Posted on: Friday, May 30, 2003

Island Voices
Hawaiian Airlines will make it through

John Adams is chairman and CEO of Hawaiian Airlines.

In the interests of Hawaiian Airlines and its ability to move forward unimpeded by further legal actions, and while our board of directors and I respectfully disagree with the court's decision, we will not appeal the appointment of a trustee to oversee the company's restructuring under Chapter 11.

I step aside with a measure of satisfaction that in the past seven years of ownership by Airline Investors Partnership, we have brought Hawaiian within striking distance of our goal of making it a contemporary, competitive and profitable airline.

We brought long-term vision to the company and a dedication to making that vision reality even while the nation's airline industry underwent massive and painful change in order to survive the deepest financial crisis in its history.

We reinvested heavily in capital improvements and showed determined leadership to rebuild Hawaiian from the ground up and involved employees and unions at every step of the way.

Today, Hawaiian Airlines has new aircraft that are quieter, more fuel-efficient and more easily maintained, as well as new ground equipment and modern communications and reservations systems. It has become a more proficient and productive airline with a business plan that makes sense in the current industry environment. The final element of that business plan is the renegotiation of aircraft leases that is still needed to reduce costs and place our leases more in line with current market rates.

I am proud of the strength of our employees' commitment and the warmth they have displayed to our customers and each other. I have developed a deep affection for our airline ohana and the people of Hawai'i. There is graciousness in this community that is admirable and infectious.

Hawaiian Airlines is a resilient organization. The dedication and integrity of our more than 3,000 talented employees remain steadfast to the essence of Hawai'i and Hawaiiana as they have though 73 years of serving this community.

Hawaiian has the framework of a strong and efficient company. I fully expect that it will emerge from these challenging times with renewed strength and success.