Outside of the Aloha we have for Hawai‘i and our guests, we’ve got a big space in our hearts for food. And not just any kind of food…we’re talking dishes with mouthwatering ingredients that embody every aspect of O‘ahu’s cosmopolitan energy. To satisfy our cravings, we often look to LunchBox, the employee gathering space and cafe-style restaurant at our Honolulu headquarters.

LunchBox is the gathering area of our headquarters and was designed with our Hawaiian Airlines community in mind.

LunchBox was launched in 2013 as part of the full-scale renovation of our offices and exceeds the standards of your everyday break area.

“Sitting down together to share a meal is integral to the sense of ‘ohana that defines who we are. We designed the LunchBox space at the heart of our corporate offices to help foster that connection we share,” said Avi Mannis, senior vice president of marketing at Hawaiian Airlines. “Taking the time out of our day to eat lunch together gives us a chance to connect with colleagues and remind ourselves that we are first and foremost in the business of hospitality.”

A view of LunchBox facing the cafe restaurant

LunchBox is equipped with a kitchen fit for a chef and headed by a restaurant selected through employee feedback. Pili Group, the culinary venture spearheaded by Hawaiian Airlines featured chef Mark Noguchi, helped us inaugurate LunchBox in 2013. Late last year, Noguchi announced he would pursue other opportunities, so we began the search for our next local restaurant.

After several months of cafe pop-ups and employee surveying, we officially welcomed Fête to our corporate hale (home) earlier this month.

Robynne Maii and Chuck Bussler of Fête

“We considered a lot of different eateries to fill the Pili Group’s shoes but we wanted to make sure that whoever we selected was both consistent with the high standards we apply to cuisine for our guests, and made food our colleagues would love to eat," added Mannis. "The team from Fête take local flavors and ingredients and elevate them with their global sensibility, and we’re fortunate to have them as part of our Hawaiian Airlines family.”

Fête, a popular New American restaurant based in the center of Chinatown’s bustling culinary scene, is the brainchild of husband-and-wife duo Robynne Maii and Chuck Bussler. Maii, an O‘ahu native and the restaurant’s executive chef, and Bussler, the front-of-house manager and mastermind behind their cocktail program, started the island venture after a successful run in New York City’s fast-paced restaurant industry. They got their feel for their first joint business while hosting a series of dinner parties for friends, featuring farm-to-table drinks and dishes that turned New York-grown ingredients into gastronomic masterpieces.

Outside of the Hawaiian Airlines headquarters, you can dine at Fête's home restaurant in Honolulu's busy Chinatown district.

After returning home in 2014, Maii and Bussler began the search for their perfect space and worked tirelessly until the opening of Fête in 2016 on North Hotel Street. The restaurant has earned numerous awards for its avant-garde menu and dedication to service, including:

• 2016 Honolulu Star-Advertiser ‘Ilima award for People’s Choice – Best New Restaurant
• 2017 HONOLULU Magazine’s Hale ‘Aina Bronze Award for Best New Restaurant
• 2017 Hawai‘i Magazine Best New Restaurant – O‘ahu

“Robynne and I have always loved Hawaiian Airlines, and we feel our goals and mission are aligned pretty closely,” shared Bussler, who often flew on Hawaiian’s daily nonstop flight between New York and Honolulu. “We try to set the table with grace and hospitality that extends to our guests (and throughout the workplace) and expect craft in each moment.”

Back-of-the-house at Fête's Chinatown restaurant

Visitors to Hawaiian Airlines’ headquarters can indulge in Fête’s made-to-order, sweet and savory dishes created especially for our ‘ohana.

“We love food…it’s our passion. It’s the beginning of our day, it’s the ending of our day,” Bussler told us. “That same sort of detail, passion and relationships that we’ve built with local farmers will be the same at LunchBox by Fête.”

Take a sneak peek at this week’s test menu for their launch week:

LunchBox by Fête launched this week and employees have indulged in their menu items, such as local beef burgers and hearty salads.

SIDE DISHES

• ‘Olena (turmeric) salad
• French fries
• BBQ Fête fries with onion dip
• Sliced watermelon

Employees can indulge in some of the same dishes that are served at Fête, such as the grilled kalbi.

SOUP AND SALADS

• Tofu salad with greens, cucumber, carrot, lomi tomatoes, bean sprouts, watercress, pickled mushrooms, crispy gyoza chips with a sesame vinaigrette
• Mushroom soup with sour cream and chives
• Fête Caesar with crispy chicken and parmesan toast

Hawaiian Airlines President and CEO Peter Ingram (left) and Senior Vice President of Technical Operations Jim Landers (right) pick up their order at LunchBox by Fête

MAIN DISHES

• Korean fried chicken sandwich with a pear slaw, sesame aioli on a sesame bun
• Ono (wahoo fish) sandwich with lettuce and tomato on a multi-grain bun
• Quinoa burger with lettuce, tomato, and garlic aioli on a sesame bun
• Fête burger made with a four-ounce local beef patty, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, and garlic aioli on a sesame bun (option to make it a double, add avocado or treat yourself to bacon)

The famous Fête burger served with salty, fresh-out-of-the-fryer french fries

DESSERT

• Homemade chocolate chip cookies

To learn more about Fête, you can visit www.fetehawaii.com or experience it yourself by visiting their Chinatown home base. 

Hawaiian Airlines is transporting youth to greater heights with the unveiling of our revitalized aircraft exhibit at the Hawai‘i Children’s Discovery Center (HCDC) in Honolulu’s Kaka‘ako neighborhood. Local and visiting keiki can experience the magic of aviation and its unique role in our community. The interactive exhibit includes real Airbus A330 aircraft components and video displays to simulate the flight experience – like virtual take-offs and landings from the pilot’s cockpit. Children can role-play in Sig Zane-designed airline uniforms and imagine themselves working and flying aboard a Hawaiian Airlines aircraft.  

Originally launched in 2013, the exhibit underwent major renovations to reflect the company’s recent brand enhancements to its Pulani (Flower of the Sky) icon, aircraft livery, and employee uniforms. To mark the exhibit’s re-opening earlier this month, a Hawaiian blessing was conducted in the same way we welcome all new aircraft that enter service – with a traditional oli (Hawaiian chant) and untying of the maile lei. Children from the Hawaiian Airlines ‘ohana and Kapa‘alana Family Education program were the first to experience the new exhibit.

A photo from 2013 when Hawaiian Airlines celebrated the launch of its first HCDC exhibit

The project would not have been possible without amazing volunteers from our maintenance and engineering team, who contributed over 620 hours over 26 days to complete the upgrades, which included replacing the previous display’s design mirroring our narrow-body Boeing B717 with an updated version of our wide-body A330 – the aircraft that flies Hawaiian’s long-haul routes.

Blessing the new A330 exhibit at the HCDC

“We incorporated, for the most part, almost every aspect of our actual airplane,” said Beau Tatsumura, Hawaiian’s vice president of maintenance and engineering. “The largest crew was the avionics (lighting and visuals) crew, and we had one carpenter and a couple of interior material teams.”

The A330 model features our new livery, an interactive check-in station where keiki may embark toward any of Hawaiian’s 13 U.S. and 10 international routes, a virtual cockpit with landing visuals, seatback monitors featuring the in-flight safety video, a spacious row of Extra Comfort seating, keiki-sized flight attendant uniforms, and a mock galley with a service cart stocked with ready-to-serve “meals.”

Michelle Parish of Hawaiian Airlines’ community relations team takes a selfie with her granddaughter inside the new A330 exhibit

“Hawaiian Airlines is very excited to continue our partnership with Hawai‘i Children’s Discovery Center, which began in 2013 with the launch of this exhibit. Our goal back then is the same as it is now – to invest in programs that inspire local youth to pursue careers in aviation,” shared Avi Mannis, senior vice president of marketing at Hawaiian. “We’re delighted and proud of the team that worked on this. Their vision for what this exhibit could be exceeded even my expectations and its fantastically exciting for me to see it.”

In addition to our HCDC partnership, we also invest in the following educational outreach programs in the community:

• Ka Ho‘okele “The Navigator” Explorers Program, developed with the Aloha Council Boy Scouts, features more than 20 Hawaiian Airlines employees from diverse sectors of the company who volunteer to mentor high school students in aviation careers.

The graduating class of the 2018 Ka Ho’okele cohort

• Hawaiian’s Aircraft Mechanic Apprenticeship Program (AMAP), in partnership with the University of Hawai‘i at Honolulu Community College’s Aeronautics Maintenance Technology program, provides valuable on-the-job experience for up to eight candidates as they work toward obtaining their Airframe & Powerplant (A&P) license, a FAA certification.
• For more than a decade, Hawaiian has conducted popular Keiki Tours for preschool and elementary students at Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport.
• In 2016, the Hawaiian Airlines Foundation donated $50,000 to Maryknoll School’s new high school Mx Scholar Program for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) & Aerospace.

A keiki in the pilot’s cockpit in the original exhibit in 2013. For years, Hawaiian Airlines has been dedicated to creating opportunities for local youth to explore career in the aviation industry

Whether you’re on vacation on O‘ahu or planning your weekend ahead, your ‘ohana can experience our new exhibit by visiting HCDC. For the museum’s hours and ticket information, please visit http://www.discoverycenterhawaii.org/.

Look up at O‘ahu’s blue skies and you might just be lucky enough to spot our maroon, single-engine Bellanca, the iconic aircraft that started it all for Hawaiian Airlines. This week in history, we’re celebrating the aircraft to which we trace our long-time legacy as Hawai‘i’s hometown carrier.

Bellanca making her debut over the Hawaiian Islands.

It all began in the spring of 1928 when isle businessman Stanley C. Kennedy convinced the board of Inter-Island Steam Navigation Company to expand into the airline sector. A visionary, Kennedy believed air travel would inevitably overtake ships as the main mode of passenger transportation between the Hawaiian Islands.

His tactic to get the fledging Inter-Island Airways Ltd. off the ground? Introduce locals to the wonders of air travel by offering sightseeing tours of O‘ahu aboard his new acquisition: The Bellanca CH-300 Pacemaker, a five-passenger, 300-horsepower monoplane with a fabric-covered metal frame and wooden wings.

Bellanca parked in front of the Inter-Island Airways hangar in 1929.

The Bellanca was purchased from Delaware-based manufacturer Bellanca Aircraft Corporation, where she was flown cross-country to San Francisco and shipped to Hawai‘i. She first took to the island’s skies on Oct. 6, 1929, when it carried 76 passengers on trial flights. Inter-Island Air Service was officially inaugurated on Nov. 11, 1929, with the Bellanca logging nearly 50 flight hours that month.

From 1930-31, the Bellanca fulfilled the mission set by Kennedy, giving more than 12,000 guests – six at a time – a birds-eye-view of O‘ahu for three dollars (approximately $43 today) a head. By 1933, the Bellanca was pulled from commercial service and sold. The aircraft made its way to Alaska, where it would haul cargo – such as 55-gallon drums of fuel and bear cubs, deliver supplies to villages, transport injured minors and double as a seaplane.

Bellanca in Alaska in the 1940s. The aircraft was not only the inaugural plane for Inter-Island Airways, but also among the first fleet for Star Airlines, which later became know as Alaska Airlines.

Back in the Islands, Kennedy’s vision had become a reality, with Inter-Island Airways renamed Hawaiian Airlines in 1941.

Two decades later, Bellanca was put out of commission after crashing into a lake in British Columbia. The mangled plane suffered severe structural and mechanical damage and was later taken under the care of an aviation enthusiast in Oregon. The rest is somebody else’s history to tell…well, until 2009.

After departing the Hawaiian Islands, the Bellanca doubled as an amphibious plane throughout the northern region of North America.

After learning the plane was for sale, former Hawaiian Airlines President and CEO Mark Dunkerley and a handful of company pilots set out on a mission to re-purchase Hawaiian’s most prized piece of history.

“When we learned Bellanca was up for sale, we did everything we could to bring it home,” shared Capt. Rick Rogers, Hawaiian Airlines archivist and former pilot.

The company quickly re-acquired the aircraft and embarked on an ambitious restoration project on the mainland. In late August 2009, she was certified airworthy after a successful flight to the state of Washington and returned home to the Hawaiian Islands.

A look inside the cockpit of the Bellanca after the completion of its first restoration in 2009.

Bellanca has since undergone another major restoration and remains one of the only remaining Bellanca CH-300 Pacemakers in the world that still fly. Today, it’s a source of Hawaiian Airlines’ pride, giving employees personal sightseeing tours around Honolulu. (Talk about an employee perk!)

“Bringing that airplane back was an incredible time for our company and – to this day – it continues to be the crown jewel of our fleet,” added Capt. Rick. “If you happened to pick the right flight, you could even get former company CEO Mark Dunkerley as your personal pilot and tour guide.”

Bellanca after its first restoration in 2009. The iconic plane continues to operate today, providing Hawaiian Airlines employees with sight-seeing tours around the island of Oahu.

So go ahead and look up next time you’re enjoying Honolulu’s sunshine, and if the sky is cloudy, listen closely…you’ll likely hear Bellanca’s historic hum traveling through the island’s airspace. 

Our strong island roots place the needs of our kama‘āina at the forefront of our mission to be Hawai‘i’s flagship carrier. That’s why earlier this week we were honored to play a role in supporting two local nonprofits working tirelessly to provide disaster relief in Hanalei on Kaua‘i and Puna on the Island of Hawai‘i.

(L to R) Brad Matheny, managing director of cargo operations at Hawaiian Airlines, Brent Overbeek, senior vice president of network planning and revenue management of Hawaiian Airlines, Peter Ingram, president and CEO of Hawaiian Airlines, Steven Ai, president and CEO of City Mill, Brandee Menino, CEO of Hope Services Hawai‘i, Stephen Spears, executive director of Kaua‘i Habitat for Humanity, staff with Hawaiian Airlines accounting team who donated school supplies.

As part of Hawaiian’s launch of all-cargo service between Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL), Līhu‘e Airport (LIH) and Hilo International Airport (ITO), our ‘ohana partnered with City Mill – another longtime kama‘āina company – to secure and ship over 2,600 pounds of donated goods aboard our new fleet of ATR-72 aircraft. The cargo included:

• 1,020 pounds of construction tools flown to Līhu‘e to be used by Kaua‘i Habitat for Humanity in repairing homes for low-income residents affected by last April’s devastating storms
• 1,815 pounds of furniture transported to Hilo for 20 micro-houses built by Hope Services to shelter families affected by the ongoing Kīlauea volcano lava flow

Our new ATR72 turboprop freighter being loaded with boxes of donated materials

Habitat for Humanity Kaua‘i staff received the donated tools at LIH this week so crews could continue rebuilding impacted areas of the island’s North Shore. The gifted materials add to Hawaiian’s earlier $25,000 donation to the organization after torrential storms displaced residents earlier this spring.

“This donation really enables us to help out the families on the North Shore of Kaua‘i whose homes were damaged in the floods,” said Stephen Spears, executive director of Kaua‘i Habitat for Humanity. “Now they’ll receive the tools they need to make long-term repairs and assist with our island’s disaster relief efforts.”

Habitat for Humanity received their donations this week, including ladders, hammers and other construction tools to assist in repairing North Shore homes

On the Island of Hawai‘i, Hawaiian’s shipment of furniture was picked up at ITO on Wednesday by volunteers at Hope Services Hawai‘i. Desks, tables and stands, among other items, will furnish the micro-housing units built for Puna families who were forced to evacuate their homes.

“Hawaiian Airlines has been very generous in helping to bring these supplies that are desperately needed in our community,” shared Brandee Menino, CEO of HOPE Services Hawai‘i. ”People are still displaced in our community and it’s going to be a long recovery. We appreciate the support that continues to come our way.”

Need to ship something from Island to Island? You can try out our new all-cargo service by visiting hawaiianaircargo.com or stopping by the Hawaiian Airlines cargo facility at any major Hawai‘i airport.