DALLAS – On March 9, 2024, Hawaiian Airlines (HA) held a special preview of its brand-new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner in Los Angeles, California (LAX) for employees and members of the media.

Aircraft N781HA (msn/ln 66429/1172) arrived in Honolulu from Boeing’s Charleston, South Carolina factory on February 14. A few days later, the airline held a blessing ceremony and officially named the aircraft “Kapuahi.”

All HA’s widebody aircraft are named after stars and constellations traditionally used in Polynesian navigation.  Kapuahi, known in Western astronomy as Aldebaran, is the brightest star in the constellation Taurus.

Leihoku Suite

With the Dreamliner, Hawaiian is introducing a new premium-class product called Leihoku Suite (garland of stars). Stars line the ceiling, evoking constellations that guided Polynesian voyagers at night.  There are 34 lie-flat suites arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration. 

Each suite offers direct aisle access, with sliding doors for privacy. Features include an 18-inch entertainment screen, wireless charging, and power outlets. Partitions in the center seat pair can be entirely lowered so couples can share a shared experience.

Same center partitions can also be raised to offer complete privacy for solo travelers. HA was the first airline to partner with Adient Aerospace, a joint venture with Boeing, to develop these suites.

The airline worked with design consultant Teague to incorporate Hawaiian elements and themes in the cabin, including stars, sun, waves, and flora. For example, the Leihoku Suite partition top section is a blue translucent piece in a wave design. At the door 2 main entry, passengers are welcomed with sinuous native koa wood slats and embossed leaves in the ceiling.

Main Cabin

The theme of the 266-seat main cabin is the ocean and waves. Sea blue is the dominant seat color, and the carpet evokes shimming waves. The seats are Collins Aerospace Aspire products, and they offer 12-inch seat-back monitors with USB-A and -C charging ports and adjustable headrests.

The seat pitch in standard economy is 31 inches. There are also 79 extra-legroom Extra Comfort seats with 35 inches of pitch. They have AC power outlets as an added feature. All main cabin seats are 17.6 inches wide and 4 inches recline.

Inaugural Flight

Hawaiian’s inaugural Dreamliner flight will be on April 15 from Honolulu to San Francisco. Dreamliners will operate on flights between Honolulu and Los Angeles starting May 15 and between Honolulu and Phoenix beginning the following day. Stay tuned to Airways next month for complete coverage.

The carrier expects three of its 12 787-9 aircraft order to be delivered by the end of this year. The second aircraft, N780HA, will be delivered later this month, in March. The remaining deliveries are planned through 2027.