COMMS SURVEY HIGHLIGHTS
PSS HACKATHON
PSS REVOLUTIONIZING CORPORATE SALES
JULY 2022
Kia Ora AUCKLAND RETURNS
Rusty Chats about Return to NZ
Our New Zealand Sales and Operations teams have been waiting more than two years for Pualani’s return to Auckland. Country Director Rusty Williss has been leading the preparations and took a few moments out of his busy schedule to share his perspective.
How did your team cope with the effects of a closed border and no HA flights to book? Well, 27.5 months is a very arduous absence in any terms! It was important to me to maintain contact and communication, not just with our small but dynamic team of five AKL Station personnel, but also colleagues and friends across our network.
We observed and learned from the SYD restart experience. We are seeing very similar trends evolving, including very late booking patterns and a healthy increase in our guests booking direct with us via the web. Kiwi guest appetite and love of Hawai‘i as a destination appears to be back big time, along with high demand for our 15-city continental USA network.
In AKL we also undertook some community service activities with NZ Food Networks to give back to the community we serve. Personally, I was humbled and grateful for the overall level of support from head office and senior officers. There was no script for this. I believe living our Purpose and Values throughout this pandemic was critical.
You’ve been key to helping resurrect our Auckland route. What impressions can you share about seeing Pualani’s return to AKL? I’m privileged and proud to be part of this exceptional team. It’s both emotional and exciting to be back and busy making sure we succeed. I vividly recall midnight Sunday, 22 March, 2019, standing on the AKL tarmac watching Pualani climbing into the night sky. Never in my wildest dreams – or nightmares – did I think it would be 27.5 months later before we would welcome her back to Aotearoa.
How did Team NZ prepare for resumption of AKL flights? After such a long absence and rolling deferrals of startup due to government restrictions, it hasn’t been easy. However, in the last two to three months, we have had focused and collaborative support for AKL restart across all segments of our business. There are so many pieces of the puzzle to a restart, and we are truly appreciative of all the support.
How do you see the future shaping up for us in New Zealand? I’m forever an optimist and am very happy with the early demand and trends we are seeing in the market currently. Our major competitor here is returning, albeit with substantially reduced USA flying, including HNL. U.S. capacity remains very constrained in the foreseeable future for New Zealand, so I see nothing but opportunity ahead. ■
You stated previously that the desire for our product has been increasing as entry restrictions have eased. How has this trend evolved as more barriers came down and the day drew near for our flights to resume? It has been frustrating as we slowly watched and waited for various government restrictions for New Zealand travel to be relaxed. Now that these have been substantially removed, we are seeing pleasant increases in demand and yield. 3
Auckland return celebrations
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Improving Communications
Preferred Comms (existing methods)
338
425
Just shy of 2,000 employees responded to our May 2022 Pulse Survey on Communications Preferences to help us boost the penetration of information about company decision-making to all corners of the operation, fulfilling a goal of last year’s Nā Leo survey.
WEBCASTS
SUPERVISOR
1,794 COMPANY EMAIL
T
660
EAMMATES OVERWHELMINGLY said email is their preferred choice for information delivery but noted that time constraints and access issues create barriers to getting that information quickly. Close behind for both operational and business teammates is in-person updates via regular team briefings and meetings with their supervisors.
HApeople.com
Looking ahead, there’s strong interest in push notifications for important updates, which could be delivered via text messaging, an employee app, or our existing Microsoft Teams platform. (Text messaging is an employee favorite.)
631
TEAM MEETINGS AND BRIEFINGS
As we formulate action items to improve communications near- and long-term based on this feedback, here’s more detail on how you responded to the survey. ■
Preferred Comms (other methods)
1,110
What You Said Social Media-style employee app
TEXT MESSAGING
■ You want the ability to customize content ■ You expect low barriers to access ■ You’re hesitant to engage but would if there are controls against negative environments
680
Corporate Communications email ■ You have difficulty prioritizing information when there’s so much being shared
MICROSOFT TEAMS
■ You said it’s not easy to access ■ You said there’s no time during the workday to read email
876 EMPLOYEE APP
405
INSTANT MESSAGING
In-Person Communications (team meetings, briefings, supervisors) ■ You appreciate regular briefings at the start of shifts
30%
■ You want an informed leader/manager to share information instead of hearing it first from colleagues or the rumor mill
RESPONSE RATE
2,936
COMMENTS
61% Non-Contract (760 responses) // 21% Contract (1,156 responses)
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HACKING AWAY. Many teammates involved in the Amadeus implementation project have been keen to get their hands on the Altea platform to test its capabilities and begin work to integrate our business processes. With User Acceptance Testing well under way (see last month’s Hō‘ike), our IT Digital Experience team wants to translate the new system’s functionalities to an enhanced guest experience. But how do you do that with a large-scale project that involves so many people and touches so many aspects of our business? “We were trying to figure out the best way to roll up our sleeves and ‘kick the tires’ on this thing to see if it’s real,” recalled Senior Director of IT Digital Experience Kevin Bowling. “But, with all the different workstreams doing so many things, we decided it would be best to get everyone together with a single mission: focus on the shopping aspects of this project and how we can best use Amadeus to develop solutions based on its enhanced capabilities.” That formed the genesis of the hackathon. “We initially thought of doing an endto-end booking, but it seemed like it was too big to do within a four-day timeframe, so we decided to home in on flight search, seat map, and fulfillment,” Kevin said. “We split flight search into two sub-components: How do we do flight search today and are there things that Amadeus promised that would be really cool and can we actually use on Day 1?” A group of about 40 teammates came together for the four-day event at Corporate Headquarters, including a
15-strong delegation from our Phoenix Technology Center. To further encourage the spirit of lōkahi and a greater exchange of ideas, the hackathon was also open to colleagues from outside Information Technology and supported by on-site Amadeus representatives. Everyone divided into four teams to concentrate on adapting each of the focus areas to the capabilities of Amadeus. Participants were not only encouraged to learn how to best leverage Altea’s capabilities, but also to be comfortable with failure. “If things aren’t failing, you aren’t innovating,” Kevin explained. “Cutover is less than a year away, so we need to find faults early and get them addressed either from a technical or process standpoint.” A team of judges evaluated each of the four solutions on their use of Altea’s capabilities to enhance the online experience for our customers. It was also a chance for two diverse groups to work together toward a common goal. 5
“I enjoyed the opportunity to meet inperson many of my Honolulu-based teammates from within and outside IT,” recalled Manager of Information Technology Simon Quinkert. “Some people in our group had never been to Hawai‘i due to the pandemic, so the ability to exchange ideas and collaborate in a physical environment was especially helpful – not to mention the opportunity to build lasting friendships.” “This whole spirit of the hackathon proves that IT will never be successful in its own bubble,” Kevin said. “We must continue to work together with the business side to come up with solutions faster that result in a better product because we’re all in this together.” ■
Altea Enhances Corporate Travel Experience
Our passenger service system (PSS) project has opened numerous opportunities for us to evaluate and enhance the ways in which we serve our customers. Our Sales team has taken advantage of the Amadeus platform’s capabilities to bring improvements for our corporate clients – an important source of revenue, generating nearly $100M annually (pre-COVID). Corporate Branded Fares Current State The e-cert tool must be engaged to view discounts Multiple clicks to navigate to discount Does not convey value proposition
Corporate Branded Fares Future State For illustrative purposes only— design still being finalized
B
UILT ON LEGACY SYSTEMS, the current Corporate program can’t take advantage of the latest service and technology trends. The Amadeus Altea platform will allow us more time for one-on-one engagement with our customers, as well as self-service and customization features to keep us more competitive with other airlines’ corporate platforms. Real-time account updates will be at customers’ fingertips. During the flight search, travelers will see branded fares specific to their corporate account. Redesigned boarding passes will allow our Guest Service Agents to easily identify our corporate guests.
system will enhance our ability to reap the rewards of a good customer relationship.” Altea also includes recognition tools that will help us identify new customers. The system analyzes booking trends to flag travelers for our Sales team to contact for follow-up. “We’re very excited by the new features that will enhance the way we interact with our clients,” said Nina. “This project has actually increased awareness about our Corporate program within our company and we expect it will do the same externally once it’s implemented. The new system will help to strengthen our product offering and defend our customer base in today’s highly competitive environment.” ■
“With Altea, we can segment and tailor benefits to individual corporate clients and better understand their needs,” said Senior Manager of Inside Sales Nina Buenconsejo. “The 6
Proposed Steps to Create a New Corporate Account The proposed steps to create a new account under Amadeus, though it looks complex, is actually much more streamlined than our current process, which has a 34-page Standard Operating Procedure using seven different systems. Our Customer
Resource Management tool, Salesforce, would be a one-stop platform that feeds directly into Amadeus under this planned configuration. This will remove a lot of burdensome manual inputs and free our teams for more customer engagement.
Salesforce Sales Rep
HA HUB Corporate Primary Contact
HA.com
AMADEUS
Overall STANDARDIZATION
EFFICIENCY
HA ALIGNMENT
IATA Standard for Corporate
Self-Service Update
Self-Service Saved Payment
Identifier (CLID)
Corporate Account Profile
Corporate Branded Fares
Streamline Sales’ Process for
Auto Accrual Corporate Bonus
Account Creation
Miles after Ticket is Flown
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Aloha, Tāmaki Makaurau!
Ma ka lā 2 o Iulai o kēia makahiki i wehe hou a‘e ai ke ala lele o kākou mai Hawai‘i nei a i Tāmaki Makaurau (‘o ia ho‘i ‘o Auckland) ma Aotearoa. Mai ō kikilo mai i pili ai iā Aotearoa, i ke komo ‘ana o ko ke ao i loko o ko kākou ‘āina, ‘o ia mau nō ia pilina. I mea e ho‘ohanohano aku ai i ka wehe hou ‘ana i ua ala nei, eia ma lalo nei he wahi mo‘olelo no loko mai o ka nūpepa Ko Hawaii Ponoi, i puka ma ka lā 14 o Ianuali i ka makahiki 1874. E nanea mai. On July 2, we reconnected Honolulu and Tāmaki Makaurau (the Māori name for Auckland) in New Zealand. For centuries, Hawai‘i maintained a connection to New Zealand, even as Western influence took hold. To celebrate the reopening of this important route, we share a short article from the Hawaiian language newspaper, Ko Hawaii Ponoi, published Jan. 14, 1874. Please enjoy! ■
KŪ MAI KA MOKUAHI MAI SIDANE MAI THE STEAMSHIP FROM SYDNEY ARRIVES Ma ka pō Pō‘akahi nei, i kū mai ai ka mokuahi Macgregor o ka Laina Lawe Leta o ‘Auseteralia a me ‘Amerika ma ka nuku o Māmala, a i ke kakahiaka Pō‘alua kona komo loa ‘ana mai i loko nei o ke awa, he 24 nā lā o kona holo ‘ana mai Sidane mai. Ua ha‘alele ‘o ia iā Sidane, Dekemaba 20, a i ka lā 29 o Dekemaba ke kū ‘ana i Kandavu, kekahi o nā Mokupuni o Fiji. Ma ia lā nō ka ha‘alele ‘ana iā laila no Honolulu nei. He 75 nā e‘epakeke i kau mai ma luna ona, 6 no Honolulu nei, a ‘o ke koena e holo loa ana i Kapalakiko. Ma waena o nā e‘epakeke i noho iho i ‘ane‘i ‘o ka Major Rutherford a me Signor D. Albertes, he mau keonimana ākeakamai e mana‘o ana e noho li‘uli‘u i ‘ane‘i no kekahi malama, a me ka hele ‘ana e noelo pono i nā lā‘au a me nā lua pele o nā Pae ‘Āina nei. Ua ho‘oili lānahu iho ‘o ia ma ‘ane‘i, a ma kēia kakahiaka e holo hou aku ai no Kapalakiko, me nā ‘eke leta mai ne‘i aku. This past Monday evening the steamship MacGregor of the Post Line of Australia and America entered the mouth of Māmala harbor, and on Tuesday morning it came to port ending its 24-day journey from Sydney. She left Sydney on December 20, and on the 29th of December arrived at Kandavu, an island of Fiji, and on that same day set sail for Honolulu. Of the 75 passengers that were on the vessel, six were bound for Honolulu and the rest for San Francisco. Among the passengers were Major Rutherford and Signor D. Albertes, academic gentleman who are to reside here for a few months to do research on flora and fauna, as well as volcanoes of our island chain. The ship has stopped for refueling and this morning will embark to San Francisco carrying our mail on it. ‘A‘ole nō he mau nū hou ‘ano nui no Sidane a me Nū Zilani mai. Ua ‘akaku‘u na‘e ka noho ‘ana o nā kānaka Māori o Nū Zilani a ua maluhia, me ka noho makamaka pū ‘ana me nā haole ‘a‘ole he hopohopo pilikia i kēia manawa. There are no major updates from Sydney and New Zealand. It seems relations between the Māori peoples of New Zealand have reached a place of peace, where they are living well with Westerners and there are no quarrels. Ma Fiji ho‘i, ‘ehā mau moku kaua Beritania e kū lā ma laila. Ua nui loa nā mana‘o ikaika ma Sidane a me Nū Zilani, no ke ake ‘ana e ho‘ohui mai iā Fiji me ka lei ali‘i o Beritania, akā ua kū‘ē nui ka Mō‘ī a me nā kānaka o Fiji no ia mea. Ua hō‘ike ‘ia mai, e holo ana kekahi o nā Kuhina o ka Mō‘ī i Wasinetona ma ke ala o Honolulu nei, a holo loa aku i ‘Europa, no ke noi ‘ana aku i nā Mana Nui e ‘ike mai i ke kū‘oko‘a o ia mau Pae‘āina. In Fiji, four British ships are docked. There are some strong notions in Sydney and New Zealand to have Fiji join the monarchy of Britain, but the king of Fiji is against it. There’s been word that an advisor of the King will go to Washington through Honolulu then to Europe to ask the powers there to recognize their nation as an independant group of islands. ■
Hō‘ike is published monthly by the Internal Communications team.
Between issues, get the latest information at HApeople.com
Please direct any comments or suggestions to HA.Corporate Communications@HawaiianAir.com. 8