This message is for pre-merger Hawaiian Flight Attendants

Since its inception late last year, I Mua Ke Alo has remained actively engaged in advancing and advocating for the presence of Hawaiian language and culture throughout our airline. To date, we have met with the company nearly every month this year. Most of these meetings were initiated by the company, reflecting a growing recognition of the importance of Hawaiian language and culture, as well as the value of the perspective and feedback that I Mua Ke Alo brings.

Beyond these meetings, we have also met with the voting members of the entire MEC, celebrated Mahina ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian Language Month) through two days of lounge visits where we distributed AFA ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi luggage tags, and participated in Career Day events at Hawaiian language immersion and charter schools to inspire the next generation.

Many of our discussions with the company have centered on initiatives that are already underway or decisions that have already been made. As we continue to strengthen this relationship, we are working to establish a regular meeting schedule that fosters greater collaboration, provides earlier opportunities for input, and allows us to help shape initiatives during the planning stages. Our goal is to move from reacting to decisions to helping to inform before they are made.

CEO Diana Birkett Rakow and the Senior Leadership Team have agreed to meet with our I Mua Ke Alo committee next month in Honolulu. This meeting will continue our ongoing discussions in preserving our identity as Hawaiian Airlines Flight Attendants in Hawaiʻi.

We recognize that the changes our airline has experienced over the past year have not been easy. Through it all, you have continued to represent the legacy of Hawaiian Airlines with professionalism, integrity, grace, and aloha. Mahalo for carrying our legacy forward with the same pride and excellence that has always defined our airline.

“He ʻaʻaliʻi kū makani mai au; ʻaʻohe makani nāna e kulaʻi.”
“I am an ʻaʻaliʻi that stands firm in the wind. No wind can topple me.”

Like the resilient ʻaʻaliʻi, we remain steadfast through change while staying grounded in who we are and the values we carry forward. Together, we will continue to mālama and strengthen the Hawaiian language and culture that have always been at the heart of our airline.

If you were unable to visit us during one of our lounge events to receive an ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi luggage tag, please email imuakealo@afahawaiian.org, and we will be happy to get one to you.

Me ka lōkahi,
I Mua Ke Alo
Stewards of Cultural & Language Legacy
imuakealo@afahawaiian.org

This message is for pre-merger Hawaiian Flight Attendants

Save the Date!

Tuesday, August 25, 2026
Reserve Lounge Sit

Wednesday, September 16, 2026 @ 1100 HST
Reserve Webinar
Register Now!

JCBA Reserve Survey coming soon! 
We will update you on the ETA.

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Reserve Committee Training

Welcome Zach & Megan!!

In July, we met with newly-appointed Council 47 (LAX/SEA Base) Reserve Committee Chairs Zach Rajkovacz and Megan Moore.

LEC Presidents Kela Chong (Council 43, Honolulu) and Josh Aoki (Council 47, LAX/SEA) met with us as well.

Together, we engaged in two full days of training and conversation around the Reserve operation at Hawaiian.

Photo: Megan Moore, Zach Rajkovacz, and Meg Casey along with Council 43 Reserve Committee Chairpersons Joni & Sasha.

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Reserve Committee Intercouncil Collaboration

Julie Thorton, Alaska MEC Reserve Committee Chairperson flew in from PHX, and Meg Casey, Alaska MEC Reserve Committee Vice Chairperson (New Hire & Probation) flew in from PDX during the first week of July to collaborate with us by comparing our Contracts and Reserve operation. Julie spoke briefly during our July Reserve webinar as well.

Brian Palmer, MEC Communications Committee Chairperson flew in from SEA to share his wealth of knowledge regarding tools and platforms that’ll keep the Members at our base informed, updated, and connected with Union leadership.

It was great to get insight from Julie and Meg about Alaska Airlines’ Reserve operation!

We look forward to more opportunities for us to collaborate when we begin joint negotiations for the Reserve section of the JCBA.

Up next: Reserve survey coming soon!

If you fly Reserve or were ever on Reserve, we need your input too! We’ll send an update with the ETA once it’s finalized.

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Hot Topic: Reserve Assignments

It was brought to our attention via mobile contact and Scheduling Clarification (SCR) that Crew Scheduling assigned Reserve Flight Attendants from the RAP bucket out of order.

Kela met with Terrance Chariandy, Director of Crew Scheduling regarding this issue. Terrance will work with Crew Scheduling to ensure proper assigning processes are applied in accordance with our Contract.

Thank you for taking the time to inquire about this and for sharing your experience! We were able to address this quickly because proper processes in reporting were followed, and provided helpful documentation of the issue.

We’ll continue to send updates and keep you included in these conversations.

Me ke aloha,

Sasha Kahele-Manners & Joni Pak
Reserve Committee Chairs | Council 43, Honolulu
Sasha.Kahele-Manners@afahawaiian.org | Joni.Pak@afahawaiian.org

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Links:

• Download this newsletter (PDF)
• Register for the Reserve Webinar

This message is for pre-merger Hawaiian Flight Attendants

September 2026 Bidding Extension

Tropical storm Lala caused many disruptions these past few days including power outages that affected our ability to bid.

As a result, the bidding period for September 2026 will be extended.

Please reference the table below for an updated timeline.

EVENT	ORIGINAL TIMELINE	NEW TIMELINE
DEADLINE: Vacation / Planned Absence	Aug. 17 @ 0900 LDT	Aug. 18 @ 0900 LDT
Bid period closes & deadline to submit Flica carryout requests	Aug. 17 @ 1500 HST	Aug. 18 @ 1500 HST
Preliminary Award Posted	Aug. 18 by 1200 HST	Aug. 19 by 1200 HST
Final Award Posted	Aug. 20 by 1500 HST	Aug. 20 by 1500 HST(no change)

The PBS Committee will provide an update if further revisions to our PBS timeline is needed.

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Reserve Webinar – September 16 @ 1100 HST

Join us for our next Webinar!

Wednesday, Sep. 16, 2026 @ 1100 HST

Sasha & Joni will share updates and answer questions related to our Reserve operation.

This is a great opportunity to ask questions about irregular operations while on Reserve!

Please submit your questions during registration.

REGISTER NOW! >>>

WEBINAR REMINDERS:
Register with a personal email address such as Gmail.

DENIED BOARDING: Registration using an alaskaair.com or hawaiianair.com email address will be denied.
Registration will close one hour prior to the Webinar.

We hope to see you there!

In Solidarity,

Council 43 Communications Committee

This message is for pre-merger Hawaiian Flight Attendants

We invite you to join us for our next webinar on August 12 at 11:00 AM HST, hosted by our LEC 43 Benefits Chairs, Rachel Fernandez & Calyn Rosehill alongside our MEC HA Benefits Chair, Chasity Theno. This will be a great opportunity to engage and come with any questions you may have. You may pre-submit any questions during registration.

Benefits Webinar
August 12, 2026
11:00 AM HST

Please be sure to register using your personal email address on file with the union. Company emails will not be accepted. All members in good standing are invited to attend. Registration closes 1 Hour prior to the start of the webinar. Click here to register.

Mahalo for all that you do, and we hope to see you there.

In Solidarity,
LEC 43 Communications Committee

REGISTER HERE >>>

This message is for pre-merger Hawaiian Flight Attendants

A Message from our LEC President: 737-800 Interisland Operations

Aloha nui kākou,

Earlier today, the Company publicly announced that the Boeing 737-800 will replace the 717-200 fleet in our interisland network. The Company’s decision to select the 737-800 is no surprise, as Alaska Airlines has operated this aircraft type for many years. While this announcement may have been anticipated for some time, Alaska Airlines has also decided to begin operating interisland flights under the Alaska brand between Honolulu and Maui beginning this October. This decision by the Company is both disheartening and disappointing to us at Hawaiian AFA.

The unfortunate reality of the situation stems from the reliability issues surrounding our aging 717 fleet which is something that we have all recognized throughout the years. Some of our 717s have been out of service much longer than anticipated due to on-going maintenance issues. This has left the Company with very little options to maintain our robust interisland network. While the decision to utilize the existing Alaska branded 737s and its crews is a near-term solution to maintaining our interisland network, it does come with near-term impacts to us as Hawaiian Airlines Flight Attendants.

Our Interisland flying represents more than just taking care of our local people. It represents the very core of our brand and who we are as Hawaiian Airlines. No matter how long each of us has been representing Pualani, or whether you still fly interisland flights or not, we all started out flying between the islands. The infancy of our careers as Hawaiian Airlines Flight Attendants is where we all began flying and so too did the brand itself. The legacy of Hawaiian Airlines from where we came from, to where we’ve gone and how we have grown, stems from our roots here in Hawai‘i. Bringing the Alaska branded 737s to do part of our interisland flying shakes us to our core, especially since it will not be our crews interacting and maintaining our long-standing relationships we have with our local communities throughout Hawai‘i. While there is no denying the factors of this situation, as President of our Honolulu base, I cannot support or stand behind this decision by the Company to bring in the Alaska branded 737s and its crews to do flying that ultimately belongs to us at Hawaiian.

I will be working closely with our HA MEC Grievance Committee as well as the Joint Alaska-Hawaiian MEC to consider all options available to us in our Contract. While I cannot make any promises that we will be able to ultimately prevent this from happening, it is important to know that we as the Hawaiian AFA Leadership will not be sitting idly by and will use the full force of our contract and everything that is available to us to push back. There will be on-going discussions both internally with AFA as well as the Company to ensure that we are protecting our bid lines, but most importantly our jobs as Hawaiian Airlines Flight Attendants in Hawai‘i.

I want to acknowledge that this news hits us hard, and in many ways is demoralizing because of the constant changes that we have been going through along with the reduction of our international flying. The constant taking away and giving to Alaska has pushed each of us to a place where it is starting to affect who we are as Hawaiian Airlines Flight Attendants. Everyone is fatigued from change with no end or relief in sight. The promise of a better future seems to get pushed back further and further as more of these changes continue to disconnect us from who we are as Hawaiian Airlines. The emotional toll that it is taking on each of us is sometimes unbearable and overwhelming. I ask that everyone take a moment to process this information as it will impact and affect everyone differently. Our EAP Committee is available should anyone need to reach out to them for assistance or resources. Remember that while this announcement will affect each of us differently, and at times we may feel alone, know that we are all in this together. The greatest strength that we have as a Hawaiian Airlines ‘ohana is our ability to persevere and to holomua (move forward) in the face of uncertainty and difficulties.

We will continue to keep everyone updated on this developing situation and know that our top priority is to maintain our jobs and our bid lines as Hawaiian Airlines Flight Attendants in Hawai‘i.

E kūpa‘a kākou!
Let us stand firm together!

Me ka ha‘aha‘a,

Kela Chong
President
Hawaiian Airlines Local Executive Council 43 – HNL
Association of Flight Attendants – CWA, AFL-CIO