AIRPORT OPERATIONS
88TH ANNIVERSARY
KŪPONO WINNERS
LOCAL STYLE / BEIJING
NOVEMBER 2017
ONE ‘OHANA
Local Style / Beijing
Ready to Pass Travel to Beijing, but don’t know anyone there? Looking for that hidden eatery or homegrown adventure? Local Style is a new series in Hō‘ike to help you discover these gems in the destinations that we serve.
Wudaoying Hutong / Located across from the famous Yonghegong Tibetan Buddhist Temple, the “Brooklyn of Beijing” has both old culture and the new creative generation of young Chinese artists. Its surrounding alleyways have flourished during the past few years.
Sanlitun Village / My most favorite area is Sanlitun Village in the Chaoyang District. If you enjoy nightlife, you need to visit here! Start with North No. 27 – a small, clean restaurant that serves very tasty Sao Zi Mian (Lanzhou) noodles, with traditional minced pork and vegetables such as agaric mushroom, caraway, carrots and celery. Try a side of tofu with spicy chili sauce. Then tame the spice with a poached egg with milk in fermented glutinous rice soup.
Go for dessert at TiensTiens, where the delicious French-style handmade breads, cakes and macaroons have an agreeable sweetness and interesting names like “Financier General Religious Clown.” The shop, roof and surrounding buildings turn into a bar at night. Or, try Janes and Hooch -- every single cocktail I’ve had at this bar is outstanding! It is a little bit expensive, but their drinks are definitely worth the price paid.
A real Peking Duck restaurant for Beijing locals / On a small side street in the Chaoyang District of Beijing you will find my favorite restaurant, Xiang Man Lou. It’s a small Peking Duck restaurant that is not fancy, but is where we Beijing locals go when we want great roast duck. Here, you get the whole duck, not just the beautifully sliced meat, but also the bones (cooked in a variety of different ways: as a soup or salt & peppered – which is my favorite – or stir-fried with black bean sauce), as well as the duck head. My close friends and family know my MUSTHAVE every time, a true delicacy: a whole plate of salt & peppered duck tongues!
I love a small, traditional restaurant called Longmen BBQ. There is a stovetop on every table, and you can choose whatever you want to grill – but my must-order list is beef, mutton, noodles, chicken cartilage, mushroom, and potatoes. The marinade is very tasty and the food really recharges your energy, especially in winter. Luka Wang, Sales Executive, Beijing Office
The restaurant also brews its own beer – Australian style (according to beer lovers), praised by Chinese, Europeans and Americans alike. The many side dishes and appetizers (such as potato strips with vinegar) that are available to enjoy while you are waiting for your duck to be served are also excellent and make for a complete and delicious meal. It is usually a bit noisy and always busy, so you might have to wait to get in – but it is totally worth it. Liwei Kimura, Country Director, China
What is Airport Operations?
As Hawaiian Airlines has grown and evolved over the years, so, too, has Airport Operations (AO), the hard-working employees who support our operations on the ground. These include Guest Services, Ramp and Line Services, Aircraft Appearance, and Hawaiian Contract Services.
AO
EMPLOYEES help our guests navigate the often chaotic airport experience, bringing them peace of mind in knowing that their checked bags are securely stowed onboard our aircraft. The teams also ensure that cargo is loaded and unloaded, our aircraft fueled and safely moved around the airport, our cabins are cleaned, and our aircraft exteriors are washed. Airport Operations’ Hawaiian Contract Services department provides support to other carriers operating in Hawai‘i ensuring that their customers enjoy true island hospitality provided by our colleagues. The success of this multifaceted operation relies on the nearly 2,300 diligent AO team members who make up more than one-third of the total Hawaiian Airlines ‘ohana. Our operations are complex and are often subject to many uncontrollable factors, which can only be navigated smoothly and safely by quick-thinking people on the ground. At the same time, there are many issues that we can control, such as the latest tools and equipment, training and support, facilities, processes and procedures. It is here that the AO leadership team strives to make real
improvements and substantial changes for our employees and guests. The path forward involves focus and investment in four key areas: Facilities, Technology, Processes and People. The AO leadership team is working with internal and external partners to redesign both the lobby and TSA checkpoints, upgrade our kiosk software, and invest in better hardware. AO leadership is also working toward maximizing efficiencies in daily work processes and addressing the need for fair and balanced workloads. Currently, we operate at 27 stations while running a growing ground handling business with our Hawaiian Contract Services team. All of this comes with additional challenges that require daily care and attention by our leadership team. Recent changes to our leadership structure, and additional personnel devoted specifically to new initiatives, will allow us to keep the operation running while also rolling out improvements. ■ MARK ZENDER / Senior Manager, Airport Operations Communications & Performance
Celebrating One ‘Ohana
‘Ohana means family. At Hawaiian Airlines, this means treating our guests like we are welcoming them to our own home. It means extending this courtesy to our fellow employees. It means doing our jobs with lōkahi so that our company thrives. And what better way to demonstrate our commitment to the culture of Hawai‘i than to bring a family of Hawaiian Airlines employees together?
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N THE 1980s, when Ida Teiti joined Hawaiian Airlines as a Flight Attendant, she never imagined that her daughter, three nieces, a nephew, cousin and grandnephew would all follow in her footsteps. Today, her family spans three generations with a combined 116 years of experience at our company. Yet, they’ve never been able to fly together.
As an airline, we identify strongly with ‘ohana, and so Hawaiian Airlines decided to make that once-in-a-lifetime opportunity happen. Recently, Hawaiian Airlines arranged a special roundtrip flight between Honolulu and Los Angeles to celebrate ‘ohana and its cherished history in Hawaiian culture and our company, meaningfully aligned with Family History Month in October. The ‘Ohana Flight was staffed by Ida, her daughter Teiti Correa, three nieces (Tatiana Johnson, Kananilehua, and Marita Marama), nephew John McCabe, cousin Sean Reindollar
and grandnephew Tauarii Nahalea-Marama. It was, to the best of our knowledge, the first U.S. wide-body commercial flight staffed by Flight Attendants from the same family. “Some of us have flown together over the years, but this is probably the first and perhaps the last time we will be able to work alongside each other,” said Ida, who is nearing retirement. During the off-day between flights, the whole family spent quality time together, sightseeing on the Hollywood Strip and Venice Beach. For the return trip to Hawai‘i, Captains Woody Child and John DeRego joined the ‘Ohana Flight. Woody’s father started his career with Hawaiian Airlines in 1984 and his stepmother in 1986. John is the son of HA employees.
All guests received fresh flower lei, 500 HawaiianMiles, Primo Popcorn, amenity and keiki kits, and complimentary all-access In-Flight Entertainment. And one lucky family (pictured on the opposite page with the Teiti-Child-DeRego ‘ohana) won a gift certificate to Chef Chai at Pacifica restaurant. Chai is our Executive Chef. “I love working with my family; we even have a group text where we share photos of layover destinations, ask travel questions, and more,” said Tau, Ida’s grandnephew. “At Hawaiian, we treat our guests as our family, because in the Islands, everyone is our Auntie and Uncle.” ■ View this ‘Ohana Flight video.
Federal Legislation Impacts Our Industry
Aloha from our nation’s capital! Healthcare reform, tax codes, infrastructure and the latest Twitterstorm may command the national headlines, but several other bills are making their way through the legislative process that could directly impact Hawaiian Airlines and our guests.
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ID YOU KNOW that the airline industry is subject to more than 13,000 regulations? And more could be on the way. Currently, the U.S. House and Senate are working on bills to reauthorize some Federal Aviation Administration programs. Each bill includes new regulations on airlines, which could affect our company operationally, financially and structurally. For example, there are proposals to regulate the minimum aircraft seat size for the health and safety of passengers; require secondary cockpit barriers be installed on all new aircraft; and assess the feasibility of in-cabin wheelchair restraint systems that could dramatically affect the configuration of our aircraft. The summer was filled with headlinegrabbing news stories about negative
The measures also include proposals to enhance mental health screening of pilots; increase flight attendant rest periods from 9 to 10 hours; train flight attendants to identify and report potential victims of human trafficking; and improve training to meet the needs of passengers with disabilities. So far, some controversial provisions in the House and Senate bills have hindered progress on these measures. The House bill includes a proposal to transfer air traffic control services from the government to a non-profit corporation. This provision is supported by the President but faces strong opposition in the Senate. Hawaiian Airlines also supports this proposal because transformational ATC reform will modernize our ATC system, enhance safety, reduce delays, add capacity, save fuel and reduce emissions. In the Senate, this measure would expand the types of training courses that can be credited toward the 1,500-hour pilot training requirement. It is strongly opposed by Senate Democrats and air safety advocates.
Managing Director of Federal Government Relations Margaret Cummisky with fellow lobbyist Kate Geldaker of Alaska Airlines. passenger experiences – and a response from Congress was inevitable. Now, lawmakers are proposing to prohibit the involuntary denial of boarding of passengers who are already seated onboard the aircraft, and to lift the cap on compensation. Both the House and Senate bills include provisions to increase the transparency of ancillary fees, but the Senate goes a step further. It would prohibit an air carrier from imposing any fees, including bag fees and change/ cancellations fees, that are unreasonable or disproportionate to the costs incurred by the carrier, as determined by the U.S. Department of Transportation.
A final measure, agreed to by both the House and Senate, must be enacted before the current FAA authorization expires in March 2018. Stay tuned! ■ MARGARET CUMMISKY / Managing Director, Federal Government Relations
Moving forward together / Nā Leo results
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HIS YEAR, more than half of our employees shared their opinions and provided valuable feedback via Nā Leo – our annual employee survey. Over the past eight years, Nā Leo has given each of us an opportunity to let Hawaiian Airlines know how it’s doing, and what can be done to make our airline even better.
This year’s results show that we continue to improve not only as a company overall, but across almost each department, driven by both management and non-management attitudes. Our key benchmark scores, such as Engagement and Advocacy, improved year-over-year, in large part because of specific action plans put in place. (See overall company engagement results).
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Engagement Year over Year
In the coming weeks, your leaders will develop action plans based on your input, and will share how you and your teams will play an important part to continue the good work and progress in the coming year. Curious about what those are? Ask your manager. That’s what Nā Leo is all about. ■
Kama‘āina Insights / Our 88th Anniversary
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The number eight appears in significant ways in local history. Prior to the arrival of Christian missionaries in 1820, Hawaiian was strictly an oral language. Believing their new converts had to read the Bible to fully understand its lessons, the missionaries used an abbreviated Roman alphabet to create a written Hawaiian language. This alphabet includes eight consonants (h k l m n p w and the ‘okina or glottal stop) and five vowels.
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NTRODUCED IN 1845, the current design of the Hawaiian flag incorporates eight horizontal stripes representing Hawai‘i’s eight major islands: O‘ahu, Maui, Kaua‘i, Hawai‘i, Moloka‘i, Lāna‘i, Ni‘ihau and Kaho‘olawe. The flag of the Governor of Hawai‘i includes eight stars symbolizing the same.
Chinese immigrants began arriving in the Islands in the mid1800s to work on sugar plantations. Their view of eight as a sign of harmony, abundance, balance and good luck has endured throughout the decades. Why? Eight is pronounced “ba” in Mandarin, which sounds like “fa,” meaning wealth and prosperity. Multiples of eight are better yet; for example, 88 is regarded as “double happiness.” This bodes well as Hawaiian Airlines observes its 88th anniversary this year. The Archives at our Corporate Headquarters safeguards well over 500,000 artifacts and documents chronicling our company’s rich history. Capt. Rick Rogers can share fascinating stories, too. An avid historian, he assumed the role of Archivist after retiring from flying in 2010. With eight being top-of-mind, he points out images of the eightpassenger Sikorsky S-38 amphibian used for our first scheduled flight, from Honolulu to Hilo, on Nov. 11, 1929. He displays a map of the eight airports we served in 1978: Honolulu on O‘ahu; Kahului on Maui; Līhu‘e on Kaua‘i; Ho‘olehua on Moloka‘i; Lāna‘i (four miles southwest of Lāna‘i City); and Hilo, Kona and Kamuela (Waimea) on Hawai‘i island.
Our eight destinations in 1938 were Honolulu; Ho‘olehua; Pu‘unēnē on Maui; Port Allen on Kaua‘i; Lāna‘i (the airfield was then located next to Lāna‘i City); and Hilo, ‘Upolu and Kona, where we made water landings upon request. “The Hawaiian Airlines Archives is the depository holding records of the first 88 years of a truly unique carrier,” said Capt. Rick. “Our airline has always looked at our history with great pride and continues to integrate our island culture into our corporate identity. It’s as if our past is a lens to the future. In many ways, we hope so.” You can visit the archives by making an appointment with Capt. Rick (rick.rogers@hawaiianair.com) at least a week in advance. He can accommodate up to six people at a time. ■
Good Things Come in Eight: (clockwise) 1978 eight-destination route map. Eight-passenger Sikorsky S-38, the type used for our first scheduled flight on November 11, 1929. A “lucky eight” meal served aboard our inaugural San Francisco-to-Honolulu flight on the 8th of June, 1958
Congratulations to our 3rd Quarter Kūpono Winners!
CAPT. RODNEY CHUN was personally assisting Robbie, a Canadian boy in his late teens, to his seat while preboarding HA305 (OGG-HNL). During the conversation with Robbie’s mother, Rodney found out that his dream was to become a pilot but, due to a disability, he never could. So prior to pushback, Rodney presented a gift to Robbie – his pilot wings. Robbie’s smile was priceless and heartwarming as guests applauded. Rodney also volunteers countless hours at many Team Kōkua events, including the Relay for Life, Ka Ho‘okele Explorers Program, Honolulu City Lights and Kamehameha Day Parade, to name just a few. He sits on the panel to interview new-hire pilot candidates and helps supplement Flight Operations’ daily needs. “It is my great honor and privilege to nominate Rodney as he exemplifies and embodies Hawaiian Airlines’ hospitality and passion for our airline,” said First Officer Torin Ching. KOA Lead Aircraft Mechanic EDWARD LEE is always willing to help – with a smile. Even with tasks like moving or fixing things in the office, Eddie always helps and stays until the task is finished. No one even has to ask. Recently, as our guests boarded HA62 to LAX, seat 3B was inoperative, but Eddie’s skill set and passion enabled him to fix it. Our guests were so happy and amazed by our service. They explained that on Maui, they had an accident in the rental car and the father had missed a whole day of vacation dealing with the tow truck and paperwork. “When the family saw Eddie come aboard and fix the seat, and could sit together as a family, they felt blessed,” said KOA Chief Guest Service Agent Karlee Wai‘au. “I could not be more thankful for Eddie’s hospitality he showed me and our guests.”
EDITOR
Mark Berthold Corporate Communications CONTRIBUTORS
Tauarii Nahalea-Marama In-Flight Services Debbie Nakanelua-Richards Corporate Communications
Damian Balinowski Corporate Communications
Ida Teiti In-Flight Services
Capt. Rick Rogers Hawaiian Airlines Archives
Luka Wang Beijing Office
Margaret Cummisky Federal Government Relations
Mark Zender Airport Operations
Liwei Kimura Country Director, China
Lead Language-Qualified Flight Attendant TAKAHIRO ENDO was aboard HA821 (HNL to NRT) when a 17month-old baby became unconscious. The parents, traveling home to Japan, were frantic and asked Taka for help. He immediately asked fellow crewmembers to call for medical assistance. When Taka arrived at the seat, the child was blue and not breathing. Taka immediately started infant CPR and continued until the baby began breathing again. He spoke to the parents in Japanese to help calm them down. The aircraft returned to Honolulu, where Taka deplaned with the family and acted as interpreter for the paramedics. “We think of service and safety as two halves of a whole, sometimes working against each other. Taka reminds us that safety is service. Saving the life of a guest is the highest level of hospitality we can offer,” said In-Flight Manager Tina Parker. Flight Attendant WILLIAM “BILL” LOPRESTO genuinely shares Aloha with our guests. It is evident in his consistent delivery of quality service, how proud he is and makes his co-workers feel about working at Hawaiian Airlines. Bill shares fresh plumeria from his yard with guests onboard the aircraft. You can see the delight on their faces! He anticipates our guests’ needs, continually refilling refreshments before they ask. He diligently walks the cabin and when a guest is in the restroom, Bill retrieves their blanket, takes it to the galley to fold, and then gently lays it on their armrest before they return to their seat. “Recently, we were passengers on his flight and witnessed how he treats everyone with care, from the moment they board until they depart. Bill makes me feel so proud to work at Hawaiian Airlines! I wish all of our guests could experience his aloha,” said Administrative Assistant Lisa Tyau. ■
COVER
Ida Teiti and her family on the ‘Ohana Flight.
is written to inform, inspire and entertain the employees of Hawaiian Airlines. Between issues, get the latest news via HApeople. Send contributions, comments and suggestions to: HA.CorporateCommunications@HawaiianAir.com