 |
Hawaiian's new wide-body Airbus A330-200 aircraft is shown side-by-side with the company's first-ever airplane, a fully restored 1929 Bellanca CH-300 Pacemaker |
Hawaiian Airlines has introduced its first of 27 long-range Airbus A330 and A350 aircraft that will join the carrier's fleet this decade. The new planes will offer improved onboard amenities as well as greater operating range that will enable growth and expansion in the years ahead. The company will inaugurate service with its first new 294-seat, wide-body A330-200 aircraft Friday, June 4, on a flight departing Honolulu for Los Angeles.
Passengers flying in coach class on Hawaiian's A330 will enjoy more legroom and a state-of-the-art on-demand entertainment system that includes high-resolution LCD touch screen monitors that allow each passenger to choose from a selection of movies and video programs, audio channels and video games. Each system also includes a USB port allowing connectivity for personal media players.
First Class passengers on Hawaiian's new A330 aircraft will enjoy the added advantages of larger in-seat LCD screens and iPod compatibility.
The A330 provides Hawaiian with an increased operating range of 6,050 nautical miles and the capability to expand its service area on both sides of the Pacific Ocean by offering nonstop flights between Hawaii and points in eastern Asia and all of North America. Other benefits include a greater seating capacity with 30 more seats per aircraft compared to Hawaiian's current long-range fleet, improved fuel efficiency, and lower operating cost per seat mile.
Hawaiian is initially leasing three A330s, the third of which will join the fleet in November of this year. The company has a purchase agreement with Airbus to acquire seven more new A330s starting in 2011, and six new A350XWB-800 (Extra Wide-Body) aircraft starting in 2017, along with purchase rights for an additional five A330s and six A350s.
The next-generation A350s will seat 322 passengers in a two-class configuration and have an operating range of 8,300 nautical miles, providing Hawaiian with the capability to offer nonstop flights to Hawaii from points in Asia, Australasia, the Americas, and Europe.
The new A330 is named for the constellation Makali'i, otherwise known as Pleiades or the Seven Sisters, which guided ancient Polynesian voyagers across the Pacific Ocean and was seen high in the sky when Inter-Island Airways (renamed Hawaiian Airlines in 1941) launched its first scheduled flight on November 11, 1929. Each of Hawaiian's new A330s are being named after a star or constellation used by Polynesian voyagers for celestial navigation.
Hawaiian took delivery of Makali'i five weeks ago in a Hawaii-themed acceptance ceremony at the Airbus headquarters in Toulouse, France, that included a group of more than 200 Hawaiian Airlines employees and their guests. Makali'i made its arrival in Honolulu on May 3 and since then has been undergoing final preparations for its introduction into service.
Hawaiian's second A330, named Hokule'a or "star of gladness," arrived Saturday, May 29, following a 16-hour nonstop flight from Toulouse to Honolulu, demonstrating the possibilities that the new Airbus aircraft bring to Hawaiian in serving new and more distant destinations.
Visit www.hawaiianairlines.com.