Pacific Wings

Infobox Airline
airline=Pacific Wings
logo=Pacific Wings Airlines logo.pnglogo_size=250
fleet_size=8
destinations=10
IATA=LW
ICAO=NMI
callsign=TSUNAMI
parent=Pacific Air Holdings
subsidiaries=New Mexico Airlines GeorgiaSkies
founded=1974 (in Las Vegas, NV as Air Nevada Airlines Inc.)
headquarters=Kahului, Hawaii
key_people=Greg Kahlstorf (CEO) Frank Ford (Chairman) Gabriel Kimbrell (President)
hubs=Honolulu International Airport Kahului Airport
focus_cities=
frequent_flyer=Pacific Wings Plus
lounge=
alliance=
website= http://www.pacificwings.com

Pacific Wings Airlines is an American commuter airline based in Kahului, Maui, Hawaii, USA. It operates over 90 daily scheduled departures, as well as VIP charter air services throughout Hawaii. Its main base is Kahului Airport, with hubs at Honolulu International Airport and Hana Airport.cite news | title= Directory: World Airlines | work= Flight International | page= 60 | date= 2007-04-10]

History

The airline was established and started operations in July 1974 when it was incorporated as Air Nevada, an on-demand charter operator. Scheduled services started in 1978. After Eagle Canyon Airlines acquired its network of tour operators, Air Nevada ceased operations in January 1998, changed its operating name to Pacific Wings and continued its scheduled services within Hawaii. It is owned by Greg Kahlstorf (50%) and Frank Ford (50%).

On February 1, 2007, the airline began operating flights between Honolulu and Molokai, Honolulu and Lanai, and Kahului and Molokai as PW Express, offering $49 one way fares on every seat on every flight. Service to Kapalua, West Maui is planned to begin in March. [cite news| title=Pacific Wings joins airlines offering $49 fare | url=http://starbulletin.com/2007/01/18/business/story02.html | work=Honolulu Star-Bulletin | date=2007-01-18 | accessdate=2007-01-18 | last=Segal | first=Dave ]

New Mexico Airlines

In January 2007, the airline applied for Essential Air Service subsidies to serve Clovis and Silver City, New Mexico from Albuquerque, competing with a bid from incumbent operator Great Lakes Aviation, and to serve Hobbs and Carlsbad, New Mexico, competing with a bid from incumbent operator Air Midwest. Pacific Wings has said the airline would serve the routes with Cessna Grand Caravan aircraft, and would aim to wean the routes off subsidy service, as it has done in Hawaii. It would also serve other destinations from Albuquerque without a subsidy. [cite news | url=http://www.mauinews.com/story.aspx?id=26613 | title=Pacific spreading Wings beyond Hawaii | work=The Maui News | last=Eagar | first=Harry | date=2007-01-09 | accessdate=2007-01-10] [cite web | url=http://dmses.dot.gov/docimages/pdf99/441547_web.pdf | title=Proposal to Provide Essential Air Service at Hobbs (Docket OST-2000- 12800) and Carlsbad (Docket OST-2000- 12802), New Mexico | accessdate=2007-01-19 | date=2007-01-18 | format=PDF]

In March 2007, both the Lea County Commission (which oversees the airport in Hobbs) and the Carlsbad City Council voted unanimously to support Pacific Wings' bid to replace Mesa's EAS contract to both airports. In addition to subsidized service to Albuquerque and El Paso, Texas, the airline has also proposed unsubsidized service to Lubbock and Midland-Odessa, Texas and Santa Fe, New Mexico. It was also reported that the airline had withdrawn its bid for service to Silver City after local officials declined to meet with airline representatives. [cite news | title=TIDES OF COMMERCE: Pacific Wings takes place of Mesa in New Mexico market | last=Eagar | first=Harry | work=The Maui News | date=2007-03-12 | accessdate=2007-03-12] The United States Department of Transportation issued an order selecting Pacific Wings for the Hobbs and Carlsbad service on March 30, 2007. [cite web | title=Order Selecting Carrier and Setting Final Subsidy Rates | url=http://dmses.dot.gov/docimages/p89/463746.tif | format=TIFF | publisher=United States Department of Transportation | date=2007-03-30 | accessdate=2007-03-30] Flights in New Mexico began on July 1, 2007, under the name New Mexico Airlines. [cite news | url=http://www.currentargus.com/ci_6255688 | title=New airline service provider takes over Sunday | work=Carlsbad Current-Argus | last=Marksteiner | first=Kyle | date=2007-06-28 | accessdate=2007-07-02]

GeorgiaSkies

In June 2008, Pacific Wings was awarded an EAS contract for service to Athens and Macon, Georgia. The airline began operating flights from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta under the name GeorgiaSkies using Cessna Grand Caravan aircraft on September 29, 2008. [cite news | title=Pacific Wings chosen for air service | url=http://www.macon.com/198/story/367825.html | date=2008-06-03 | accessdate=2008-07-18 | work=The Telegraph | first=Matt | last=Barnwell] [cite news | url=http://www.ajc.com/business/content/business/stories/2008/09/25/flights_to_athens.html | title=New airline to offer Atlanta-Athens flights | first=Kelly | last=Yamanouchi | work=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution | date=2008-09-25 | accessdate=2008-09-25]

Destinations

As of December 2006, Pacific Wings serves ten airports on five Hawaiian islands: [cite web|url=http://72.3.240.223/system-map.asp|title=Pacific Wings System Map|accessdate=2006-12-12]
* Hana, Maui – Hana Airport (HNM)
* Hilo, Big Island - Hilo International Airport (ITO)
* Honolulu, Oahu – Honolulu International Airport (HNL)
* Kahului, Maui – Kahului Airport (OGG)
* Kalaupapa, Molokai – Kalaupapa Airport (LUP)
* Kamuela, Big Island – Waimea-Kohala Airport (MUE)
* Kapalua, West Maui – Kapalua Airport (JHM)
* Kaunakakai, Molokai – Molokai Airport (MKK)
* Kona, Big Island – Kona International Airport (KOA)
* Lanai City, Lanai – Lanai Airport (LNY)

Incidents and Accidents

On July 12, 1993, when the airline was still known as Air Nevada, a Cessna 402C with registration N818AN crashed after takeoff from McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, Nevada. The flight was destined for the Grand Canyon, but after liftoff the pilot advised the air traffic controller that the baggage door was open and requested a go around. The pilot and both passengers on board were killed. The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of the accident to be the pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed while maneuvering in the traffic pattern, with the pilot's failure to assure that the nose baggage compartment door was secured as an additional factor. [cite web| url=http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=20001211X12934&key=1 | title=LAX93FA287 | publisher=National Transportation Safety Board | accessdate=2007-03-18 | date=1994-06-22]

Incidents with Airport Security

After several videotaped incidents in 2005, Pacific Wings accused the security firm Wackenhut of harassment.

The first known recorded incident reported in the media happened in October 2005, after the President of the airline and one of his employees were attacked by Wackenhut Security Manager "Butch" Tam Ho in an airport conference room during a meeting Pacific Wings requested to bring repeated incidents of harassment by Wackenhut personnel to the attention of airport management. The airline President and his employee were then placed under citizens arrest by Wackenhut personnel and held for hours without being Mirandized or allowed access to a telephone. The airline executive was knocked unconscious during the event, and his employee suffered a facial fracture. Neither the Pacific Wings President nor the employee were ever charged by prosecutors with any crime, and both arrest records were expunged six months after the incident. [cite news|title=Assault alleged at Maui airport|url=http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2005/Oct/22/ln/FP510220326.html|last=Wilson|first=Christie|date=2005-10-22|accessdate=2006-12-12|work=The Honolulu Advertiser]

On November 14, 2005, another employee was accosted by another Wackenhut Security Guard while unloading supplies at the same airport. The employee videotaped the entire incident. On the videotape clip repeatedly broadcast in local media, the guard is shown threatening to kill the employee with a sidearm, shoving and cursing at the employee, and spitting on the employee. The guard, Eric Brown, was arrested by Maui Police and charged with terroristic threatening. Brown was later banned from working on any state property or facility. [cite news|title=State bans guard over threats on videotape|url=http://starbulletin.com/2005/11/17/news/story13.html|last=Kubota|first=Gary|date=2005-11-17|accessdate=2006-12-12|work=Honolulu Star-Bulletin]

Fleet

The Pacific Wings fleet is composed of eight single engine Cessna 208B Grand Caravan aircraft, and the airline is in negotiations to buy a ninth. The airline also plans to purchase additional aircraft for its EAS contracts in New Mexico and Georgia. [cite news | title=Pacific Wings ups Molokai service | url=http://starbulletin.com/2007/04/11/business/story01.html | work=Honolulu Star-Bulletin | last=Segal | first=Dave | date=2007-04-11 | accessdate=2007-04-11]

External links

* [http://www.pacificwings.com/ Pacific Wings]
* [http://www.flypwx.com/ PW Express]

References