Interview: Hawaiian Airlines CEO Peter Ingram

Hawaiian Airlines CEO Peter Ingram isn't too worried about increasing competition from U.S. and Japanese carriers on routes to Hawaii. During an an interview with Skift Airline Weekly Editor Madhu Unnikrishnan in Las Vegas on Aug. 26, Ingram said  Hawaiian has been competing fiercely on those routes for 90 years, so this is nothing new, Ingram said. What is new, at least since Aloha and Go went bankrupt, is competition on inter-island routes. Southwest recently began flying limited routes between the Hawaiian islands, but Hawaiian's deep routes in the community, its long history serving what Ingram calls "the neighbor islands," and the frequency of its routes will stand it in good stead.

Ingram also admitted that he may be among the 717's last defenders, and argues that the airframe's engineering is perfectly suited to Hawaiian's needs. To hear more, listen to this week's episode of the Skift Airline Weekly Lounge.