Delta has begun construction this week on its new Delta Sky Club at the former TIAT Lounge Annex on the fifth floor of the International Terminal at Haneda International Airport.
The nearly 9,000 square foot Club is located close to gates where Delta flights will depart to seven of its U.S. gateways including Atlanta, Detroit, Los Angeles, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Portland, Seattle, and Honolulu, starting March 29 — making Delta the largest U.S. carrier serving Tokyo’s closest and most convenient airport. Delta will also be the only U.S. airline with a proprietary lounge at Haneda.
The newest Delta Sky Club will open early July, just in time for the Tokyo games.
The Haneda Delta Sky Club will feature:
International and Japanese seasonal food offerings that are rotated regularly, including a noodle bar
A full-service bar along with seasonal cocktails and wine selected by Delta’s Master Sommelier Andrea Robinson
Unique design elements and artwork throughout the Club reflecting local culture and history
High-speed Wi-Fi, comfortable seating, and power outlets at nearly every seat
(Reuters) – Teams combing the wreckage of a Hawaii sightseeing helicopter that crashed on Kauai island found no sign of survivors on Friday and recovered six sets of human remains before suspending the search due to bad weather, police and fire officials said.
The grim announcement came in a news conference almost 24 hours after the aircraft, first reported missing on Thursday evening, went down in a remote area of rugged terrain near the end of a tour flight over the island’s famed Na Pali Coast.
The crash was at least the ninth, and by far the deadliest, involving sightseeing helicopters in Hawaii over the past five years, according to National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) records.
The confirmed manifest of the ill-fated aircraft, flown by Kauai-based tour operator Safari Helicopters, consisted of six passengers, two of them children, and one pilot, Kauai County fire battalion chief Solomon Kanoho told reporters.
The identities of the dead were being kept confidential until next of kin could be notified, authorities said.
“We are heartbroken by this tragedy and we continue to ask the public to consider the sensitive nature of this devastating situation,” Mayor Derek Kawakami said in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones of all victims during this extremely difficult time.”
The Kauai fire department called off its search-and-recovery efforts late Friday afternoon due to fog and poor visibility but planned to resume the operation at daybreak on Saturday, Kanoho said.
Although the remains of just six of the seven people who were aboard the ill-fated aircraft have been recovered, Kanoho added: “There are no indications of survivors.”
TOURISTS FROM TWO FAMILIES
Kanoho previously said the passengers on board the helicopter had been in two groups – a party of two from one family and a party of four from another.
Kanoho declined to describe details of the wreckage out of respect for the victims’ loved ones.
While the cause of the crash has yet to be determined, Kanoho said the area where the helicopter went down had experienced “some very bad weather” beforehand, adding that the chopper had crashed within its prescribed flight route.
The NTSB, which said it was sending a three-member team to investigate the crash, reported in May that there had been eight accidents involving Hawaii tour helicopters over the past five years, with four deaths and 18 injuries.
The agency made that report after a tour helicopter went down in a residential neighborhood on the island of Oahu in April, killing three people.
The latest crash was in Koke’e State Park in an area called Nu’alolo, a steep-sided valley north of Waimea Canyon State Park, according to a statement posted by the Kauai police department on Facebook.
Waimea Canyon is a tourist destination known as the “Grand Canyon of the Pacific,” and police said the helicopter was last heard from at about 4:40 p.m. on Thursday, when the pilot radioed that the aircraft was just departing that area.
A search was launched a short time later, after Safari alerted authorities that the helicopter was 30 minutes overdue on its flight back to the airfield in Lihue on the island’s southeast end, officials said.
A U.S. Coast Guard cutter vessel and helicopter search crew were immediately dispatched. The search was expanded at daybreak on Friday to include air, sea and ground teams from the Coast Guard, U.S. Navy, police, fire department and other agencies.
The missing aircraft was equipped with an electronic locator beacon, but no signals were received after it disappeared, the Coast Guard said.
According to its website, Safari offers aerial sightseeing excursions to Kauai’s major attractions over the Na Pali Coast and Waimea Canyon. The Na Pali Coast, known for jagged green cliffs laced with towering waterfalls, is one of the most visited attractions on Kauai, the fourth-largest island in the Hawaiian chain.
Reporting by Maria Caspani and Peter Szekely in New York and Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Leslie Adler
HONOLULU, Nov. 27, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Hawaiian Airlines welcomed guests aboard its inaugural flights between Fukuoka Airport (FUK) and Honolulu’sDaniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) with festive gate-side celebrations in both cities as the carrier marked the start of its four-times-weekly nonstop service with Airbus A330 aircraft.
Pictured L to R at FUK: Principal Officer John C Taylor, US Consulate Fukuoka; Mr. Satoshi ISHIMOTO, Head of Fukuoka Airport Branch, OSA JCAB, MLIT; Ms. Akie Oomagar, Vice Governor of Fukuoka Prefecture; Mr. Hiroaki Mitsuyama, Vice Mayor of Fukuoka City; Mr. Tetsuya Nagasao, CEO of FIAC; Ms. Mitsue VARLEY, Japan Country Director, Hawaii Tourism Japan; Jeff Helfrick, Vice President of Airport Operations, Hawaiian Airlines; Kahu La‘akea Arista.
Hawai’i’s flagship carrier delighted guests with performances by the Hawaiian Airlines Serenaders music and hula troupe, as well as fresh lei and special keepsakes including a canvas tote and luggage tag commemorating the airline’s inaugural flight.
Hawaiian Airlines President and CEO Peter Ingram addressed guests in Honoluluto mark the return of service to its sister city. Ross Higashi, deputy director of the State of Hawai’i Department of Transportation – Airports and Koichi Ito, Consul General of Japan also offered congratulatory remarks before the inaugural flight, HA827, departed HNL on Nov. 26 at 11:20 a.m., arriving into FUK at 5:21 p.m.the following day.
In Fukuoka, Theo Panagiotoulias, Hawaiian’s senior vice president of global sales and alliances, and John C. Taylor, principal officer of the U.S. consulate in Fukuoka joined guests in celebrating HA828, which departed FUK at 7:55 p.m. on Nov. 27. The flight’s 8:45 a.m. scheduled arrival at HNL on the same day gives travelers the afternoon to explore O’ahu or connect to one of Hawaiian’s seven neighbor island destinations.
“Fukuoka and Honolulu share a special relationship, so we’re thrilled to bring local residents of Kyushu and Hawai’i one step closer to their vacation with our convenient nonstop service,” said Panagiotoulias. “We’re pleased to now offer 35 weekly flights between Hawai’i and five gateways in Japan with the launch of our new Fukuoka service.”
Guests traveling between Fukuoka and Honolulu will enjoy the roominess and comfort of Hawaiian’s Airbus A330 aircraft, which features 18 fully flat Premium Cabin leather seats arranged in a 2-2-2 configuration tailored for couples, families and honeymooners while offering great functionality to business travelers. Hawaiian also offers 68 of its popular Extra Comfort seats with more legroom and enhanced amenities, in addition to 192 Main Cabin seats. All guests will enjoy Hawaiian’s award-winning hospitality, including island-inspired meals prepared by Hawai’i’s top chefs, as well as new in-flight amenities by Kealopiko, designers of contemporary island apparel.
Hawai’i has strong historical ties to Fukuoka dating back to 1885 when the first 149 immigrants arrived on the ship Yamashiromaru to work in Hawai’i following King David Kalakaua’s signing of a treaty of reciprocity with Japan.
A century later, in 1981, the State of Hawai’i passed a resolution establishing a Sister-State relationship with Fukuoka Prefecture, the first one in Hawai’i’s history. Then- Hawai’i Gov. George Ariyoshi, whose father Ryozo Ariyoshi came to Honolulu from Fukuoka, led the Sister-State initiative.
Fukuoka becomes Hawaiian’s fourth gateway city in Japan, which complements its existing network of nonstop service connecting the Hawaiian Islands with Osaka, Sapporo, and Tokyo’s Haneda and Narita airports. The carrier now operates 35 weekly nonstop flights between Japan and Hawai’i and will begin additional daily service between HNL and Tokyo Haneda on March 28.
Collection of amenity kits and travel products celebrate Hawai’i’s culture and environment
HONOLULU, Nov. 19, 2019 /PRNewswire/ –– Hawaiian Airlines (HA) has teamed up with Moloka’i-based brand Kealopiko to launch a new line of in-flight amenities carrying a message of sustainability. Starting Nov. 26, guests traveling between Hawai’i and the carrier’s international and select U.S. mainland destinations will relax with amenities and soft goods adorned with coral and fern patterns that pay homage to Hawai’i’s delicate natural resources.
The exclusive collection reflects the two companies’ shared commitment to perpetuate Hawaiian culture, care for the environment and steward island visitors. Named ‘Ēkaha – the Hawaiian name of black coral representing a thriving coral reef, as well as the bird’s nest fern, an indicator of a healthy rainforest – the line alludes to the deep, symbiotic relationship between the land and sea.
“This collaboration gave us and Hawaiian Airlines an opportunity to design a beautiful collection that also shares a significant moʻolelo (story),” said Jamie Makasobe, co-owner of Kealopiko.
Kealopiko was founded by three women passionate about sharing the rich culture of Hawai’i, protecting the environment and operating as an eco-conscious brand. The company’s production is done in a small shop on Moloka’i, where organic materials are sustainably dyed, cut and sewn by hand before being sold online or in its downtown Honolulu store. Each of their designs honors indigenous wildlife, language, practices, aliʻi (royalty), kūpuna (elders and ancestors), and moʻolelo (stories and history).
“Embarking on this redesign, we knew we wanted a partner who could help us tell the stories of our island home,” said Avi Mannis, senior vice president of marketing at Hawaiian Airlines. “Kealopiko is a natural fit. Their sustainable production and bold, contemporary design align with our values and complement the flight experience we want to offer our guests.”
International Business Class and JFK/BOS First Class guests will be given a Hawaiian Airlines-branded canvas clutch, available in two different colorways, with the coral print and a coconut shell button. International guests seated in Extra Comfort will receive a natural felt pouch with a wood tag engraved with the ‘Ēkaha story.
Both kits include the following amenities:
Bamboo comb
Comfortable socks with Hawaiian Airlines “slipper” design (international Business Class and JFK/BOS First Class only)
Dental kit including a bamboo toothbrush with charcoal bristles and toothpaste
Earbuds (international Extra Comfort only)
Earplugs
Hand and body balm, lip balm and hydrating mist from the airline’s private skincare line Lōli’i
Guests seated in the Main Cabin on international flights, First Class on North America red-eye flights, and First Class on Papeete and Pago Pago will receive a coral print kraft paper pouch with earplugs, earbuds and a sleep mask in one of three collectible, Hawai’i-inspired designs.
All amenity kits feature eco-friendly paper packaging, furthering Hawaiian’s effort to reduce single-use plastics in its fleet and throughout its operations.
“Our partnership with Kealopiko advances our company’s progress to reduce waste, bring sustainability into our cabin, and encourage our guests to join us in taking care of our environment,” added Mannis.
In addition to designing Hawaiian’s in-flight products, Kealopiko is releasing a limited ‘Ēkaha Collection clothing line. The apparel will be available for purchase beginning on Black Friday (Nov. 29) in-store or online at www.kealopiko.com. Kealopiko will donate a percentage of the sales – with Hawaiian Airlines matching up to $10,000 – to Kuaʻāina Ulu ʻAuamo, a local nonprofit that works to advance community-based natural resource management in Hawai’i.
“The special part of this partnership is being able to honor the elements of Hawai’i [through the design] and also contribute to the continued work that is occurring within our communities for the well-being of our island home,” said Makasobe.
USA Today has reported that Southwest will cut nearly 20 nonstop routes across its network to free up airplanes for higher demand flights, including its new Hawaiian service. The routes being cut include Austin to San Francisco, which will be discontinued on January 6th. After the discontinuation, you’ll still be able to fly nonstop to San Francisco on Alaska, Frontier, and United Airlines.
Southwest also confirmed in July that it would discontinued nonstop service to Newark Liberty International Airport in November due to the grounding of its Boeing 737 Max aircraft this year. United will continue to fly nonstop to Newark with American, Delta and JetBlue serving New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport.
Despite the cuts in Austin service, Southwest Airlines will still be the top air carrier at Austin Bergstrom International Airport by passenger traffic.
Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV) today announced the carrier will add new service to, from, and within Hawaii in mid-January 2020 with new, daily service between Sacramento International Airport (SMF) and Honolulu. In addition, new service nonstop between both of the carrier’s Hawaii gateways in the Bay Area, Oakland and San Jose, and both Kauai and the Island of Hawaii, will give Southwest Customers access to 18 flights transiting the Pacific each day between three California cities and four of the five airports Southwest will serve in the Aloha State.
Today’s schedule publication extends an ability for the carrier’s Customers to book Southwest travel through March 6, 2020, and also puts on sale the first-ever Southwest service to Lihue Airport (LIH) on Kauai and Hilo International Airport (ITO) on the Island of Hawaii.
With these additions, Southwest will operate a total 34 departures a day on interisland routes, including newly available service between Honolulu and Lihue & Honolulu and Hilo, four times daily in each direction. It will offer service nonstop between Kahului and Kona once daily in each direction.
Hawaii service details for previously announced gateway San Diego will be announced later.
In celebration of the expansion, Customers now may book the carrier’s second wave of Hawaii service at Southwest.com/Hawaii with launch fares on sale today only for as low as:
Fly Southwest between:
Nonstop service begins:
Book today only, one-way travel as low as:
When traveling on Tuesdays or Wednesdays:
Sacramento & Honolulu
January 19
$99
Jan. 21 – March 4, 2020
Oakland & Kona
January 19
$99
Jan. 22 – March 4, 2020
San Jose & Lihue
January 19
$99
Jan. 22 – March 4, 2020
Oakland & Lihue
January 21
$99
Jan. 21 – March 3, 2020
San Jose & Kona
January 21
$99
Jan. 21 – March 3, 2020
The carrier is offering introductory pricing on new interisland flights:
Fly Southwest interislandbetween:
Nonstop service begins:
Book through Aug. 22, one- way travel as low as:
When traveling on Tuesdays or Wednesdays:
Honolulu & Lihue
January 19
$29
Jan. 21 – March 4, 2020
Honolulu & Hilo
January 19
$29
Jan. 21 – March 4, 2020
Kahului & Kona
January 19
$29
Jan. 21 – March 4, 2020
Fares are available through 11:59 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time on the purchase-by dates specified above.Travel on these fares is valid only on certain days of week and seats are limited. Please see complete fare sale rules below.
“We’re energized by the warm aloha Southwest has enjoyed in response to our initial Hawaii offering and this second wave of service is an investment that broadens our everyday value through low fares, no fees to change tickets (though fare difference may apply), and two checked bags free* for everyone,” said Tom Nealon, Southwest Airlines President. “We’re focused on bringing Hawaii an authentically Southwest experience with comfort across all seating—for every Customer—along with in-cabin snack enhancements for our flights between Hawaii and the mainland.”
Just three weeks after a skydiving plane in Hawaii crashed on take-off killing all 11 aboard, nine people were killed in a Swedish skydiving accident on July 14, 2019. The Skydive Umea AB GippsAero Airvan 8 reportedly lost control and crashed on Storsandskar island, in the Ume River, about 1km south of Umea Airport, Umea, Sweden. The aircraft was operating a skydiving flight from Umea and had reached the planned jump height of around 13,000ft, when the airplane lost control. The last reported contact with the flight was when the pilot advised that they were starting the jump. The accident happened during daylight hours.
The Gippsland GA8 Airvan is a single-engine light utility aircraft designed and manufactured by Australian company GippsAero. Mahindra Aerospace, an Indian company, acquired a majority shareholding in GippsAero in 2010
(Reuters) – Eleven passengers and crew were killed on Friday evening when their plane crashed near an airfield in Hawaii, authorities said, during what broadcasters said was a skydiving trip.
The twin-engine King Air plane, with eleven people onboard, went down soon after takeoff from Dillingham Airfield and there were no survivors, the Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT) said.
The fire service said the aircraft was engulfed in flames when fire crews arrived. “We are still gathering information as to the intent of the flight and what they were doing,” Honolulu Fire Department Chief Manuel Neves told a news conference.
The news report said the plane was on a skydiving excursion and the Federal Aviation Administration would investigate the crash.
The HDOT said Federal inspectors are continuing to investigate the cause of the crash.
Dillingham is a joint-use airfield operated by the HDOT under a 25-year lease from the U.S. army, according to its website.
SAN ANTONIO — Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Richard E. Cole, the last of World War II’s Doolittle Raiders, passed away early Monday morning in San Antonio with his daughter, Cindy, and son, Rich, at his side, according to reports from family and friends.
Cole was 103 years old. Arrangements are being made for a memorial service at Randolph Air Force Base, and Cole will be interred at Arlington National Cemetery. He had been scheduled to be honored in Sarasota on April 7 but was unable to attend the ceremony after being hospitalized.
The Doolittle Raiders were group of 80 Army Air Force aviators who participated in a daring aerial raid on Japan during World War II, bombing seven cities just months after the Japanese had laid waste to American naval power at Hawaii’s Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.
Cole, though, was humble about his role in the historic raid, which was planned and led by Army Air Force Lt. Col. James “Jimmy” Doolittle of the United States Army Air Forces.
“I don’t think that the Raiders should be remembered any more than the millions of other people who took part in World War II,” he said during a recent interview at the Air Force Armament Museum at Eglin Air Force Base.
The Doolittle Raiders are woven tightly into the historical fabric of this area. For a little more than two weeks in March 1942, they trained at what was then Eglin Field for their improbable mission: launching stripped-down B-25 bombers off the deck of an aircraft carrier and flying hundreds of miles across the Pacific Ocean to bomb Japan.
Less than a month after leaving Eglin Field, on April 18, 1942, the Doolittle Raiders — all volunteers and none of whom had flown a combat mission — boarded 16 B-25 bombers on the deck of the U.S.S. Hornet in the Pacific to start their mission. Cole was in the copilot’s seat of the lead B-25, which was piloted by Doolittle.
Cole also was among the airmen who had to bail out of the the B-25s after the raid. Asked recently about his sharpest memory of the raid, after more than 76 years, Cole had a quick response.
“The thing I remember most is my parachute opening,” he smiled.
Cole was in the area last month, attending a ceremony at Hurlburt Field, headquarters of Air Force Special Operations Command, for a 75th anniversary commemoration of Operation Thursday, another piece of World War II history in which he was involved. Cole was among the aviators involved in the 1944 operation in the China-Burma-India war theater in which early American air pioneers worked alongside British special operations soldiers known as Chindits to extract British soldiers from the forests of Burma. The operation marked the birth of Air Commandos as part of U.S. military aviation forces.
B-25 bombers aboard the aircraft carrier USS Hornet, departing San Francisco bound for Tokyo, Japan
ANA becomes Japan’s first carrier with Airbus’ double-deck jetliner and joins airlines that use A380s to serve the Tokyo Narita – Honolulu route
Japan’s All
Nippon Airways (ANA) today took delivery of its initial A380, which will
serve the popular Japan-to-Hawaii routing – and is appropriately
painted in a special livery depicting the Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle,
also known as the Honu.
ANA becomes the world’s 15th operator – and Japan’s first – of this widebody passenger aircraft. It has ordered a total of three A380s.
Powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engines, the jetliner features ANA’s very latest in-flight entertainment systems, as well as full connectivity in all classes. It will enable the airline to almost double the capacity between Japan and the U.S. island state of Hawaii, generating value for the airline.
As the world’s largest and most spacious passenger aircraft, the A380 will be operated on ANA’s popular Japan-to-Hawaii route.
“This marks a new milestone in our relationship
with ANA – our longest-standing customer in Japan,” said Tom Enders,
Airbus Chief Executive Officer, during today’s delivery ceremony at
Toulouse, France. “We are confident the A380 will be a huge success in
service with All Nippon Airways, and we remain committed to supporting
the airline’s A380 operation – as we will for all operators of this
magnificent aircraft.”
Each of ANA’s A380s will feature the special livery depicting the
Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle. The no. 1 aircraft is blue, the second will
be green and the third orange. This elaborate paint scheme covers a
surface of 3,600 square metres and took the Airbus team 21 days to
paint, using 16 different shades of colour.
With this character design of
Honu, All Nippon Airways aims to raise awareness about environmental
issues and contribute to saving sea turtles and the environment.
Shohei Hattori, ANA Corporate Planning Manager
“Customers around the world were asked to create
an attractive design to be painted on Japan’s first A380 as part of a
contest – and the Honu, a symbol of good luck and prosperity in Hawaii,
was among the numerous ideas,” explained Shohei Hattori, the ANA
Corporate Planning Manager.
Airbus’ longstanding relationship with Japan
The relationship between Airbus and Japan’s All
Nippon Airways began in 1986, when the airline placed its first order
for 20 single-aisle A320s, the first of which entered service in 1991. Since then, ANA has operated a fleet of A320 Family
aircraft, consistently ranking among the top Airbus operators for
technical performance and achieving more than 99.5% operational
reliability with its latest A321neo fleet.
In recent years, Airbus also extended its operator base in Japan with
ANA subsidiaries Peach Aviation and Vanilla Air, both of which
exclusively fly Airbus A320 Family aircraft.
At the end of 2018, Airbus reached a milestone with 100 of its aircraft in Japanese operators’ service, representing 20% of total fleet flying in the country – with a target to reach 30% by 2020, and 50% in the long term.
As the first Japanese
customer for Airbus’ double-deck jetliner, ANA’s no. 1 A380 bears the
representation of a Hawaiian turtle – and will be part of promotions to
save sea turtles and the environment.
The unique A380 experience
More than 230 A380s have been delivered to 15
airlines worldwide, with the jetliners operated on 120-plus routes and
60 destinations.
An estimated250 million passengers already have flown aboard
the double-deck aircraft – and people actively seek out A380 flights for
the unique travel experience. To assist passengers, Airbus created a
dedicated iflyA380 website, where travellers can search and book their preferred flights – which now also include those operated by ANA.
Some 50% of weekly global A380 flights take place in Asia-Pacific –
with flights performed within the region, to or from it, demonstrating
that the jetliner offers the best solution for traffic growth in Asia.
As the world’s largest and most spacious passenger aircraft, the A380 is a favourite among travellers, with unmatched comfort and wider seats. For airlines, the jetliner has the lowest cost per seat of any competing widebody, delivering comfort and economic benefits and maximising revenue. With passenger traffic doubling every 15 years, the A380 is the solution to transportation growth and airport congestion, carrying more people with fewer flights at lower cost and reduced emissions.
As the first Japanese customer for Airbus’ double-deck jetliner, ANA’s no. 1 A380 bears the representation of a Hawaiian turtle – and will be part of promotions to save sea turtles and the environment.
