HONOLULU, July 13, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Hawaiian Airlines president and CEO Mark Dunkerley has received the 2014 Airline Strategy Award for Regional Leadership by Airline Business, selected by an independent panel of industry experts among both mainline operators and traditional carriers. The award recognizes Mr. Dunkerley's role in transforming Hawaiian Airlines from a bankrupt niche U.S. carrier to a strong and growing global player.

Dunkerley's award was one of seven prestigious awards presented by the aviation industry publication on Sunday at a ceremony in London, England.  Airline Business has recognized the industry's highest achievers in boardroom leadership with the Airline Strategy Awards for the past 13 years.

"The airline industry is currently buoyant, but challenges remain," said Max Kingsley-Jones, editor of Airline Business. "Only those carriers led by strong, innovative management teams like those we recognized this evening will survive and prosper. Over the last 13 years, The Airline Strategy Awards have recognized the industry's highest achievers in boardroom leadership, and 2014's winners all excel in this regard."

"Hawaiian was the runt of the litter," said one judge on the panel. "What Mark has done at the airline is a very sizeable transformation."

"Hawaiian's 5,300 employees have lifted the company's fortunes and transformed the business from a small local carrier to a global carrier with local roots over the course of the last decade," said Dunkerley. "It has been my privilege to have been a part of that story."

Hawaiian Airlines is the leading U.S. carrier in on-time performance for 10 consecutive years. Now in its 85th year of service, the airline has grown from an interisland carrier to Hawai'i's premier carrier, offering service to 12 cities in North America and 11 international gateways. The airline operates a fleet of 50 B717, B767, A330 and ATR42 aircraft.  The company's annual revenue is $2.2 billion. 

About Airline Business:
Airline Business is the leading monthly title for airline boardrooms worldwide. It is part of Flightglobal, and a sister publication of Flight International, and flightglobal.com. It has been published for almost three decades, covering the strategic and business issues of the day in the air transport industry. It has editorial offices in London, Washington DC and Singapore.

About Hawaiian Airlines
Hawaiian® has led all U.S. carriers in on-time performance for each of the past 10 years (2004-2013) as reported by the U.S. Department of Transportation. Consumer surveys by Conde Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure and Zagat have all ranked Hawaiian the highest of all domestic airlines serving Hawai'i.

Now in its 85th year of continuous service, Hawaiian is Hawai'i's biggest and longest-serving airline, as well as the largest provider of passenger air service from its primary visitor markets on the U.S. mainland. Hawaiian offers non-stop service to Hawai'i from more U.S. gateway cities (11) than any other airline, along with service from Japan, South Korea, China, Australia, New Zealand, American Samoa and Tahiti. Hawaiian also provides approximately 160 jet flights daily between the Hawaiian Islands, with a total of more than 200 daily flights system-wide.

Hawaiian Airlines, Inc. is a subsidiary of Hawaiian Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: HA). Additional information is available at HawaiianAirlines.com. Follow updates on Twitter about Hawaiian (@HawaiianAir) and its special fare offers (@HawaiianFares), and become a fan on its Facebook page.

SOURCE Hawaiian Airlines

Alison Croyle, (808) 835-3886, Alison.Croyle@HawaiianAir.com, Huy Vo (808) 838-5479, Huy.Vo@HawaiianAir.com

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