Air Hawaii

Air Hawaii is a full-service carrier based in Honolulu which operates flights between the Hawaiian Islands and transpacific services to the American West Coast and other destinations through out the Pacific region. Founded in 1961 as Hawaii-Pacific Airlines (later styled simply as Hawaii Pacific), the carrier focused on connecting smaller communities in Hawaii and other islands within the US sphere of influence (such as Guam, American Samoa, and the Marianas Islands) with a fleet of turboprop aircraft but eventually expanded into transpacific jet services during the 1970s. By the 1990s, the carrier had become a major player in the Pacific region and had rebranded as Air Hawaii to emphasize its hub in Honolulu and its renewed focus on Hawaii interisland services. During the 2000s, the airline launched new jet services to secondary cities and began building up its West Coast network from airports in California.

The airline's logo, referred to as the Manu (the Pan-Polynesian root word for bird), is based on a traditional Polynesian representation of a bird. Various species of birds hold importance in Hawaiian and other Polynesian cultures as symbols of travel and also for the practical purposes of navigating among the islands in which voyagers would sometimes follow birds to find land. Additionally, the feathers of many birds were highly prized and were often gathered to form items of clothing for tribal chiefs and royalty. The Manu is often paired with a Niho Manō (shark tooth) pattern in the airline's branding to represent the strength and unity of the islander ʻOhana (family) as well as the local culture which the company seeks to help preserve.

Air Hawaiʻi - Spirit of the Islands™