Hawaiian Airlines Unveils New Japan Flight Service Features

Chef Lee Anne Wong, owner of Koko Head Cafe. Photo provided by Hawaiian Airlines.

By Maui Now Staff

Hawaiian Airlines is now offering a suite of enhancements to its signature Mea Ho‘okipa (“I am host”) in-flight service for guests traveling from Japan to Hawai‘i, including a new collaboration with the owner of island favorite Koko Head Café, Chef Lee Anne Wong.

Main Cabin and Business Class travelers will now be treated to the best of modern Hawai‘i cuisine before reaching the Islands, through Chef Wong’s regional and global fusion dishes on all inbound flights from Japan.

Hawaiian Airlines will also offer a new signature cocktail, Pukana La (Sunrise), to welcome Business Class guests onboard.

When booking flights, families traveling from Japan to Hawai‘i with children ages 12 and under may pre-order keiki meals, which include a new Hawaiian-print drawstring snack bag.

Guests can savor island-inspired fare ranging from Curry-Crusted Flounder or Halibut to Guava Huli Chicken and enjoy an expanded selection of Hawaiian music curated for Hawaiian Airlines, starring award-winning performers, classic artists and emerging new talent.

A new partnership with Hawai‘i Local News brings original Japanese-language programming.

“Our Japanese guests choose us because they want to experience the best of Hawai‘i from the moment they board the aircraft,” said Takaya Shishido, Hawaiian Airlines country director for Japan. “These enhancements reflect our ongoing commitment to bringing exclusive and authentic Hawai‘i food, design, art and culture to every guest.”

Service enhancements also include:

• All flights: a Pau Hāna Souvenir Cart for last-minute shopping; amenity kits in all classes featuring an exclusive design by famed print designer Manuheali‘i. Business Class parting gift of Hawaiian Host chocolates;
• Hawai‘i-bound: a complimentary keiki gift for guests ages 12 and under;
• Japan-bound: a newly designed limited-edition snack bag for Main Cabin guests.

These new features are part of ongoing service enhancements highlighting Hawaiian’s commitment to providing guests with a fresh and memorable experience each time they fly.

Chef Wong, one of five top local chefs in Hawaiian Airlines’ Featured Chef Series, will debut her menu for the first class cabin of all flights from Hawai‘i to North America on Dec. 1. She also will be serving a dish from her Japan in-flight menu—Black Sesame Donuts with Hawaiian Coffee Anglaise—at the Sept. 12 Hawaiian Airlines’ Corks & Forks event during the Hawai‘i Food & Wine Festival.