While 100 hours may not seem like much, especially when logged over a month and a half, take into account that the airline only has half a dozen active pilots. “I think this is actually a pretty important event” John later stated in an email to the airlines CEO, “I’m happy the first milestone has my name on it”. Later that evening John returned to Honolulu and logged his 10th flight with the airline, fulfilling another milestone.

Over the last month The Hawaii Express has been shifting some of it’s service focus away from the sightseeing service with the Douglas DC-3 and more towards the shorter DC-9 flights around the islands. The bread-and-butter for the airline remains the service from the mainland with a small fleet of DC-10-10′s, and more flights from mainland destinations are being developed. 

Recruiting efforts for the airline have been slow and for the most part unfulfilled, mainly because the focus has been on developing attractive routes and fleet. However the airline is putting together a recruitment package that will be released sometime in November.