How an airline was launched

In 1929, the Bellanca took more than a full day’s flying time to hopscotch its way across the United States, and then several days to ship to Hawaii. The founder of the company that became Hawaiian Airlines, Stanley C. Kennedy, bought the Bellanca that September from the factory in Newcastle, Delaware.

Kennedy believed people in Hawaii would accept the revolutionary concept of air travel between islands if they could see and experience flight above Honolulu. To prove his faith in flying, he and family members flew on the Bellanca from Delaware to San Francisco — 28 hours flying time. The Bellanca was never used for inter-island flights. Over the next two years, 1930-31, the company continued to use the Bellanca for Honolulu sightseeing tours to help promote air travel, carrying more than 12,000 people for around $US3 per person — US$72 in today’s terms.

After being sold in 1933, the Bellanca made its way to Alaska, where it hauled cargo and became among the first of the fleet for Star Airlines, which became Alaska Airlines

Using the grunty monoplane to get Hawaiians comfortable with flying worked.

In spite of a some economic bumps, including filing for bankruptcy protection, the airline continues to grow as it approaches its 90th birthday next year. This month it announced its latest destination — Boston.

The westbound flight time to Honolulu is listed at 11 hours, 40 minutes, the longest domestic flight in the US.

Hawaiian operates a mainline fleet of 59 aircraft including Airbus A330s, Boeing 767s, A321neos and 717s. From 2021, the first of up to 20 Boeing Dreamliners will enter the fleet. The 787-9s have a list price of $US281m.

In comparison, the Bellanca had a sticker price of US$15,000, about US$216,000 in today’s dollars.