Hawaiian Airlines leads U.S. carriers in on-time performance (2004-2012) as reported by the U.S. Department of Transportation, and now in its 84th year of continuous service, is Hawaii’s biggest and longest-serving airline. In its 82nd year, the airline announced intent to fly from Haneda Airport, Tokyo’s newest international airport, to Honolulu, Hawaii as the first new route in the airlines’ expansion throughout Asia. Previously Hawaiian Airlines had been known in Japan predominantly for its inter-island services. PacRim Marketing Group and PRTech needed to re-position the airline as a world-class carrier, stimulating awareness of the new, international Haneda Airport, and communicating the airline’s attractive blend of Hawaiian hospitality and services tailored for Japanese consumer expectations and preferences.

Over the 8-month concentrated campaign period, Hawaiian Airlines’ first integrated marketing communications program in Japan resulted in over $3,000,000 worth of media exposure, along with positive reception from the public, travel trade partners, and industry influencers, garnering deeper brand and product awareness. The airline’s Japanese language website continues to offer Japanese-friendly navigation and booking, while presenting Hawaii with colorful images and a depth of travel guide information. With this inaugural route, Hawaiian Airlines added approximately 100,000 new air sets annually from Japan, Hawaii’s second-largest tourism market. Hawaiian Airline’s additional Japan routes and future service from Korea and Taiwan were marketed with similar launch programs, including localized language websites for each Asian market.