FAA budget problems hit Hawaiian Airlines

Hawaiian Airlines is the primary air carrier in Hawaii after Aloha went bankrupt. They fly to all the islands, the mainland, South Pacific, Australia, and Japan. They recently put a large order in for new aircraft (including Airbus A350s). The primary aircraft for them have been the Boeing 717 for interisland flights, and 767s for long haul flights. They're in the process of transitioning to Airbus A319s and A330s.

With the 717 (and earlier DC-9s), flights to Molokai (two runways, longest is 4500 feet) and Lanai (one runway, 5000 feet), are only able to operate on days when the winds are blowing hard enough for them to be able to get in and out. Otherwise they can't operate passenger flights to those airports.

Hawaiian came up with the plan to operate "Ohana by Hawaiian" (family in Hawaiian), which would fly ATR-42s exclusively to Molokai and Lanai. They would start with three aircraft, which have been delivered, and expand up to six. Flights would be operated by Empire Airlines, a cargo company headquartered in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho (where the first three aircraft are currently).

That's where the problem comes in. The FAA needs to perform certification flights with Empire in Hawaii, since they're a cargo carrier. But, since the FAA doesn't have a budget, they can't do the proving runs, and don't know when they will be able to. This has kept Hawaiian from even being able to market the new airline and the added service to the islands.

Hawaiian Airlines says the disputes over the federal budget are increasingly hindering its business plans, as the FAA still cannot predict when it will be able to perform the certification work needed for the new turboprop subsidiary that Hawaiian is trying to launch.

The carrier has purchased three ATR 42s for its Ohana inter-island operation, but they are sitting idle as the airline waits for the FAA to act. The delay dates back about six months to the budget cuts related to the sequestration process. Hawaiian intended to launch Ohana during the 2013 summer season, but was not able to do so.

This situation is “incredibly frustrating for us,” Hawaiian’s CEO Mark Dunkerley tells Aviation Week. “The strategic development of our business is being held hostage to the budget battles that are taking place.”

Dunkerley says that in planning the new subsidiary, Hawaiian sought the “most expeditious, least impactful” path from a regulatory perspective. “Considering the enormous contribution that airlines and our customers make to funding the provision of [government] services that we use, it’s especially galling that we’re in this woeful situation.”

AvWeek

Hawaiian airlines can not be faulted in the setting up of an inter-island service and having it delayed by the irresponsibility of Washington. The FAA being funded via Washington has thus held Hawaiian airlines and its customers hostage and deprived of a needed service.

The FAA needs to be financially independent from Washington as it is the regulatory and safety insurer of the US and global public while in US airspace. As long as the FAA is feeding at the government funding trough compromising of services will occur.

reply to post by pstrron


What I found interesting is that they were keeping an eye on other airlines that were waiting for certification, to make sure that games weren't being played.

But I agree. As long as the FAA, and NTSB are at the mercy of Washington and the budget games then safety and other things like this are at the mercy of them too. And that needs to stop.

Well I'll tell you what, with what Hawaii charges, I'm not the least bit surprised they can afford three of those Aircraft.
THAT PLACE IS EXPENSIVE!! I'm glad I got out of dodge as soon as I could!

reply to post by Arnie123


Well yeah, the only thing they produce there are Hawaiians. There's a monopoly on shipping through Matson, so of course things are going to be higher than they need to be.

But Hawaiian Airlines does the same as every other airline and finances their planes. Being the major airline in the area helps too.