Over 80 travel industry professionals gathered for PATA-Hawaii Chapter’s April luncheon held at the Hawaii Prince Hotel in Waikiki.  Among them was Ms. Barbara Bryant, PATA Regional Director-North America & Hawaii, who gave a short address at the beginning of the program.  Featured at the event was guest speaker Mark B. Dunkerley, President & CEO of Hawaiian Airlines, who discussed new opportunities for his company in light of difficult economic conditions impacting the U.S. airline industry and its associated impacts on Hawai`i’s tourism industry.

In his presentation, Dunkerley stressed the important contribution an industry like tourism can make in a troubled economy.  Referencing a recent tourism study commissioned by First Hawaiian Bank, he noted that, “the tourism industry is the unsung hero of our local economy” and complimented the marketing efforts by the Hawaii Visitors & Convention Bureau in promoting Hawaii as a ‘value for money’ destination.  He also encouraged the industry’s private sector to join them in moving tourism forward during the challenging times, commenting that… “If you are not moving ahead, you are falling behind.”

In his concluding remarks, Dunkerley maintained a cautious, yet optimistic, view toward the future.  “Demand is down but not dead…We can choose to see the glass as 15% empty, or 85% full.”  With the upcoming addition of several new Airbus A330s to its fleet at a cost of nearly $5 billion, it appears that the water in the glass Hawaiian Airlines has chosen to see is not one of threat, but opportunity.


About Mark Dunkerley:  His experience includes CEO of the Sabena Airlines; consultant with the Roberts Roach firm; Chief Operating Officer, President of Worldwide Flight Services; and British Airways, where he held various management positions including V.P. of the Latin America and Caribbean Division.

Dunkerley serves on the Board of Directors of the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau and the  Hawaii Business Roundtable. He received a Bachelor's of Science in Economics from the London School of Economics and a Master's degree in Air Transportation Economics from the Cranfield Institute of Technology.