, the annual festival's mainstay is its world-renowned hula competition, but also includes an invitational arts fair and handmade crafts and food. 

“People love Merrie Monarch in Hilo because it’s a small town and has that feeling of community,” said Jason, a chief cargo agent in Hilo who grew up on the island. “The Big Island is the youngest of all the islands, but I think the culture is more alive here. I see the cultural practitioners still practicing, and the festival is part of that.” 

“Kaiaulu equals community and lōkahi equals togetherness, or harmony. There is a real sense of community among the team, all working together for a common goal.” — Jason, chief cargo agent in Hilo

Hawaiian Air Cargo supports every aspect of Merrie Monarch, transporting everything from hālau hula (hula troupe) attire and instruments to festival vendors’ crafts and food. The cargo team also stores and stages the flower-laden Hawaiian Airlines float that leads the parade. “Merrie Monarch is one of our proudest moments working for Hawaiian Air Cargo in Hilo,” Jason said.  

A few weeks before this year's Merrie Monarch Festival, Jason took time out of his busy schedule to share how the Hawaiian Air Cargo team supports the festival and provides caring service for Hilo’s businesses and residents year-round. 

Cargo team members in Hilo, from left: Jason; Tony, the managing director for Alaska Air Cargo’s global operations; Edward; and Paul.

 

How is Hawaiʻi Island different from other Hawaiian Islands? 

“I like to think that the Big Island is like a combination of all the islands. We have beautiful beaches. We have Mauna Kea, which occasionally gets snow. We have tropical rainforests and then desert-like conditions on the other side of the island where there's not much rain. And then you have the lava fields and lush tropical areas. So, to me, you got every island experience on this one island.” 

What are some of the local products that ship out of Hilo? 

“Every station has its cash crop, and for Hilo, it’s agriculture. We get a lot of flowers, and fruits are the largest. One of the fruits is called the longan, a Chinese staple food, and we also have papayas. The fruits are what put us on the map.”  

For the Merrie Monarch Festival, what are some of the ways the community, including Hawaiian Air Cargo, gets involved? 

“It’s not corporations that run the event, it’s volunteers. The whole event is run with community support. Besides the hula competitions, there are also two nights of free hula performances. And then the other draw besides the hula is the craft fairs, and the majority are homemade crafts. The vendors are just regular people from our community. …. It truly is a community effort.”     

How does Hawaiian Air Cargo ramp up to handle the passengers and cargo coming in for the festival? 

“Hilo is a small town. Hawaiian Airlines typically has about 15 daily roundtrip flights out of Hilo, with maybe one or two more on the busier days like Thursday and Friday. But when Merrie Monarch comes into town and everyone leaves on Sunday, we have 20-plus flights.”  

What are some of the ways Hawaiian employees participate in the festival? 

“Because we’re one of the biggest sponsors, we get the lead float in the parade, which carries the festival's Royal Court. Hawaiian Air Cargo stores all the float stuff throughout the year. Volunteers working anywhere in Hawaiian Airlines, not just from Hilo, come help put the float together.”  

Do any Hawaiian Airlines employees dance in the hula competitions? 

“There are a lot of flight attendants who do. And we see people who work in the airline, and they’re featured in articles for their hālau. Our cargo trainer is a Kumu Hula [hula teacher] and they’ve been on a winning streak for a number of years now.” 

How does Hawaiian Airlines make the aloha from the festival last, even after it’s over? 

“After the parade is done, all of the flowers and foliage get pulled off the Hawaiian Airlines float, and we take it up to the airport. We’ll line our ticket counters with the flowers as much as possible, even in Cargo. So, in Cargo and at Hilo International Airport, everything is so festive for the travelers when they return to other islands, the continental U.S. or Japan — wherever they came from. There’s so much aloha with all of the flowers and greenery. All the performers come through wishing everybody congratulations on their wins and performances. The energy and atmosphere are incredible.”  

 

This story was originally posted on Alaska Air Cargo Connections