About Us

Our History

Milestones

We've been an integral part of life in Hawaii for generations, and it all started back in 1929 with our original fleet of two 8-seater Sikorsky aircraft and a Bellanca monoplane. From those modest beginnings, we've grown to be Hawaii’s largest and longest-serving airline, carrying over 10 million guests a year. As you’ll see in the following timeline, we've marked many milestones along the way.

James A. Kennedy

1905

A fleet of steamers

James Kennedy merged Inter-Island Steam Navigation Company with Wilder Steamship Co. to form the largest fleet of steamers serving Hawaii

Stanley C. Kennedy

1928

Inter-Island Airways

Stanley C. Kennedy, a Citation Star Navy pilot, convinced the board of directors of Inter-Island Steam Navigation of the importance of air service to the Territory and formed Inter-Island Airways

1929

$5 sightseeing tours

In October, a Bellanca monoplane offered sightseeing service for $5 per person (the original Bellanca has been restored in Oregon and is flying with us today).

A fleet of steamers

Inter-Island Airways

$5 sightseeing tours

Amphibious S‑38s

First scheduled flight

10,367 passengers carried  

Airmail service

Sikorsky S‑43s

13,000 passengers carried  

28,000 passengers carried

New horizons, new name

DC‑3s set record

Incredible Incident

Air Cargo Pioneer

First stewardesses hired

108,000 passengers carried

National Safety Council Award

Pressurized cabins

Iiwi bird became part of logo

Viewmaster windows

Longer range

498,861 passengers carried

Jet age

Neighbor Island jet service

Jetbird

Pualani introduced

Neighbor Island fleet upgraded

3,000,000+ passengers

All-female crew makes history

Frequent Flyer

South Pacific

First Transpacific service for a Hawaii-based carrier

Gold Plus

DC-10s arrive

HawaiianMiles introduced

B767 and B717 introduced

New look

One of the youngest fleets

Safety Leader

Inaugural Sydney – Honolulu Flight

80th Anniversary

Airbus A330 introduced

Daily Tokyo Service

Seoul and Osaka added

JFK service launched

Expansion to Sapporo and Brisbane

Auckland and Sendai added

Non-stop flights to Beijing

Announced plans for Lie-Flat Seating

Narita Service Launched

Unveiled Disney “Moana” Aircraft

Haneda-Kona Service Launched

New Brand and Livery

JAL Partnership Announced

First A321neo

New Uniforms

Announced plans for Boeing 787-9 “Dreamliner”

Inaugural Long Beach-Honolulu Flight

Announced Boston-Honolulu Service

90th Anniversary

Inaugural Boston – Honolulu Flight

1900
1910
1920
1930
1940
1950
1960
1970
1980
1990
2000
2010
2020
2030
1904
1908
1912
1916
1924
1928
1932
1936
1944
1948
1952
1956
1964
1968
1972
1976
1984
1988
1992
1996
2004
2008
2012
2016
1906
1914
1918
1922
1926
1934
1938
1942
1946
1954
1958
1962
1966
1974
1978
1982
1986
1994
1998
2002
2006
2014
2018