Source: Hawaiian Airlines
Amid the flurry of Mahina ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian Language Month) celebrations, the Hawaiian Airlines Community and Cultural Relations Team remained focused on their guiding principle of “launa.” Meaning to socialize or connect, “launa” was their north star, anchoring this year’s celebration across both Hawaiian and Alaska Airlines.
Throughout February, the team organized expert workshops, language lessons, and Team Kōkua volunteer activations that engaged guests, employees and the community with the language and in intimate learning experiences.
“Meeting all these people through the Hawaiian language makes the language all that much more critical and shows the strength that education wields in bringing people together,” shared Manakō Tanaka, senior community and cultural relations manager at Hawaiian Airlines.
Bringing ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi to Seattle and Anchorage
ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi took to the skies with a special bilingual flight between Kahului, Maui, and Seattle, Washington — a first for Hawaiian Airlines’ nonstop service to the Emerald City. On Tuesday, Feb. 18, HA30 departed Maui with 10 crewmembers and three gate agents, some of whom are learning the language and others who have earned Hawaiian Airlines’ language certification — a distinction marked by the Hawaiian flag on a name tag. In-flight and gate announcements were made in both ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi and English.
Guests were also given a commemorative engagement card to use when ordering drinks and snacks, starting a conversation onboard, or sharing the language with others at home.
After the flight’s arrival, Hawaiian Airlines employees joined their Alaska Airlines teammates for an ʻōlelo class at Alaska’s SeaTac headquarters, exploring new ways to incorporate the language in daily conversations in and out of work.
“[Our visit to Anchorage] became an excellent chance to meet with the Indigenous people of that land, and one extra special moment for me was when [the Alaska native groups] taught us some words from their language, and then we taught them some Hawaiian language,” Tanaka shared. “Language becomes the vessel by which we build connection.”
Connecting with Cultural Experts
Mele (song) and oli (chant) were central to Mahina ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, as local cultural experts dedicated time to meet with employees across Hawaiian and Alaska Airlines to share their wisdom and knowledge.
Keliʻi Ruth, a Native Hawaiian chanter and PhD candidate at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, shared his love of oli with employees and explained the meaning and wisdom embedded in these chants when spoken aloud.
Another workshop was held by Zachary Alakaʻi Lum, a Native Hawaiian composer, musician and founder of the nonprofit Kāhuli Leo Leʻa. Lum guided employees through an exploration of music composition, the craft of mele and ways they can more deeply engage with significant Hawaiian melodies woven with cultural and historical allusions.
Hawaiian Airlines later contributed $2,500 to Kāhuli Leo Leʻa, proudly affirming its support for the nonprofit’s efforts to preserve, share, and expand cultural knowledge through the power of mele.
Stewarding the Next Generation
The Hawaiian Airlines Talent Acquisition team hosted eight students from Ke Kula ʻo Samuel M. Kamakau Laboratory Public Charter School (LPCS) for a special career day called Aviation ʻIke (Knowledge). The event, conducted entirely in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, introduced students in their junior and senior years to flight attendants, pilots, mechanics, cargo agents, airport operations, corporate staff and more, allowing them to connect with aviation professionals and learn about their career journeys. The goal: encourage the next generation of native speakers to consider joining aviation while establishing new opportunities for the language to thrive in professional settings.
Dr. Meahilahila Kelling, director at Ke Kula ʻo Samuel M Kamakau LPCS, shared, “Hū aʻela koʻu haʻaheo ma ia huakaʻi e ʻike i ka nui o nā kānaka i kēia manawa e kū i ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi. Ua ʻike maka nā haumāna i ke kūpono e kūpaʻa i ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi ma waho aku o ke kula kaiāʻōlelo a ma nā ʻoihana like ʻole. (I was filled with pride on this trip to see how many people speak Hawaiian now. Our students were able to witness that it is prudent to continue to use Hawaiian language outside of just our community, and now in various lines of business.)”
Team Kōkua volunteers hosted arts and crafts activities, including translation worksheets and keiki (children) coloring pages highlighting Hawaiian language names for parts of the Airbus A330 and equipment commonly seen on the ramp. Attendees also had the opportunity to win 15,000 HawaiianMiles in a raffle that encouraged the use of Hawaiʻi’s native language.
Want to share the 2025 Mahina ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi coloring sheets with your keiki? Click the images below to download and print!