Nearly 3,000 Hawaii residents do not reside in the county where they are employed and depend on interisland airfare to make a living, according to a new Hawaiian Airlines report.

Hawaiian Airlines is one of the three largest companies in the state, employing nearly 7,300 people of which 88% are based in Hawaii.

All told, 9% of the state’s employment is derived from Hawaiian Airlines jobs.

Hawaiian Airline’s 90th Economic Impact Report in part offers a close look at these inter-island business commuters, which include 977 Big Island residents, 1,012 Oahu residents, 217 Kauai residents and 755 Maui County residents.

It is estimated that 39% of total inter-island passengers who flew on Hawaiian Airlines in 2018 are residents of Hawaii, according to the report.

In fiscal year 2019 the airline is expected to provide 8.3 million departing seats between islands, which translates to roughly 87% of all seats. The airline will have 72,900 inter-island flight departures, making up nearly 52% of all annual flights traveling between the islands.

Before you go

Civil Beat is a small nonprofit newsroom that provides free content with no paywall. That means readership growth alone can’t sustain our journalism.

The truth is that less than 1% of our monthly readers are financial supporters. To remain a viable business model for local news, we need a higher percentage of readers-turned-donors.

Will you consider becoming a new donor today? 

About the Author