As Hawaiian marks its 12th anniversary of Honolulu-Incheon service, South Korea Country Director Soojin Yu reflects on the highlights of her career.

The rich history between Hawai‘i and South Korea dates back 120 years to Jan. 13, 1903, when the first Korean immigrants entered the United States by steamship on the shores of Honolulu.

Today, more than 50,000 Hawai‘i residents identify as Korean, and it's because of this deep-rooted relationship that Soojin Yu, Hawaiian’s South Korea country director, was determined to keep Hawaiian's Honolulu-Incheon service operating throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We thought it would be easy to resume passenger service since we had maintained cargo service throughout the pandemic and we were the only carrier connecting Hawai‘i and Korea at the time," Yu said. "I knew how important it was to provide essential connectivity for travelers, but it took tremendous effort and teamwork to welcome guests back onboard.”

Yu with Theo Panagiotoulias, Hawaiian's senior vice president of global alliances and sales, at the airline's 12th anniversary of Honolulu-Incheon service on Jan. 11, 2023

Yu's persistence and strong relationships with government officials paid off, and Hawaiian was eventually able to add passengers to its cargo flights under a special non-scheduled flight agreement similar to charter operations. This meant submitting approval for every flight for nearly six months.

"This was the only option, and sometimes we wouldn't get approval until the day of the flight," Yu said. "It was the biggest challenge of my career with Hawaiian."

Yu’s career began more than seven years ago when – after only 10 days on the job – she was tasked with representing Hawaiian at its five-year Incheon anniversary celebration.

"I didn't know much about Hawaiian Airlines at that time because I had only just started, and I had to give a speech and talk with media – I was so nervous," she recalled. "But this event really helped me to understand what Hawaiian represented. I could see how the culture was shared through celebration and how everyone worked together like family. Like ʻohana. Our [route] anniversary is in January, and it was so cold outside," Yu continued. "But inside, I could really feel the warmth and knew then what the term 'aloha spirit' meant."

Hawaiian Airlines ʻohana celebrates Incheon's five-year route anniversary in January 2016

Now, Yu leads her all-female sales and marketing team – a rare occurrence in Korea's airline industry – with that same warmth and aloha.

"This is how we can be strong in Korea," Yu explains. "If we can live by Hawaiian's core values of mālama (to care for), hoʻokipa (hospitality), lōkahi (unity) and po'okela (excellence) at the office, then my team can go out and share that with our external partners too. We are far from Koapaka (Hawaiian's headquarters), so it's extremely important that we continue to share these values here. It helps us feel connected."

Yu's team surprised her with a birthday celebration and homemade cake by country administrator Caroline Hwang

She feels a responsibility to set an example for her team as a woman leader.

"I try to show them that success for women in this industry is possible, and I want them to feel comfortable being able to talk to me about anything. We have a small team, but we are extremely close, and I'm proud of that," Yu said.

It's undeniable that Yu is, in fact, leading by example. There was also a silver lining from all the challenges Yu faced during the pandemic: she was now well-positioned among top Korean delegates and government officials. This led to one of her most memorable experiences to date – an invitation by the U.S. Embassy to represent Hawaiian at a state dinner hosted last May by South Korea President Yoon Suk Yeol. It was there she had a chance to meet and speak with U.S. President Joe Biden.
 

Yu and U.S. President Joe Biden at the South Korea state dinner in May 2022

"As I was waiting to speak with him, I was thinking 'how can I show him that I'm from Hawaiian Airlines?'" Yu explained. "So when I finally walked up to him, I said 'aloha!' He smiled so big and replied back with 'aloha.' It was such an honor to represent Hawaiian and I'll never forget that day."

A year filled with exciting investments, 2022 was a period of building a robust foundation for a thriving future for our 93-year-old airline.

In his annual year-end message, President and CEO Peter Ingram praised employees for overcoming challenges and seizing opportunities: “The reduced flying through the pandemic gave us the opportunity to think through what building back better would look like, for you and for our guests. Last year was about putting that thinking into motion and building a foundation. This year, we start to fly.”

In 2022, we proudly served millions of guests from around the world with our authentic Hawaiian hospitality as pent-up demand for travel led to some markets registering loads above pre-pandemic levels. Guests continued to rate Hawaiian among the best of the best in 2022, including in Conde Nast’s Top 10 U.S Airlines, Travel + Leisure’s Best Domestic Airline, and TripSavvy’s Editor’s Choice and Industry Leader.

These accolades are a testament to what Ingram stated in his message to employees: “This is our home. We share what we love about it and care for our islands and guests like no other.”

Investing in our people and growing our business

We continued to invest in our growth while diversifying our business in a way that capitalized on our strengths. Our agreement to operate a fleet of 10 Airbus A330-300 freighters for Amazon reflects our company’s commitment to reliability and excellence in carrying cargo.

We also expanded opportunities for people to join our Hawaiian Airlines ʻohana and pursue a career at our legacy company. We established partnerships with the University of Hawaiʻi, Honolulu Community College, and Arizona State University to create pathways for Hawaiʻi students to pursue highly-skilled aviation careers, ranging from information technology to mechanics.

To meet the expanding needs of our airline, we welcomed 1,370 new teammates last year across all areas of our business, bringing our total workforce to 7,089 by the end of 2022. 

Reducing emissions and enhancing the guest experience

A mix of factors – widespread vaccination rates, loosened travel restrictions, and growing demand for leisure vacations – allowed for a steady rebound in travel to, from and within the Hawaiian Islands. At a time of recovery and budding demand, preparing our operations for a greener future remained paramount.

Our sustainability strategy focuses on decarbonization, and we outlined our progress and pathway in our 2022 Corporate Kuleana report. Each venture – such as our research into sustainable aviation fuel with Par Hawaii and electric-powered sea gliders with REGENT —  helps get us closer to where we need to be: net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Operating a fuel-efficient fleet (which will soon include 12 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners) also helps us gain traction toward this goal.

A rendering of the REGENT Monarch, a 100-passenger electric-powered seaglider.

Throughout the year, we made strides to make our guests’ travel experience more sustainable. We began giving guests on any Hawaiian Airlines flight the option to measure and offset the carbon emissions of their travel through a partnership with Conservation International and committed to offsetting all employee business travel across our network. We also introduced Mananalu, the water company founded by Hawaiʻi environmental activist and celebrity Jason Momoa, to our cabin to phase out plastic water bottles with 16-ounce recyclable aluminum bottles. 

In addition to preparing to induct our new Boeing 787-9 fleet, with the first aircraft arriving in late 2023, we announced a partnership with Starlink to bring complimentary high-speed wi-fi to our transpacific flights later this year.

Partnerships for the community

The word kuleana is usually translated as “responsibility,” but it stands for a Hawaiian value that encompasses a broader meaning. When we say we have a kuleana to Hawai‘i, we affirm our commitment to care for and respect the land and culture and acknowledge the value Hawai‘i brings to us.

In 2022, we strengthened our support for the Koʻolau Mountain Watershed Partnership to better support its efforts to repopulate native forests in Oʻahu’s Koʻolau Mountain Range. Through our Plant the Planes initiative, our Team Kokua volunteers hiked Oʻahu’s watersheds and helped restore native plants and trees that our Airbus A321neos are named after.

Team Kōkua pictured at the worksite with the Koʻolau Mountain Watershed Partnership in April.

In August, the Hawaiian Airlines Foundation awarded a $100,000 grant to Kākoʻo ʻŌiwi, a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the cultural, spiritual and traditional practices of the Native Hawaiian community. The grant is funding the construction of a wash and pack facility in Heʻeia that will be used to process crops grown in the Kaneohe region, including kalo (taro), ʻulu (breadfruit), ʻuala (sweet potato), and hōʻiʻo (warabi).

For a third consecutive year, we encouraged 6,447 people worldwide to holoholo (go out) and prioritize their wellness during the annual Holoholo Challenge. The Hawaiʻi inspired fitness experience in October invited participants to track their progress with virtual routes inspired by scenic roads that wind through Hawaiʻi Island – also known as the Big Island. At the end of the challenge, over $33,320 was raised for local nonprofit Friends of Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge, which protects a 32,830-acre parcel on the Big Island that’s home to 29 critically endangered species, including seven birds, one insect, one mammal and 20 plants found nowhere else in the world.

Holoholo Challenge 2022 participants on a hike on the Big Island.

Over 1,255 employees (and their ʻohana) volunteered 6,795 hours to Hawai‘i-based organizations through our Team Kōkua employee giving program, including teammates from Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, and Australia who helped with beach cleanups, food banks, community events, restoration of endangered ecosystems and habitats, and more. In addition to sweat equity, Team Kōkua organized the equivalent of $833,852 in employee-sponsored donations, ranging from travel and HawaiianMiles to cash contributions, to benefit hundreds of nonprofits in Hawaiʻi and abroad. 

In September, nearly 70 Team Kōkua volunteers teamed up with two South Korean organizations, Evergreen and Reward, to clean plastics, nets and other debris from Incheon's Masian Beach.

Steps toward richer workplace inclusivity

We recognize and celebrate the immense value that diversity and inclusion bring to our workplace. Our employee resource groups (ERG) representing veterans, women in aviation, Black employees, LGBTQA+, teammates with disabilities and those passionate about sustainability continue to support safe, productive spaces and foster allyship. Among  the groups’ achievements last year:

The Hawaiian Airlines Network for Black Employees and Allies ERG led a company-wide celebration for Juneteenth by working with community leaders to host a series of impactful events focused on educating employees and honoring the historical and cultural significance of June 19, 1865.

Officers of the NBEA ERG pictured with Amaka (center) during the unveiling of a Juneteenth reflection space in 2022.

In honor of National Pride Month, Hawaiian Airlines, in collaboration with Haʻaheo, Hawaiian’s LBGTQ+ ERG, tapped Hawaiʻi-born dance celebrity Mark Kanemura to kick off its #RainbowRunwayChallenge in a vibrant celebration of inclusivity and aloha. Coinciding with the debut of our new TikTok channel, followers were encouraged to create their own #RainbowRunwayChallenge dance or walk inspired by the video to win HawaiianMiles and a complimentary stay in Waikīkī. The #RainbowRunwayChallenge came full circle in October for Honolulu Pride, where our employees and Haʻaheo members joined Kanemura on the official Hawaiian Airlines’ Rainbow Runway float.

Reconnecting Hawaiʻi with the world

Our international network continues to experience a gradual recovery, and strong demand for travel to Hawai'i allowed us to bring back nonstop service between Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) and New Zealand’s Auckland Airport. “The resumption of our New Zealand service [in July], along with the restart of our Sydney service in December, completes the reopening of our Oceania market – an integral piece of our company’s post-pandemic recovery,” Andrew Stanbury, regional director for Australia and New Zealand, said in a press release.

Hawaiian Airlines employees and guests on HA445 were welcomed back to Auckland by Māori practitioners, who performed a traditional pōwheri (welcoming ceremony) and cultural exchange of hospitality outside the arrival gate.

However, the return of Japanese visitors to the Hawaiian Islands is most critical to Hawaiian's recovery. Theo Panagiotoulias, Hawaiian’s senior vice president of global sales and alliances, called Japan the “centerpiece international market for Hawaiʻi.” By summer’s end, Hawaiian had returned to daily service between HNL and Haneda, Narita and Osaka.

And to make things even more interesting, we announced a new Pacific Island route connecting Hawaii and the Cook Islands. Our nonstop weekly service between Honolulu and Rarotonga begins May 20 and will provide travelers from Hawaiian’s 15 U.S. Mainland gateway cities convenient one-stop connections to the Cook Islands.

To our employees and guests, mahalo nui loa for an incredible 2022. We look forward to all that 2023 brings our ʻohana at Hawaiian Airlines!