Talking Points dives into Hawaiian Airlines loyalty and 90 year history

Talking Points celebrated a couple anniversaries this week. On Wednesday, TPG’s flagship podcast looked back at its favorite moments from year one, and released an episode with Peter Ingram, the President and CEO of Hawaiian Airlines in honor of the carrier’s 90th anniversary.

Ingram joined Hawaiian Airlines in 2005 following the company’s two-year bankruptcy, and explains why joining when the airline was a nimble group of 3,330 employees and had a fleet of 25 planes was one of the best decisions he’s ever made. Today, the airline employs 7,300 people, continues to grow its fleet with more sustainable planes like the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners coming in 2021, and fuels Hawaii’s connectivity around the world.

“Ultimately the 787, an airplane that has a lot of future to it, I don’t think there’s going to be a replacement for that airplane anytime in the next 10 or 15 years. The economics are very compelling and I think it gives us great flexibility to serve a variety of missions in our network from some of the larger ONDs on the West coast, but also being able to serve our further afield destinations like New York and Boston and Sydney and Tokyo.” – Peter Ingram, President and CEO of Hawaiian airlines

Ingram also shares why the airline’s business class takes on a 2-2-2 configuration, the importance of providing passengers with a Hawaiian ambiance onboard, and his industry predictions.

“The fact that 90% of our employees live in Hawaii. The vast majority of the folks are born and raised in Hawaii and they’ve grown up in this culture, which is steeped in hospitality and care and family. I think a lot of that comes naturally to them. And you see that when you interact with our flight attendants on the airplane or our agents at the airport.”

That’s not all from Hawaiian Airlines on Talking Points. To round out the week, TPG’s special projects editor-at-large Nick Ewen gives Brian Kelly the low down on airline’s loyalty program, and how to actually earn and redeem HawaiianMiles. Today’s episode is all about tips you can use; you’ll learn which partners you can get the most value out of and when you should send your transferrable points elsewhere, as well as who should sign up for the cobranded credit card.

You can find these two episodes wherever you get your podcasts, or play them above. Please remember to subscribe, rate and review.