A321 TURNS
MEET PAT
1Q KŪPONO AWARD
TEAM KŌKUA ASIA
PANIOLO
MAY 2018
Making Minutes Matter >>>>
OPTIMIZING A321NEO TURNS
Making Minutes Matter on A321 Turns
When we add new aircraft types to our fleet, we optimize our processes to make sure we deliver safe, efficient, and on-time service. Everything we do at a turn to keep or get the flight back on time improves our guest experience. We bring together the experts to work with our Continuous Improvement team: Cargo, Catering, Flight, In-Flight, Line Maintenance, and Airport Operations, which encompasses Aircraft Appearance, Line Service, Guest Services, and Ramp. Their combined experience, knowledge, and dedication to the customer experience, helps us create a better product and overcome these new challenges.
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HEN YOU THINK about Hawaiian Airlines, which words immediately come to mind? For most of us, we might think ‘Ohana (family) or Ho‘okipa (hospitality). However, for DAVE ACKLIN, of HA Continuous Improvement, after his most recent project, his top adjectives might be Variation and Efficiency. Senior Manager of Airport Operations & Performance MARK ZENDER recently sat down with both Dave and his colleague, Industrial Systems Engineer CRISELDA ARINAS, for a Q&A session to understand the details of the project. How did you two get involved with this project? [Dave] Typically, our wide-body West Coast flights are allowed 90 minutes for a turn, so the challenge in front of us was to engineer our A321neo turn time down to 75 minutes. Shaving 15 minutes off of the turn time is no easy feat and we can’t stop there. We knew we needed to get to 60 minutes to keep up with the competition. Many of the competitors we benchmarked consistently turn their West Coast flights in that timeframe. Why is the ground time so short for an A321? [Dave] The A321s are great airplanes - especially for our West Coast flights. Looking at the optimal times for these flights to depart in each direction, while still meeting our crew rest, maintenance, and other requirements, means we have limited ground time in Hawai‘i so that we can fly them at times that best suit our guests. When you add in unpredictable headwinds – it really adds to the challenge. Who is involved with the turn process? [Dave] Many people are involved from across the company, including Flight Division, In-flight, Catering, Cargo, Line Maintenance and Airport Operations. For it to work, these teams need to be synchronized using many standardized processes. Do other carriers have similar turn times for their narrowbody aircraft? [Cris] Yes, we’ve studied Alaska, WestJet and American who have 60-minute turns on similar sized aircraft. If they can do it, so can we! What are some examples of the process changes you put in place to reduce turn times? [Dave] Using Continuous
Improvement Lean Six Sigma tools, we’ve looked at every task – no matter how small. We interviewed employees who do the work. We did observations of many flights. One example of improved efficiency was getting the in-flight crew on board just as the cleaners had finished, so they could start their EE Checks. This was also a Green Belt project, so we had a crossfunctional team working on the process while getting their certification. Was there a lot of trial and error involved? [Cris] Yes. Sometimes we had an idea, but ended up changing it. For example, we initially believed we could have 11 cabin cleaners, for 15 minutes, cleaning only after all the passengers had deplaned. However, we realized we could complete the task with nine cleaners for 18 minutes, using a “fishtail” process. Fishtail? [Cris] That’s when passengers are deplaning and the cleaners start cleaning the front working towards the back of the aircraft. “Swimming upstream” against the flow of passengers enables us to start the clean sooner. Even though the clean takes three minutes longer, it starts sooner, therefore saving us time. ■
The Hawaiian Cowboys
The story of the paniolo (Hawaiian cowboy) begins on Hawai‘i Island in 1793. That was the year British Captain George Vancouver presented five longhorn cows to King Kamehameha I, with whom he had developed a close friendship. When Vancouver returned the following year, he brought more cattle for the king’s herd, including a young bull. To ensure the animals would proliferate, Kamehameha imposed a 10-year ban on slaughtering them; death was the penalty for violators.
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DECADE LATER, Richard Cleveland, captain of the American trading vessel Lelia Byrd, gave Kamehameha I three horses—a stallion and two pregnant mares. “The Hawaiians”, Cleveland noted in his journal, “expressed much wonder and admiration, as was very natural on beholding for the first time, this noble animal.”
Spanish, referring to the vaqueros. Others believe it was adapted from the Spanish pañuelo, the vaqueros’ colorful neckerchief. Still others speculate that it was drawn straight from the Hawaiian language—pa meaning “in the nature of ” and niolo, “upright, straight,” which describes the cowboy’s posture on his horse.
Meanwhile, the cattle had become a serious problem because of Kamehameha’s kapu (prohibition). By the time his son, Kamehameha III, ascended the throne in 1825, they were running amok in large numbers, terrifying villagers and destroying crops and forests. A solution had to be found.
Whatever the origin of the word, paniolo earned a rightful place in cowboy history on August 22, 1908, when Hawaiians Ikua Purdy, Archie Kaaua and Eben (Jack) Low won first, third and sixth places, respectively, at the World Championship in Steer Roping during Frontier Days in Cheyenne, Wyoming. ■
Around 1832, by order of the king, Spanish-Mexican vaqueros were brought to Hawai‘i Island from California to teach the Hawaiians how to ride, rope and manage the wild cattle. At the time, whaling was a mainstay of the Islands’ economy. The king reasoned that if his people were competent cowboys, the animals could become a profitable industry, providing tallow, hides and salted beef for the hundreds of whaling ships that visited Island ports each year. Quick studies, the Hawaiians were soon as skilled with horses and lassos as the vaqueros. By comparison, cowboys weren’t taming the Wild West until some 40 years later, when ranching and railroads linking America’s east and west coasts were expanding. How and when the term “paniolo” was coined is not known. Some historians suggest it is a derivative of español, meaning
Riding High / Check out these paniolo events, activities and attractions. ■ Western Week: facebook.com/HonokaaWesternWeek ■ Paniolo Heritage Center: paniolopreservation.org/heritage-center ■ Hawaii Horse Expo: hawaiihorseexpo.com ■ Evening at Kahua Ranch: exploretheranch.com ■ Rodeos: July 4, Parker Ranch Rodeo, Hawai‘i Island, parkerranch.com; July 6-8, Makawao Rodeo, Maui, makawaorodeo.net; July 20-22, Plantation Days Rodeo, Kaua‘i, koloaplantationdays.com; September (date to be determined), All American Rodeo, New Town & Country Stables, O‘ahu, (808) 259-9941.
Merrie Monarch 2018 Goes High-Tech
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HIS YEAR marked the 55th anniversary of the Merrie Monarch Festival. To celebrate this year’s event, Kamehameha High School students created a video about the significant events of Queen Ka‘ahumanu’s life, which can be viewed on the Festival’s website. 2018 also marked the first year that the Merrie Monarch Festival was livestreamed on Social Media. Tune in to the Festival’s YouTube channel to watch performances, interviews and behind-the-scenes clips, along with the 2017 Miss Aloha Hula contestants, the Invitational Hawaiian Arts Fair and the Sunday Ho‘olaule‘a. Hawaiian Airlines once again renewed its commitment to this perpetuation of Hawaiian culture, especially hula, by acting as a co-sponsor of this week-long event. We also also provided shuttle service between the event venue and area hotels. Speaking of shuttles, our ‘ohana also designed a float and took part in the Merrie Monarch Festival Parade that wound its way through the streets of Downtown Hilo. ■
Kojiro Miyashita Receives Kūpono Award
KOJIRO MIYASHITA – Manager, Maintenance – KIX is our newest Kūpono Award recipient and has been with Hawaiian Airlines for almost seven years in our International Maintenance department. Manager of ICN Line Maintenance – Kim Chongkuk, who nominated Kojiro, describes some of his recent accomplishments: “As Incheon’s international Airport Terminal 2 opened in January, a vendor had been faced with a mechanics shortage. This issue was quickly solved by adding qualified mechanics with the help of Mr. Miyashita. He is an outstanding leader in the family.”
While preparing for the equipment change to A330s, it was very helpful to receive advice from Mr. Miyashita from his experiences.” —Masahiko Kamata Manager, CTS Maintenance
Kojiro is respected by his colleagues for supporting the training and IT in Japan and the west Asia region. He impacts his department by covering Hawaiian policy and procedure training when the Honolulu Training Department is not available. Kojiro also leads Team Kōkua events in Japan (See article on back page), and supported our Japan sales team’s event to present our lie-flat seats to travel agencies and customers. ■
OGG Managing Director Works His Magic
We all have our own individual personalities here at Hawaiian Airlines and because of this, our stations do too. Even though each of our gateways is comprised of many diverse groups of people, all of our destinations tend to adopt the combined traits of the employees who perform the functions that support them every day. This makes our work experience more dynamic and interesting, as we learn about and benefit from these distinct characteristics.
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AUI IS UNIQUE because it’s located right in the middle of the island chain, and is the only place where we can enjoy spectacular views of Moloka‘i, Lāna‘i and Kaho‘olawe, along with big-wave surfing at Jaws and windsurfing at Ho‘okipa. It’s sometimes considered the most balanced island because people can feel the rural, laid-back atmosphere all the while going sight-seeing, shopping or dining out. Maui is also exceptional because it features Hawai‘i’s most natural diversity, with the largest variety of exotic landscapes including jungles, rainforests, mountains, lavascapes, as well as beaches full of white, black or red sand. Unlike O‘ahu, Maui doesn’t have the same crowds and traffic to deal with, so things often move at a slower yet steady pace. We asked PAT ROSA, Senior Director of our Maui Hub, who recently came on board to oversee operations at our second largest gateway, what keeps his employees engaged, connected and working together. Over the past decade, Kahului Station has gained in importance to our route network. Could you please tell us
about the complexities involved in managing the Maui Hub? There’s a lot of pressure on you to stay ahead of the inherent challenges that come with being a hub. We know that connecting flights and new destinations, even if temporarily, are necessary to keep up with guest demands and network requirements. Our growth depends on it. Managing it all requires working closely with our business partners, where communication and working relationships are an integral part of meeting our goals. Our complexities and challenges are no different from many other stations, but it’s through our collective skill sets and working together that we maintain our competitive edge.
Patience and Kōkua Required for Upcoming Construction Projects As we head into another busy air travel season, getting around on the ground will become more challenging due to a number of construction projects at and around our Honolulu hub.
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UNE 1 will mark the beginning of major construction projects and changes, including airport modernization and work on the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation’s rail line. The next several years will challenge us to deal with traffic delays, road closures, shuttle service changes, parking lot shutdowns, and new ways to navigate our airport. Here are some of the major changes that are taking place. HNL Terminal Re-Designation / Effective June 1, the terminals
at HNL, as well as all gates and baggage claim areas will be redesignated. Previously known as Terminal 2, the HNL InterIsland Terminal will be known as Terminal 1. Also, all gates and baggage claim areas will receive new numbers. This change poses technical and physical challenges that will require our employees
and frequent customers to get used to a different way of finding their way around the airport. Team Kōkua volunteers will be on-hand for the first few days to provide assistance. Drive-Thru Check-In Closure / The Commuter Terminal, along
with the adjoining parking lot, are being demolished to make way for the future Mauka Concourse. The extensive nature of this work requires us to permanently close this check-in facility. HART Rail Line Construction / Crews have begun erecting
huge concrete pylons along Kamehameha Highway and this work is extending into our neighborhood, which will result in more traffic delays.
So many different components require some serious collaboration. How do you achieve it? With lots of communication and having a common goal. Although that’s easier said than done, that’s always been our objective. Honestly, collaboration does not come naturally for everyone. Our success as a station, or as an airline, is attainable only if we truly understand that it requires the help from others to achieve it — we’re in this together. Our management team works hard every day to maintain a work environment for our employees where respect, communication and working together is the norm, not the exception. You must have the courage to respectfully address those issues that hurt the team, but you must equally encourage and reward the behavior you want to see in a healthy work environment. Collaboration is a product of trust and responsibility within the leadership team. Talk to us about your efforts to improve employee engagement and the success that you have seen so far. We maintain our established open-door policy for our employees. Responding to each and every employee question and/or suggestion in a timely manner is critical to the health of the workplace. We’ve also worked hard with shifting our philosophy from focusing on the issue, to focusing on the solutions. For example, we’re not putting lots of pressure on our team about why we had a certain delay, or why we mis-loaded bags on a connecting flight. Instead, our focus is on those issues that prevented us from meeting our goal, running those to ground, and if necessary, working with our frontline employees to make the required adjustments. Getting our frontline staff involved in the solution builds a strong workforce and in the long run, improves our guests’ experience.
Tell us about your leadership philosophy and how it has evolved since you first started in the airline business. My first leadership role was years ago when I took an upgrade to a Lead Aircraft Mechanic. Leadership philosophy then was that people worked for you, and you told them what to do, and they came to you for all the answers. I found out the hard way that, although this style works in life-or-death situations, that’s not effective leadership in the long-term. Some years ago, I inverted my leadership style where I became more of the facilitator spearheading the team’s efforts. I found it more effective by empowering employees with greater decision-making authority and the freedom to take action in the best interest of the team. Part of being an effective leader is to trust your employees first, not to be afraid to share your authority, always be responsible for the things that go wrong, and give credit to those when things go right. What’s on the horizon for OGG Station? What are you looking forward to? More growth, of course. This year, we added our PDX and SAN routes, bringing us to six TransPac flights. With growth comes a lot of change and we know that developing our team is never-ending and is an important part of staying ahead of the inherent challenges of our industry. We will continue to focus on our frontline employees and ensure they have the tools, training and time to do their very best work. It’s not only about change, it’s about making a difference. We know that if we make a difference in the work-life experience of our employees, it will positively reflect in the services our guests receive. I look forward to working with our Maui team to get better at what we do, and get better at why we do it. If we continue to work towards getting better, one day, “better” will find us. ■
Aolele Street Access Closure / Beginning June 1, access to
HNL from Aolele Street will not be possible. CONRAC Facility / Construction continues on the Consoli-
dated Rental Car Facility. However, a decision has yet to be made on how vehicles will access the structure. This may also conflict with rail work in the area. This situation will also affect traffic at the very busy Aolele and Pai‘ea intersection. Employee Shuttle Adjustments / The shuttle routes will be
adjusted. So many projects by so many agencies will necessitate a healthy dose of patience and caution. Be prepared for sudden changes and check the Airport Construction website available from the HA People Home Page, for the latest information. ■
Team Kōkua Expands to Japan
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VER SINCE he joined our company, Osaka Maintenance Manager Kojiro Miyashita had wanted to be part of Team Kōkua. Problem was that our volunteer corps had no presence outside of the United States. Kojiro-san decided to create our first Team Kōkua Asia chapter. And, with assistance from Director of Line Maintenance Pono Keene, Vice President of Maintenance & Engineering Beau Tatsumura, and a group of volunteers from Japan, South Korea, Australia and the United States recently assisted the Holy Family Orphanage in Osaka. The U.S. Army’s 27th Infantry Division began supporting the orphanage in 1946, when servicemen discovered nuns rummaging through trash cans for food in order to feed the orphans. Today, the orphanage houses 100 children – from infants to teenagers – in two buildings. As one can imagine, a facility of this size requires constant upkeep, and this is where Team Kōkua was able to lend a helping hand. Our volunteers got down to work, applying Astroturf to the playground, repairing soccer and basketball nets, steam cleaning walls and playground equipment and anything else that needed attention. Even when the rain came and the mercury
EDITOR
Daniel Roselle Corporate Communications CONTRIBUTORS
David Acklin Continuous Improvement Damian Balinowski Corporate Communications Alex Da Silva Corporate Communications Cris Devine Writer
Peter Ingram President and Chief Executive Officer Pono Keene Maintenance & Engineering Kojiro Miyashita Maintenance & Engineering Pat Rosa Airport Operations Brian Sabog In-Flight Services
dropped, Team Kōkua maintained their resolve, only taking a break to have lunch and chat with the kindergarten class before heading back out into the elements to wash the exterior walls. The team spent their afternoon making snacks for the older keiki while Kojiro led a class about chocolate growing in Hawai‘i – a presentation that wouldn’t be complete without samples that included chocolate covered macadamia nuts. Team Kōkua’s support for the orphanage continued into the following day. The team rented a small conference room in a downtown Osaka office building where they held Aloha Breath Workshops (a Hawaiian version of yoga that involves breathing stretching and meditation) to raise funds for the orphanage. “I am so happy to have been finally able to make my dream come true,” said Kojiro. “Team Kōkua performs amazing work to support the communities that we serve. I am honored to have played a part in expanding the reach of this organization.” ■
Brittney Takata Human Resources Cheryl Tsutsumi Writer COVER
Turning an A321neo at HNL
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