Aloha ‘Oe: The Hawaii Express Bows Out of the Hawaiian Air Travel Market
In an unexpected turn, Hawaii-based The Hawaii Express has decided to close its operations effective November 22, 2008. This announcement follows recent downsizing that saw the company return an Airbus Industrie A380 back to the leasing company. Recent membership drives had been slow to produce results and submitted pireps were at an all-time low. The airline operated a fleet of DC-9, DC-10, A330 and A340 aircraft. Peter McKay, C.E.O. of The Hawaii Express, has expressed his gratitude to all of those who have supported the company during its tenure. Sadly, by December 1, 2008 The Hawaii Express web pages will have been removed from the server and all traces of the airline deleted from the internet. At the time of press, email addresses associated with the virtual airline have already ceased operating.
The Hawaii Express was an innovator in the Hawaiian inter-island market maintaining two version of its operations– a historically accurate rendition and a contemporary adaptation, both proudly displaying the spirit of The Hawaii Express name. Continue reading
Super-Jumbo Sliced from The Hawaii Express Fleet
On December 1, 2008, The Hawaii Express (thehawaiiexpress.com) will discontinue its use of the Airbus Industrie A380 “Super-Jumbo” in favor of smaller, more economical aircraft. While the routes forged by the double-decker A380 have been a moderate success, THX management has decided to remove the airplane from its fleet and will use its existing fleet of Airbus A340-300 aircraft for flights from San Francisco and Los Angeles. Continue reading
The Hawaii Express ‘Contemporary’ Arrives Ahead of Schedule
Previously scheduled for creation early in 2009, The Hawaii Express (www.thehawaiiexpress.com) entry into the contemporary virtual airline market has been fast-tracked with the acquisition of an Airbus Industrie A380 aircraft. This move into the modern marketplace comes after weeks of deliberation over aircraft types, routes, and back-stories. The A380 represents a marked difference in available technology while still adhering to the common strategy of moving as many people to and from Hawaii as quickly as possible. Continue reading
The Hawaii Express Set to Explore the Future of its Past
Early next year Hawaii-based, The Hawaii Express (www.thehawaiiexpress.com) will develop a mirror site meant to represent where the airline would have been in the year 2015 had it been allowed to exist that long. The current The Hawaii Express fleet and all schedules will not be affected. Pilot reports from both the 1983 and 2015 versions will be accepted.
The “new” aircraft being considered are: the CamSim A350-1000 and -900 versions in both passenger and a dedicated cargo configuration; the A350-800; and once the paint kit is released, the A360-200. The group is also considering the A380, but with the limited amount of routes available, this may over saturate the airline with aircraft that simply aren’t needed. The A350 is due for service entry in 2012 but the launch date for the A360, a direct A320 replacement, has not yet been announced. Continue reading
The Hawaii Express reaches 100th logged hour
The Hawaii Express, www.thehawaiiexpress.com, recently celebrated a monumental milestone. On Thursday, October 10th, a DC-10 piloted by technician John King completed The Hawaii Express’ 100th logged hour since opening September 1st. Captain King was not aware of this milestone until the evening after he logged the flight when he was notified by the airlines accountant.
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”. Continue reading
