By Daniel Chun <\/I>
\nHawai’i Regional Manager of Sales and Community Marketing, Alaska Airlines<\/B><\/p>\n
Alaska and Hawaii have a lot in common – awe-inspiring natural beauty, the integrity of our people and the strength of our communities – which is why Alaska Airlines feels so at home here.<\/p>\nngg_shortcode_0_placeholder\n
For the past five years, Alaska Airlines has been a proud member of the community in the Islands. Since our smiling Eskimo first touched down in Hawaii in 2007, we’ve grown from three daily flights to flying no fewer than 26 times a day between eight West Coast cities and four Hawaiian Islands this winter. This June, we’ll start daily service from Lihue to San Diego.<\/p>\n
But our business isn’t just about flying airplanes. It’s about serving people.<\/p>\n
Like our namesake state, we understand Hawaii’s special reliance on transportation and tourism, and we believe it’s our responsibility to be a good neighbor and support the local economy in Hawaii – from offering the most frequent flights and low fares for kamaaina, to sponsoring local events, nonprofit organizations and educational endeavors.<\/p>\n
Last week, we named Kaiser High School student Aaron Nee the winner of our “Spirit of the Islands” Paint-the-Plane contest. His artwork will adorn an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-800 aircraft honoring the unique culture of our state. His design won among more than 2,700 submissions created by students from kindergarten through grade 12, in a statewide contest we held in partnership with the Hawaii State Department of Education and the Hawaii Association of Independent Schools.<\/p>\n
Aaron receives a trip for four to any Alaska Airlines destination and a $5,000 scholarship. Our second- and third-place winners also receive a trip for four to anywhere Alaska flies. And we awarded 12 $1,000 scholarships to the honorable-mention winners in each grade level.<\/p>\n
The contest was designed to celebrate creativity and the magic of exploring new places, and we thank all of the parents, educators and students for making it a success.<\/p>\n
We believe that encouraging academic excellence is key to the future success of our communities. We can’t think of any better connection to our community’s future than through our children and their education.<\/p>\n