Hawaiian Airlines has debuted its first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, a new aircraft that will travel between Honolulu and San Francisco starting in April.
The company held a blessing last week, where it unveiled the aircraft's name: "Kapuahi." The 300-seat plane was coined after the brightest star in the Taurus constellation, in hopes of being in "the same spirit and tradition of Hawaiian voyaging."
"Our kinship with voyaging is rooted in our past, grounds us in our present and guides us toward our future," said Debbie Nakanelua-Richards, director of community and cultural relations at Hawaiian Airlines, in a statement.
"This connection is reflected in the design of our Boeing 787-9s, which further this effort to mingle with the stars and look to the constellations for direction as wayfinders often do in the canoe," she continued.
The name was selected under the guidance of Polynesian Voyaging Society Hōkūleʻa captains Kalā Babayan Tanaka, Catherine "Cat" Fuller and Shantell De Silva.
Over 1,500 employees had the opportunity to tour the plane's illuminated interior and get their first glance at the Leihōkū Suites, Hawaiian Airlines' latest investment in lie-flat seating that includes an 18-in entertainment screen, wireless charging, personal power outlets and more.
The company is set to receive another Boeing 787-9 next month. The planes will operate the Honolulu to Los Angeles route and the Honolulu to Phoenix route starting in May.
A total of 12 Boeing 787-9 planes are planned for Hawaiian's expansion as they prepare to merge with Alaska Airlines.
The first passenger flight will take off from Honolulu to San Francisco on April 15.
