Southwest’s CEO Bob Jordan has just announced that in honor of the 4th anniversary of their first interisland flight, and coincidentally or not, Lei Day in Hawaii, they are pausing to dedicate a new Hawaii-themed plane called “Imua One.”
“Today, April 28, 2023, is the fourth anniversary of our first interisland flight within Hawaii. As we look forward to our fifth year of service, we want to take a moment to say mahalo to the people in Hawaii who have welcomed us with warm aloha. We are grateful for the opportunity to serve the Islands, and as a symbol of thanks, we dedicate a high-flying tribute: Imua One.” — Bob Jordan.
Southwest said this aircraft will serve as a ” symbol of the partnership between the Hawaiian Islands and Southwest. Imua,” said Jordan, “is a rallying cry in the Hawaiian language that translates to an urging forward, and it underscores a key value at Southwest—Teamwork.”
Created in Hawaii with the guidance of a Hawaiian Cultural Practitioner.
The design emanates from the Osaki Creative Group, an Oahu-based agency. Southwest said that “Its distinctive design features eight elements that represent concepts in Hawaiian culture that also align with Southwest values. The aircraft design features stars for each of the five airports in Hawaii Southwest serves; six paddlers in an outrigger bring to life the concept of Imua; and six turtles in two groups of three to represent harmony and balance.
A lei at the nose of the plane is to honor each island through its official flowers. The traditional colors in the Southwest Heart livery, bold blue, red, and yellow, a gradient transition was incorporated to represent night to day, and honor the Hawaiian tradition of the Pacific journey using wind and following the guidance of the sun, stars, and moon to navigate.
The eight central visual elements of the Imua One livery hold significance in Hawaii and at Southwest:
Ohana (Family): Root in relationships.
Honu (Turtle): Move with perseverance.
Aina (Land): Find common ground.
Ama (Support): Connect to strengthen and balance.
Hoku (Star): Guide with purpose.
Kai (Ocean): Harness good energy.
Lokahi (Unity): Succeed with Teamwork.
Imua (Forward): Go forward with strength, courage, and strong spirit.”
Southwest launching a video series called “Honoring the Heart of Hawaii.”
Please share with us your thoughts on Southwest Hawaii’s latest approach.
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Hi BOH,
It looks like this aircraft (N8710M) has finished its tour of the five Hawaii airports Southwest serves and is now on a direct from KOA to DAL. Not every day you see a 737 flying 3,700 miles direct so thought it was cool to point out. Clearly, Southwest is flying this one empty.
Regards,
Will
Hi Will.
Thanks for keeping your eye on that bird. We saw it loading passengers at Lihue on Saturday morning.
Aloha.
Love the new Southwest airplane! What a great idea, putting Honus etc. They should get “Wyland” paint a whale next time!
Also, thanks for adding more Hawaiian words and not just “Aloha” and “Mahalo”. Love “Imua”!
Real simple: you rich? don’t give a crap about how much you pay for airfare?
Fly HA.
The rest of us?
Southwest is fine.
Because of Hawaiian Airlines, I had to spend the night at LAX.
One of HA’s planes broke down on the tarmac at HNL and had to be towed back to the terminal.
Finally made it to LAX too late to catch my connecting flight.
The first half dozen people at HA I spoke with basically said, “not our problem.”
Update!
Costco has Southwest $500 gift cards extra $20 off, $429 this weekend.
Interisland fare would be down to $33 with the extra sale, beat that HA.
LOL That’s below cost Rob. No one is even breaking even at those rates. I’ve never understood why Hawaii residents think they should continue to pay 1990s fares forever. A similar distance route on the mainland goes for over $100 on sale.
May be because you don’t have a choice for transportation on an island? On the mainland, you can always take the bus, train or car from one state to another. I actually think that Hawaii residents should pay less than tourists to fly from one island to another. Many have to go to another island for work and even more have relatives who do and/or live on another island. Tourists can choose to go on vacation by plane or not ….obviously, if Hawaiians fly to another state, they will pay the same than all other tourists.
So you are basically saying you’re a socialist.
Southwest may have had some Major hiccups in the past few months .. but they hit this one out of the park. What a beautiful plane!!!
Totally agree!
Funny all the Hawaiian Air employees posting on BOH had no comments about the HA tech meltdown, flight delays, cancellations, passenger injuries and planes grounded without engine parts. Without competition from Southwest interisland HA fares would be over $200 again. Fix the HA problems before complaining about artwork on a plane.
Really Rob? Forget the paint scheme, how does Hawaiian‘s “tech melt down” compare to Southwest‘s Christmas software debacle with 1000’s of flights cancelled and millions of passengers stranded? 🤣 I flew Hawaiian the day their new software began & choaked. The Hawaiian agents did a hell of a job getting everybody on the flight with nobody stranded! Tell us how charging 1980s prices inter-island is helping local businesses, Hawaiian Airlines, Lanai Air, and Mokukele? Also, did you know Hawaiian can’t control the manufacture’s lack of spare parts for airplanes but the passengers do get upgraded to a larger Airbus A-330 for no cost!
I believe that’s what they call cultural appropriation these days? That’s a Texas company with a satellite inter island operation dispatched and maintained from the mainland and operated by crews from the mainland, often with very little knowledge of Hawai’i. Had to laugh at the account of the SWA F/A that didn’t know what island Lihue was on……
Lipstick on a pig…..
If Southwest Airlines is so wonderful, why were they ranked last by wallet hub? Cultural sensitivity my…
Nobody in this thread has ever heard of WalletHub until your post. I’d take their “rankings” with a big grain of salt.
They didn’t change the design of the tail – still the same SW Airlines colors and logo. So it all just looks unbalanced. Nice try, SWAirlines, but your efforts are a F.A.I.L.
Anything to take down the monopolies that have held the Hawaiian people hostage forever! One airline,one water company, one electric company…and that’s why we are being gouged…because they can!
If you’ve paid attention to Southwest‘s history, they destroy the competition and gouge customers like a shark. Hawaii is a special market with more heart than the mainland so they’re going slow. Hawaii’s history proves there’s hardly room for two Inter-sland carriers.
Shoots!🤙
Well said Bob, I recall back in the HA/AQ days an industry analyst saying Inter Island was basically a one and a half airline market. Turns out SWA fills that requirement with their 60 flights a day…..the choice of course is do you want to buy a ticket that the revenue goes to Texas or one that supports the local economy and the people that live here.
Sigh…so much negativity. Artwork on the plane looks beautiful to me. No other state has a plane with dedicated artwork honoring their culture.
Alaska Airlines has several of their planes honoring Alaskan heritage for years.
I don’t understand all the negativity either. Beautiful and unique as most of Southwest’s specially painted planes are state flag themed with the word ‘One’ included. like Lone Star One, California One, Florida One and Maryland One.
I have no desire to join the Southwest seating stampede!
I’m all for competition, but Southwest has no business running inter-island Hawai’i routes. They’re not Hawaiian Airlines, so don’t try to be.
So, SWA is NOT Hawaiian Airlines. If they hadn’t entered the market you’d be paying 200$ for a 30 minute flight.
Then pay the price for it, like everything else on Hawaii …if local is more expensive for no reason, most people will go non-local!
This feels like an appropriation of SW’s host’s* cultural identity by a corporate entity working hard to refine their branding, in order (of course) to ultimately maximize profits.
If Southwest actually respected and adhered to these native Hawaiian principles flying with them would be a whole nuddah ting!
*Host: as in “the generally losing side in a parasitic relationship.”
Nani.
(They might want to exhibit just a touch more sensitivity to Hawaiian culture by calling the plane Imua 1, rather than using a word – one – that has a different meaning & prononciation in Hawaiian.)
Good try. But, too little, too late.
Jim E
No matter what your economic views or politics are re: Southwest, this artwork is gorgeous. Happy Aloha Friday, everyone!
Go away Southwest! You aren’t welcome in Hawaii or anywhere else
Spoken like a true Hawaiian employee!
That’s rich Boto…when SWA came here they did so telling their employees they were going after Hawaiian and Alaska. Oakland had a large shark painted in SWA colors chasing two small fish painted in AK and HA colors. SWA is the airline equivalent of someone moving to Hawaii and starts speaking pidgin and trying to take advantage of the people that live here. Too many stories of SWA employees aggressive self inter interest and hyper competitiveness for me. Alaska came to Hawaii in a good way. SWA did not.
Hawaiian Airlines gives back to the community? HA has been ripping off the local community since Aloha went away. You think $300 airfares for round trip tickets interisland is supporting local economy and the people? What a joke! Ripping off people isn’t an Hawaiian value. They were so use to bullying other carriers flying interisland into submission i.e Island Air & GO that when a much bigger airlines started flying interisland, HA had to rethink its bully tactics. They cant bully SW. The majority of SW employees in Hawaii are locals. If yall prefer paying those bag fees, higher airfares and sit mostly in those smaller seats then go right ahead. The only thing Hawaiian about Hawaiian Airlines is the name
No Southwest did not tell their employees that they were going after Hawaiian or Alaska. Stop prevaricating. Stop equating individuals possibly making silly comments as if those comments were coming out of Dallas. I’m sure if Alaska was flying interisland, HA and their surrogates would post negative things about them. If taking advantage to you is cheaper airfares and 2 free bags then I guess SW is taking advantage
Honorable, thoughtful & respectful….nicely done SWA!
I appreciate the effort of trying to display Aloha etc., but I suggest Southwest put more effort in getting planes in the air, on time, and safely. I further suggest they raise their ticket prices to be higher than Greyhound bus ticket. And lastly instill a passenger dress code. I remember when it was fun and safe inside the plane to fly Southwest. Now, not so much.
Perhaps their attire is as a result of needing to dress for SWA’s survival of the fittest boarding procedure?