by Will McGough
Last updated: 7:00 AM ET, Sat December 30, 2017
Hawaiian Airlines recently announced it was revamping its complimentary meal program, launching a new brand of service known as the "Pau Hana Café" on transpacific flights.
Despite the fact that free meals are nearly non-existent on American-based airlines these days, Hawaiian has decided to not only continue but improve its three-decade-long program.
In a business that is growing increasingly unkind to passengers-headlined by ancillary fees for baggage, seat selection and itinerary changes-it's a breath of fresh air to see an announcement that actually improves circumstances for the consumer.
Pau Hana, a Hawaiian term for "finished work," or more casually, "happy hour," reflects Hawaiian Airlines' desire to focus on customer experience. To find out more about the new program, we sat down with Avi Mannis, Senior Vice President of Marketing for Hawaiian Airlines:
TravelPulse: What will transpacific passengers be served under the new "Pau Hana Cafe" meal service?
Avi Mannis: On morning flights, we offer a cold breakfast box with things like yogurt, fresh fruits and a savory muffin. On afternoon and evening flights, we offer a hot sandwich with chips or a snack.
On all flights, we offer a sweet treat with our coffee and tea service, and a service before landing with a complimentary Koloa Rum cocktail and snack mix.
All the offerings are made exclusively for Hawaiian Airlines and feature fresh and locally-sourced products wherever possible. So far it has been well-received by both guests and crew.
TP: As long-time travelers, we've watched complimentary meal service dwindle on every other U.S.-based airline. What makes Hawaiian different?
AM: An in-flight meal doesn't cost a lot-a few dollars-but that adds up to millions of dollars a year with the number of guests we transport. At the end of the day, there's probably not a spreadsheet model in the world that would justify the decision, but we've seen it reflected over the years in what guests say about our experience and the premium we get over our competitors on the same route.
It's a big investment, and it also drives complexity behind the scenes in our business.
Domestically, and increasingly internationally, many airlines are moving to a buy-on-board model. There's nothing inherently wrong with that-the argument is that unbundling the meal from the ticket gives consumers more choice and control over the experience.
They can buy a meal (and in some cases a beverage) if they want one, but that's their choice.
At Hawaiian, we think an a la carte approach makes a lot of sense for certain service but we have taken a different approach to our meals.
TP: What else should passengers know?
AM: We use a hybrid solution in the domestic market: We offer our guests in the main cabin complimentary meals, drinks and snacks, but we also sell additional snacks and premium beverages. This allows us to deliver great hospitality, give guests some choice and feature great local products we wouldn't be able to offer if we had to give it away.
It's really important for us to use our meal service and in-flight sales to expose locally-made products to our millions of guests.
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