Hawaiian Airlines' IT switchover causes booking, travel disruptions

Allison Schaefers, The Honolulu Star-Advertiser
·2 min read

Apr. 21—Hawaiian Airlines was still working Thursday to resolve booking issues on its website and mobile apps following complications during the installation of a modern passenger service system that is part of its largest information technology project in recent history.

Hawaiian Airlines was still working Thursday to resolve booking issues on its website and mobile apps following complications during the installation of a modern passenger service system that is part of its largest information technology project in recent history.

Hawaiian spokesperson Alex Da Silva said in an email that after Hawaiian brought the new Amadeus platform online Tuesday evening, the airline began encountering "issues that prevented some guests from checking in or printing bag tags at our airport self-service kiosks, which created congestion and long lines in our lobbies in Hawaii. We worked overnight to improve check-in services, and passenger flows at our airports improved significantly today."

Da Silva said Thursday that check-in via the airline's mobile app and website had been fully restored. However, he said booking new tickets on HawaiianAirlines.com or on the airline's mobile app remained unavailable. In the meantime, he said Hawaiian advises guests to book tickets through their preferred online travel agency.

Da Silva said Hawaiian had alerted guests whose travel coincided with the upgrade ; however, the disruption was greater than anticipated.

"We apologize for their poor experience, " he said.

Da Silva said dozens of employees stepped up to volunteer Wednesday and Thursday at airports through ­­out the state, where they helped guide guests and offered refreshments. He said Hawaiian also increased staffing at its call center and offered a travel waiver allowing guests to change their flights at no cost and at the same fare.

"We did not have significant flight delays or cancellations related to this issue, though some guests did miss connecting flights and were offered reimbursement for associated expenses, " Da Silva said.

Given the magnitude of the system upgrade, he said the airline had anticipated that some technical issues might surface early in the transition.

Da Silva added, "Once we resolve these early issues, we are confident that our guest experience will improve as our teams will be equipped with a modern and efficient passenger serv ­ice system to better support their travel needs, and we will be able to further enhance our website and app."