Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Hawaiian Airlines CEO confident about Las Vegas despite competition

Planes Take Off From McCarran

Steve Marcus

A Hawaiian Airlines passenger jet takes off from McCarran International Airport June 5, 2017.

Las Vegas is one of the busiest routes for Hawaiian Airlines. The city, after all, is considered the “ninth island.”

“There’s a real allure for Las Vegas for Hawaiian residents,” said Peter Ingram, chief executive officer for Hawaiian Airlines, who was in Las Vegas last week to visit local employees. “Las Vegas is the answer to the trivia question of, ‘If you live in Hawaii, where do you go for vacation?’”

Las Vegas is one of the rare destinations the airline serves that sees more customers originate from Hawaii, whereas most destinations bring vacationers heading to the islands. The airline has up to three flights to and from Las Vegas daily. Most of other cities have a single daily flight, Ingram said.

Southwest Airlines, the busiest carrier out of McCarran International Airport, plans to add nonstop flights to Hawaii by the end of the year. However, the Southwest flights will originate out of California cities, meaning Las Vegas travelers would have to connect in Los Angeles and not fly direct from here like with Hawaiian Airlines.

“We’re still waiting to see the specifics of what Southwest’s schedule plans are going to be,” Ingram said. “Today we compete with American Airlines, Delta and Alaska and we perform very well against that. I think we’ll do that against Southwest as well.”

With Hawaiian Airlines focusing its service on the Hawaiian experience, Ingram thinks they could have the upper hand. The flights include Hawaiian music when boarding and flight attendants presenting passengers with lei.

“There’s a variety of things that give you the sense that you’re starting your vacation as soon as you get on that airplane. It’s that Hawaiian hospitality that I think we can deliver better than anyone,” he said.

Hawaiian Airlines is the official airline the Oakland Raiders, and Ingram is excited about continuing the relationship when they relocate to Las Vegas in 2020. They fly the team to each of their away games, even traveling to Mexico City for the Raiders games the past few years.

“When they go on the road, we go on the road with them,” Ingram said. “I was in Denver in early September, a destination not usually on our route map and I saw one of our planes sitting there (Denver International Airport) while the Raiders were there.”

Ingram’s stop in Las Vegas last week is part of his strategy since becoming the airline’s CEO last year to visit all of its hubs. The workers on the frontline can be helpful when it comes to suggestions on what is and isn’t working on a daily basis, he said.

“It shows them you are interested in a putting them in a position to succeed and serve our guests,” he said.