Glitches in a new Hawaiian Airlines reservation system resulted in major travel disruptions that lingered into this weekend, but the company said while there are still some bugs to work out most of its booking and check-in issues have been resolved.
Passengers of Hawaii’s largest commercial airline were encountering the frustration of not being able to book flights online or via the app and needing travel agents to do so. Then there were difficulties checking in or printing luggage tags at the self-service kiosks, leading to long lines.
Some passengers with booked flights Friday morning at the airline’s lobby at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu were still having difficulties checking in their luggage. But the line formed at the guest services desk was moving and the lobby was not as chaotic or as packed as it had been.
“We’ve been working through those (issues) over the course of (last) week, and will continue to work through them until we’re comfortable that everything is working as it should be,” said Avi Mannis, chief marketing and communications officer at Hawaiian Airlines. “We appreciate how frustrating they are for our guests. We understand there are still cases where people can’t use our automated check-in, and we’re working as quickly as possible to resolve this.”
Hawaiian Airlines had been preparing for its transition to a new reservation system for more than a year, he said, but did not anticipate exactly what would happen.
“Unfortunately it’s the case that when you make a change of this magnitude to systems, there’s sometimes a little bit of disruption that happens as you go through it,” he said.
A visibly frustrated Doug Siegfried of San Diego said he’d seldom if ever experienced such issues in over a decade of travel on Hawaiian Airlines. He said he had received a message alerting him of the airline’s upgraded reservations system, but that this was “the first time it’s gone haywire.”
He and his wife were trying to get from Honolulu to Kona as part of their planned trip, but the kiosk did not recognize their names nor their confirmation code, forcing them to stand in the line with their luggage to see a guest services agent.
Another couple from Boston said they had difficulty checking in via the app both to and from Boston after a 10-day trip to Hawaii. They, too, were standing in line.
As early as December 2021, Hawaiian Airlines announced in a news release that it had signed a long-term contract with Amadeus to improve service to customers. Hawaiian Airlines said at the time it was joining more than 200 other airlines around the world to deliver a “modern, efficient reservations solution.”
Amadeus also provides the IT platform for Southwest Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines and Lufthansa, according to its website.
Hawaiian Airlines made the transition to Amadeus’ Altea platform from April 18-19, and then experienced significant booking problems from at least April 19-21, when airport lobbies became crowded with passengers seeking help.
Hawaiian Airlines has a long history in Hawaii of more than 90 years.
But on the heels of a $98.3 million first-quarter earnings loss, President and CEO Peter Ingram still expressed optimism, saying last week the carrier’s investment in technology and other projects have positioned it for a “bright future.”
Hawaiian remains committed to its investment into the new Amadeus platform, said Mannis, which is a “very significant upgrade to our core reservation system.”
“This is the biggest technology investment I think we’ve made in the history of the company,” said Mannis, “and our expectation is that by switching from the system that we had before to a newer, more modern system and more capable architecture, we’re going to be able to build better customer experiences.”
The company said the new system should make changing flights online, as well as redeeming miles for flights, much easier.
These were, however, some of the very issues customers complained about in social media posts — that they could not change their reservations or redeem their miles online. Other posts complained of changed seats and hours-long waits in line or over the phone attempting to resolve their issues.
Some, claiming they were longtime Hawaiian Airlines customers, said they would choose another airline next time.
“When something like this happens, this is something we take very seriously,” said Mannis. “Our first focus is to try and fix them (glitches), our second is to get everyone where they need to go safely and comfortably, and then we need to apologize and make it right.”
On Wednesday an email blast from Ingram went out to passengers explaining the upgrade and apologizing for the inconvenience.
“While hundreds of people diligently planned and tested for our system implementation, in the first days after transition, check-in on our mobile app, website and airport kiosks, as well as ticket purchases over our website functioned at a level below our normal standards,” said Ingram. “We know this may have caused frustration for guests traveling or trying to book with us, and, on behalf of all of us at Hawaiian, I want to sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused.”
Mannis said passengers are still encouraged to check in online in advance of their flights to save time.
If people are still having difficulty checking in online, Mannis said, they should go to the airport and one of Hawaiian Airlines’ guest services agents will help facilitate check-in. Lines are moving much more quickly now, he said.
Hawaiian Airlines is also working with a few passengers whose flights were disrupted last week as a result of the transition on an individual basis, he said, “to make things right.”
Airline consultant Peter Forman said he believes Hawaiian Airlines can get over this latest hurdle if it resolves the glitches quickly.
“It’s something that I think you have to press on with and get the new system working right if it’s going to be better in the long run,” he said. “It’s really about rolling up their sleeves and fixing the glitches as quickly as possible.”
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Hawaiian Airlines technology transition
>> Visit Hawaiian Airlines.com/ Technology for more information on the transition.
>> Customers with complaints can fill out an online form at hawaiianairlines.com/contact-us/email/complaint.
