Docket OST-2010-0018 INDEX OF LETTERS OF SUPPORT SET 1 of 2 1. Governor of the State of Hawaii 2. United States Congressional Delegation for State of Hawaii 3. Hawaii State Senate Delegation 4. Chair of the Hawaii State Senate Committee on Transportation, International and Intergovernmental Affairs 5. Speaker of the Hawaii State House of Representatives 6. Chair of the Hawaii State House of Representatives Committee on Tourism, Culture and International Affairs 7. Mayor of the County of Hawaii 8. Mayor of the City and County of Honolulu 9. Hawaii Chamber of Commerce 10. Hawaii Visitors & Convention Bureau 11. Hawaii Convention Center 12. President and CEO of the Hawaii Tourism Authority 13. Vice President of Brand Management of the Hawaii Tourism Authority 14. Mayor of the City of San Jose 15. Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport 16. Sacramento Convention & Visitors Bureau 17. Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce 18. Hawaii Hotel & Lodging Association 19. Kauai Visitors Bureau 20. Maui Visitors Bureau 21. Maui Hotel & Lodging Association 22. Oahu Visitors Bureau 23. Waikiki Improvement Association 24. Hawaii Business Roundtable 25. Enterprise Honolulu, The Oahu Economic Development Board 26. First Hawaiian Bank 27. Central Pacific Bank 28. Hawaii Medical Service Association 29. The Queen s Health Systems 30. James Campbell Company LLC 31. The MacNaughton Group 32. Aon Risk Services, Inc. of Hawaii 33. Castle & Cooke 34. JAIMS 35. Island Movers, Inc. 36. Hawaiian Electric Company, Inc. 37. Retail Merchants of Hawaii 38. C.S. Wo & Sons, Ltd. 39. DFS Group
Wbt $enste STATE CAPITOL HONOLULU, HAWAII 96813 March 3,2010 Secretary Ray LaHood U.S. Department of Transportation 1200 New Jersey Ave, SE Washington, D.C. 20590 Dear Secretary LaHood: Re: Application of Hawaiian Airlines in the 2010 U.S.-Haneda Combination Services Allocation Proceedins. DOT-OST-2O1 0-00 1 8 As the Chair of the Hawaii S".ru,J Committee on Transportation, International and Intergovernmental Affairs, I write to recommend Hawaiian Airlines be awarded the authority to initiate daily non-stop flight service between Honolulu and Haneda Airport in Tokyo, Japan. In the course of my Committee's oversight authority of airlines in Hawaii, I have found Hawaiian Airlines to be prompt, efficient, reliable, and dedicated in providing air seryices. I have also found Mark Dunkerley, President and Chief Executive Officer of Hawaiian Airlines, to be sincere and honest in his testimony on issues facing Hawaii, including his testimony in the wake of the demise of Aloha Airlines in 2008, which was very helpful to the Committee in understanding the economics of airline carriers. As you know, Hawaiian Airlines is the only local airline with the capability of flying nonstop between Japan and Hawaii. Japan is a critical tourism market for Hawaii and Hawaii is the most preferred travel destination for the Japanese. The importance of increased tourism to Hawaii cannot be overstated. Tourism is the mainstay of Hawaii's economy, and Hawaiian Airlines is a major transporter of tourists to and from Hawaii as well as between the Islands. The impact of a Hawaiian Airlines direct route between Honolulu and Haneda will be a much needed economic stimulus to Hawaii in terms of job creation, enhanced tax revenues, and the compound effect of transportation services upon the economy. This new service will also be an important step in creating new economic and cultural opportunities for this State, and I might also add that since about one-third of Hawaii's population is of Japanese ancestry, awarding the direct route between Honolulu and Haneda Airport to Hawaiian Airlines is the sensible and logical choice.
Secretarv Rav LaHood iutut.tt 3,2010 Page2 Please give Hawaiian Airlines every consideration in awarding it the route between Haneda and Honolulu. lm+4 Sincerely, ^. Chair, Senate Committee on Transportation, International, and Intergovemmental Affairs
March 2, 2010 Secretary Ray LaHood U.S. Department of Transportation 1200 New Jersey Ave, SE Washington, DC 20590 RE: Application of Hawaiian Airlines in the 2010 U.S.-Haneda Combination Services Allocation Proceeding, DOT-OST-2010-0018 Dear Secretary LaHood: As the Executive Director of the Kaua i Visitors Bureau (KVB), I represent an organization charged with marketing the Island of Kaua i. KVB has 225 members, which includes a variety of hotels, condominiums, vacation rentals, retail shops, and activity providers (boat tours, air tours, kayak, hiking, zipline, ATV, surfing, etc.). We promote tourism utilizing consumer and travel trade print advertising, radio, television spots, with an emphasis on public relations, to name just a few elements. One of our consistently reliable partners for promotions has been Hawaiian Airlines. I am writing to express my strong support for Hawaiian s application to provide flights between Honolulu and Tokyo s Haneda Airport. Hawaiian s proposed daily service from Haneda is an exciting prospect that will make travel to Hawai i more convenient and accessible for Japanese tourists visiting Hawai i and bring some much-needed competition that will benefit all travelers flying this route. Tourism is far and away Hawai i s most important industry and visitors coming from Japan are crucial to its success and the overall economic well being of the state of Hawai i. If Hawaiian is allowed to offer flights from Japan, the economic benefits will extend to Hawai i businesses on all islands and help create new jobs for residents statewide. Accordingly, I believe the awarding of Haneda route rights to Hawaiian by the Department of Transportation is in the public s best interest and that the application submitted by Hawaiian should be granted. Sincerely, Susan A. Kanoho Executive Director Kaua i Visitors Bureau Kaua i Visitors Bureau 4334 Rice Street, Suite 101 Lihu e, Hawai i, USA 96766 Telephone: (808) 245-3971 Facsimile: (808) 246-9235 E-mail: kauai@hvcb.org www.kauaidiscovery.com
February 26, 2010 Secretary Ray LaHood US Department of Transportation 1200 New Jersey Ave., SE Washington, DC 20590 RE: Application of Hawaiian Airlines in the 2010 U.S. Haneda Combination Services Allocation Proceeding, DOT-OST-2010-0018 Dear Secretary LaHood, I represent the Maui Hotel & Lodging Association (MHLA). MHLA is comprised of over 120 accommodation properties and businesses on Maui; and collectively, our membership employs over 10,000 residents. MHLA is the legislative arm of the Visitor Industry. MHLA strongly supports Hawaiian Airlines application for authority to serve Tokyo s Haneda Airport. For many years, visitors from Japan have been an integral part of the visitor industry in Hawaii. These valued visitors positively impact our businesses - as Japanese travelers are amongst the highest spending visitors in Hawaii. Hawaiian Airlines proposed new daily service from Haneda will provide a convenient way to access to our island paradise, thus making travel even more desirable to the highly treasured Japanese consumer. The economic impact of allowing this service would be substantial to our visitor industry based economy. Tourism is the economic engine of Hawaii; and the majority of our businesses in Hawaii rely upon visitor revenues to survive. The approval of this application would be a significant boost to our struggling economy. MHLA strongly urges you to grant Hawaiian Airlines application. Sincerely, Carol Reimann Executive Director 1727-B Wili Pa Loop Wailuku, HI 96793 808/244-8625 808/244-3094 fax info@mauihla.org
W AIKIKI IMPROVEMENT ASSOCIATION February 25, 2010 Secretary Ray LaHood U.S. Department of Transportation 1200 New Jersey Ave, SE Washington, DC 20590 RE: Application of Hawaiian Airlines in the 2010 U.S.-Haneda Combination Services Allocation Proceeding, DOT-OST-2010-0018 Dear Secretary LaHood: My Name is Rick Egged, representing the Waikīkī Improvement Association. The WIA is a nonprofit membership organization consisting of over 150, land owners, hotels, retailers and restaurants in Waikīkī along with many of the business that serve them. The WIA is dedicated to the physical and cultural enhancement of one the worlds most famous and desirable destinations. Waikīkī performs a major role exporting the state s visitor services. In this role it facilitates the injection of billions of outside dollars into the rest of the economy. For this reason, Waikiki is not only a source of employment, income and taxes, but also one of the state s major economic growth assets. It s effectiveness in competing for visitors and providing them a satisfying vacation experience is important to the stability and growth of the state s economy. Using 2009 numbers Waikiki accounted for 42% of statewide tourism. Waikiki has 39% of the available visitor units in the state. About $5.3 billion of all visitor expenditures in the state were generated by Waikiki-based visitor activity. The Waikīkī Improvement Association strongly supports the Hawaiian Airlines application for an award of route rights to serve Tokyo s Haneda Airport. Visitors from Japan make up 27% of Waikīkī s market providing an excellent opportunity to attract valuable foreign exchange currency to the United States. Allowing flights from Haneda to Honolulu would make a trip to Hawai i that much more accessible and convenient for a large portion of Tokyo s population. The Waikīkī Improvement Association believes allowing Haneda access to Hawaiian Airlines is in the public interest and should be approved as soon as possible. Thank-you for your consideration, if you have any questions please feel free to contact me at (808) 923-1094. Mahalo, Rick Egged, President Waikīkī Improvement Association 2255 Kuhio Avenue Suite 760 Honolulu, HI 96815 Ph: 808.923.1094 ~ Fax: 808.923.2622 ~ email: mail@waikikiimprovement.com