Thursday, April 4, 2024
Learning a new language usually doesn’t happen in an aircraft cabin, but if you’re flying with Hawaiian Airlines, it’s a different story.
More passengers than ever have had the chance to experience the Hawaiian language, known as ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, at altitudes of up to 41,000 feet, all thanks to dedicated employees who are integrating the language into the flight experience. From seat numbers and wall signage to safety videos and announcements, translations are seamlessly incorporated throughout the cabin. However, the most impactful aspect of Hawaiian Airlines’ efforts to honor the native language of Hawaiʻi is the bilingual interactions between employees and passengers.
Enter the ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi flight, a unique travel experience led by teams deeply passionate about preserving the indigenous language. These teams come from various departments within the company, including marketing, in-flight, and airport operations.
“I’m always thinking about the Hawaiian language,” said Manakō Tanaka, senior specialist in community and cultural relations, who is among the flights’ organizers. “We are always trying to find the next meaningful opportunity to celebrate ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi and plant those seeds with our guests and among our non-speaking colleagues.”
Since 2019, Hawaiian Airlines has orchestrated nine ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi flights spanning their network, from Neighbor Island routes to more extensive journeys such as Tokyo, Portland, and Boston, captivating numerous guests worldwide.
Crafting a meaningful and feasible ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi flight involves several key elements:
Selecting the opportune occasion
These flights are typically arranged to commemorate significant events, such as route anniversaries or Mahina ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian Language Month). For instance, in 2018, a cohort of Hawaiian language immersion school alumni, including in-flight and airport operations staff, united to organize one of Hawaiian Airlines’ inaugural ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi flights, HA18 (Honolulu-Las Vegas). This flight was a tribute to Dr. Larry Kimura, a pivotal figure in Hawaiian language revitalization and mentor to many HA18 crew members.
Earlier this year, Hawaiian Airlines inaugurated its first language-focused flight for the Boston service to honor Mahina ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi. Bilingual announcements welcomed guests both at the gate and onboard, accompanied by translation cards featuring useful phrases like “I _ na‘u ke ‘olu‘olu” (May I please have _), as well as educational coloring sheets for children. During layovers, employees visited the Peabody Essex Museum to pay homage to the Hawaiian deity Kū, showcased in a six-foot-plus-tall wooden relic.
In total, Hawaiian Airlines has conducted nine ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi flights covering various routes and occasions:
2018: Honolulu-Hilo for Merrie Monarch
2018: Honolulu-Las Vegas in honor of Dr. Larry Kimura
2019: Kona-Haneda for the route’s second anniversary
2022: Honolulu-Kona for Mahina ‘Ōlelo Hawaiʻi
2022: Kahului-Portland, Honolulu-Kona for Mahina ‘Ōlelo Hawaiʻi
2023: Kahului-Las Vegas for Mahina ‘Ōlelo Hawaiʻi
2023: Honolulu-Rarotonga for inauguration of service
2024: Honolulu-Long Beach to welcome students, families, and teachers from Hawaiian language immersion preschool Pūnana Leo
2024: Honolulu-Boston for Mahina ‘Ōlelo Hawaiʻi
Identifying the right individuals
To promote language proficiency company-wide, Hawaiian Airlines partnered with the University of Hawai‘i – West O‘ahu in 2019 to establish a language certification program for ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi. Presently, 23 proficient speakers have obtained certification, denoted by the Hae Hawaiʻi (Hawaiʻi state flag) on their name tags, joining colleagues certified in other languages such as Japanese, Chinese, French, Korean, and Samoan.
These certified speakers often play pivotal roles in organizing and hosting ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi flights, although they represent only a portion of the language-proficient personnel within the company.
“There are plenty of fluent speakers who haven’t gone for the test or just have not completed the process yet,” Tanaka said. “Hawaiian has many employees, including managers and leaders, who can speak very well and are involved in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi flights too.”
Discovering the Perfect Structure
Every ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi flight presents its own distinctive character. Whether it’s the provision of language resources such as translation cards and keiki activities, these are frequently customized to suit the nature of the flight, whether it’s a lengthy international journey or a brief Neighbor Island excursion. This often involves collaboration among colleagues from various departments within the company to establish the ideal ambiance.
Drink Menu
In 2019, passengers aboard an ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi flight between Haneda and Kona received a trilingual card.
“There’s a shared appreciation and connection to the language within our company that we have been able to tap into,” Tanaka shared. “When we get ready for these flights, many people are working together behind the scenes to do something.”
Throughout the duration of the flight, passengers are greeted with a blend of essential safety and service announcements, along with spontaneous remarks as crew members are prompted to infuse their individual flair into the journey.
“These flights can be a little nerve-wracking,” admitted Kekoa “Halemano” Kalahiki, an ‘ōlelo Hawaiʻi-speaking flight attendant who worked the recent ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi flight between Honolulu and Long Beach. “I’m always terrified I’ll fumble over my words, so I spent the night before my trip reviewing vocabulary and practicing my announcements. In the end, everything went well and my experience was amazing.”
A flight attendant distributed Hawaiian language cards containing translated phrases for passengers to utilize during their journey.
No matter the journey or festivity, Hawaiian’s ‘ōlelo Hawaiʻi flights are designed to fully engage both Hawaiʻi residents and visitors in the language.
“Normalizing a language means making it approachable, accessible and applicable. So, when we contemplate opportunities to engage with our employees and guests in this unique way, we need to make sure everyone feels comfortable. We keep the introduction simple and relevant, focus on making sure what our guests learn can be applied throughout their trip, and empower our employees – many of whom are native Hawaiian – to play a significant role in the effort,” Tanaka explained.
A unique coloring page featuring an Airbus A330 has been created and translated into ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi specifically for keiki (children). Feel free to click on the image to download and print it.
In Kalahiki, facilitating language exchanges serves to bring people from diverse backgrounds together, fostering deeper connections and mutual understanding.
“Language is key to understanding a people and their worldview. Our aircraft cabins carry so many different people every day, so the opportunities for our guests to experience a cultural exchange are numerous,” he said.
“When I speak ‘ōlelo Hawaiʻi, my goal is to reach our kaiāulu ʻōlelo (language community) – especially our keiki ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi (young speakers); it’s important they experience our language as something viable. So, through work like this, I hope to maintain and expand space for our language wherever Hawaiian Airlines travels,” Kalahiki added.
A gate agent at Kahului Airport is announcing departure information in both English and ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi for the flight heading to Portland.
Hawaiian Airlines does not have a fixed schedule for its ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi flights. Instead, it aims to pleasantly surprise and engage guests with authentic experiences, fostering enduring connections with Hawaiʻi and its rich culture whenever opportunities arise.
Tanaka added, “I hope that when our guests go home – whether home is in Honolulu or Boston – they bring their ‘ōlelo Hawaiʻi experience with them into their community and help us continue breathing life into the language’s future.”
Thursday, April 4, 2024
Thursday, April 4, 2024
Thursday, April 4, 2024
Thursday, April 4, 2024
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