The news of the planned purchase of Hawaiian Airlines by Alaska Airlines caught everyone by surprise (“Hawaiian and Alaska to merge,” Star-Advertiser, Dec. 4).
However, after reading through an online article, “Alaska Airlines History,” I learned of the pioneering spirit that got Alaska Airlines to where it is today. The same also can be said of Hawaiian Airlines.
After all, both Alaska and Hawaii are not contiguous with the rest of the 48 states, so that feeling of “you’re on our own” applied when both were pushing to become the 49th and 50th states, respectively.
That pioneering spirit was certainly prevalent in the last decade when Alaska Airlines led the way in developing area navigation (RNAV) routes and procedures for the airports in Hawaii. A prime example of what they accomplished is at Kahului, where RNAV avionics is used to navigate safely through mountains like Haleakala and the West Maui mountains, terrain similar to what is found in Alaska.
We will see what happens in the next few years. Here’s hoping for the best.
Moses Akana
Aiea
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