HONOLULU, Feb. 27, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Hawaiian Airlines flight attendants have ratified a tentative agreement reached earlier this month between the company and the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA) on new contract terms covering the operation of long-range, single-aisle aircraft the company plans to acquire to complement its current fleet of wide-body aircraft serving Hawai'i from the U.S. West Coast.  

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On January 7, Hawaiian announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with airframe manufacturer Airbus to acquire 16 new A321neo aircraft between 2017 and 2020, with rights to purchase an additional nine aircraft.

The company also announced that the acquisitions are contingent upon the signing of new agreements with its pilots' and flight attendants' unions covering operation of the new aircraft type.

Hawaiian's pilots ratified a similar agreement between the company and the Air Line Pilots Association on January 28.

The fleet expansion is expected to generate roughly 1,000 new jobs at Hawaiian.

The long-range, single-aisle A321neo aircraft will complement Hawaiian's existing fleet of
wide-body, twin-aisle aircraft used for long-haul flying between Hawai'i and the U.S. West Coast. 

At 146-feet-long, the A321neo will seat approximately 190 passengers in a two-class configuration (First and Coach) and has a range of 3,650 nautical miles. The aircraft will offer the more comfortable seat widths found in the twin-aisle A330.

Terms of the agreement were not disclosed, however, the aircraft have a total list-price value of approximately $2.8 billion if all of the purchase rights are exercised.

"Everyone at Hawaiian wants us to keep our position as the market leader in service quality, cost efficiency and choice of destinations and ordering the A321neo will secure this legacy on routes between the U.S. West Coast and Hawai'i beyond the middle of this decade," said Mark Dunkerley, president and chief executive officer of Hawaiian Airlines.

About Hawaiian Airlines
Hawaiian has led all U.S. carriers in on-time performance for each of the past nine years (2004-2012) as reported by the U.S. Department of Transportation. Consumer surveys by Conde Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure and Zagat have all ranked Hawaiian the highest of all domestic airlines serving Hawai'i.

Now in its 84^th year of continuous service, Hawaiian is Hawai'i's biggest and longest-serving airline, as well as the largest provider of passenger air service from its primary visitor markets on the U.S. mainland. Hawaiian offers nonstop service to Hawai'i from more U.S. gateway cities (11) than any other airline, along with service from Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Australia, American Samoa, and Tahiti. New nonstop service begins this year between Honolulu and Auckland, New Zealand on March 13; Sendai, Japan on June 25; and Taipei, Taiwan on July 9. Hawaiian also provides approximately 160 daily jet flights between the Hawaiian Islands.

Hawaiian Airlines, Inc. is a subsidiary of Hawaiian Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: HA). Additional information is available at HawaiianAirlines.com. Follow updates on Twitter about Hawaiian (@HawaiianAir) and its special fare offers (@HawaiianFares), and become a fan on its Facebook page (Hawaiian Airlines).

SOURCE Hawaiian Airlines