Release 05.HAL
January 5, 2005

Hawaiian Airline Pilots Object to Bankruptcy Plan

Plan seeks unnecessary concessions from pilots and goes against Company pledge to seek no further employee cuts

Honolulu, Hawaii - The Hawaiian Airlines unit of the Air Line Pilots Association filed an objection yesterday to the confirmation of the Hawaiian Airlines bankruptcy Plan of Reorganization. The pilots made the objection saying that the plan is conditioned on additional unfair labor concessions on top of the pilots' $8 million in annual concessions negotiated earlier.

"It is disappointing to see that both Hawaiian Airlines and its parent Company, Hawaiian Holdings have chosen to dishonor their promise and their word that they would ask for no further concessions," said Captain Jim Giddings, Negotiating Committee Chairman of the Hawaiian Airlines unit of the Air Line Pilots Association.

In their filing, the pilots questioned why other constituencies in the bankruptcy case, including creditors, shareholders, and management, are not being asked for concessions. The pilots expressed concern that it is actually their contract's amendable status that has positioned them as the group to be singled out for concessions. According to Giddings the Company's position has no financial justification.

"Hawaiian Airlines management has failed to show any need for our members to take more concessions," added Giddings. "They are simply misusing bankruptcy to try and compel the employees to underwrite future business risks and to recover the costs of the bankruptcy. Management should be negotiating with us rather than trying to use the courts to pick the pockets of those who have worked so hard to make Hawaiian successful."

"Through their actions, we can only conclude that management is unable to resist the opportunity to exploit their bankruptcy status to shirk their obligations under labor law," said Giddings. "We are assuring our members that we fully intend to resist the Company's unjust demands and will do so before the bankruptcy court and the Hawaiian public."

Headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaiian Airlines is the nation's 12th-largest carrier, with 135 daily flights flown by 300 pilots who operate a fleet of B-717 and B-767 aircraft.

Founded in 1931, ALPA is the world's oldest and largest pilots' union, representing 64,000 pilots at 43 airlines in the U.S. and Canada. Visit the ALPA Web site at http://www.alpa.org.

# # #

ALPA CONTACT: 
Capt. Jim Giddings, (808) 836-2572 
Tammy Sumida, Joan Bennet and Associates, Inc. (808) 531-6087, ext. 3