Hawaiian Airlines has long prided itself on its punctuality. For 18 straight years, it held the top spot among the nation’s carriers with the best on-time performance — even during the pandemic.
But last year, its on-time arrival percentage plummeted from 90.1% in 2021 to 75.8% in 2022, according to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Hawaiian Airlines is now ranked at No. 5, falling behind Delta, Alaska, United and American Airlines for the first time in a very long time.
“Infrastructure and air traffic control challenges that emerged at our Honolulu hub last year have had a disproportionate impact on our longstanding industry-leading reliability,” Alex Da Silva, spokesperson for Hawaiian Airlines, told SFGATE News.
“Most notably, a key runway at Honolulu airport has been undergoing repairs since October, and we look forward to it reopening by the end of this month,” he said. “Our guests have enjoyed the nation’s best on-time record for 18 straight years (2004-2021), and we are committed to being the most punctual U.S. airline again this year.”
The Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu has been undergoing a runway project since October 2022, part of the $2.3 billion Hawaii Airports Modernization Program. The work has triggered many delays, especially for interisland flights.
Last Thursday, Flight Aware reported 123 delays out of the Honolulu airport, and of those, 68 were on Hawaiian Airlines. At Maui’s Kahului airport, there were 31 Hawaiian Airlines flight delays.
So far, data for 2023 is looking about the same for the carrier as it grapples with delays due to ongoing airport projects beyond its control. But the airline has also had tech problems this year that are furthering the issue. Earlier this month, an internet outage by the airline’s service provider caused dozens of flights to be delayed.
Hawaiian Airlines is hoping to turn things around. “Once the airport reopens, we are confident we will begin to return to our industry leading punctuality,” Da Silva said.
