Hawaii, Japan airlines look to join forces
Hawaiian Airlines and Japan Airlines have filed an application with the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) seeking immunity from antitrust laws to create a joint venture (JV) that promises significant advantages for consumers, Hawaiian announced in a press release Thursday.
If approved, this will be Hawaiian’s first JV, and the first JV in the United States that does not involve one of the three largest U.S. carriers.
The antitrust immunized joint venture (ATI-JV) will build upon the codeshare partnership that the two carriers initiated in March, allowing them to coordinate marketing and sales efforts and share costs and revenue on their joint venture routes. In their application, Hawaiian and JAL demonstrate that the resulting efficiency will create a cascade of consumer benefits including lower fares, increased capacity and enhanced consumer choice.
Hawaiian and JAL estimate that the JV will bring an additional 162,000 to 350,000 passengers to Hawaii and contribute between $184.5 million and $402.3 million to the U.S. economy annually, while generating between 1,855 to 4,049 U.S. jobs.
“We have long admired JAL’s excellent service, which corresponds well with the authentic Hawaiian hospitality we offer,” said Peter Ingram, president and CEO of Hawaiian Airlines. “This joint venture will combine two premier brands in the highly competitive Japan-Hawaii market, and travelers from both of our countries will benefit.”
If approved, the ATI-JV would facilitate Hawaiian Airlines’ enhanced access to 34 destinations throughout Japan, including Nagoya and Okinawa, as well as 11 points in Asia beyond Japan. Japan Airlines, in turn, will have improved access to Hawaiian’s neighbor island network as well as its non-stop flights to Honolulu from Haneda and Sapporo.
Registration still open for chamber luncheon
The public is invited to join the Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce as it inducts its board members for 2018-19 at KKCC’s Annual Membership and Installation Luncheon on June 29. The luncheon will celebrate and honor the chamber’s Pualu Award winners and 2018 SBA winners at the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai.
This year’s keynote speaker is Henk Rogers of the Blue Planet Foundation. Rogers is an activist, visionary and entrepreneur whose many passions include invironmental protection, human colonization of the Moon, and technology innovation.
The two-hour event will close out the chamber’s fiscal year, recapping chamber accomplishments and goals for the upcoming year.
Sponsored by Hawaii Water Service, attendees will also get a chance to peruse the chamber’s Business Expo, featuring members’ products and services starting from 10-11:30 a.m. and reopening again from 1:30-2 p.m. at the Hualalai foyer. The expo, which will close during the luncheon, is also open to the public.
General admission is $72.50; chamber members and Rotary members $62.50. Tables of eight can be reserved. Reservations are required by June 22. Register online at www.kona-kohala.com or call 329-1758.
Taste of Hawaii on Capitol Hill sets attendance record
Sen. Mazie K. Hirono and the Chamber of Commerce Hawaii celebrated the success of over 70 participating Hawaii businesses at the fifth annual Taste of Hawaii on Capitol Hill Thursday night.
More than 2,000 attendees were greeted with fresh orchid lei, and learned about an array of Hawaii businesses representing technology, agriculture, and transportation.
“Every year, more and more people and businesses participate in Hawaii on the Hill because they make meaningful connections,” Hirono said in a press release.
More than 70 businesses, 150 leaders who traveled to Washington, D.C. and 2,000 attendees took part to help set the record, said Sherry Menor-McNamara, Chamber of Commerce Hawaii President and CEO.
Hawaii on the Hill, a partnership between Hirono and the Chamber of Commerce Hawaii, is a two-day event that gives Hawaii businesses the opportunity to meet with news and policymakers while also showcasing Hawaii businesses and products to members of Congress and the Washington, D.C. community.