As the globe gets set to celebrate International Women’s Day tomorrow, we thought we’d share a personal account of women in the industry, and airlines, inspiring the future generations.
Hawaiian Airlines operated its first all-women crew back in 1979, and the carrier proudly continues to encourage wāhine in the state and around the globe ‘to reach high’. In fact, that reach extends right across the Pacific to New Zealand. While the carrier has sponsored initiatives such as the Wāhine Toa exchange, taking young New Zealanders up to Hawaii, HA has also helped to inspire a young wāhine from the Travel Today ‘ohana’.
. . . Women In Aviation
In 2017, the airline established the Women in Aviation employee resource group, a force that works year-round to grow opportunities for women in the industry or those interested in it. “Wāhine in Aviation’s mission is to promote the encouragement, networking, and advancement of current and future generations of women in all aviation career fields and interests,” says a spokesperson for the group. In that same year, a brief onboard pilot encounter with an enthusiastic and generous HA pilot, Lucretia Longo, provided the inspiration for young Miss Lucca Dominey, then aged 11 (pictured above on left). Sitting in the cockpit, wide-eyed and sporting an oversized pilot’s hat, Miss Lucca was hooked as Longo told the wannabe young aviator she ‘could do it too’.
(And it’s those words Miss Lucca says she remembered when her heavy breathing fogged up the cockpit window on her first solo flight last year.)
. . . Encouragement
Longo’s encouragement and offer of support served as a catalyst for the youngster, who a couple of years later grabbed the opportunity to take the controls of HA’s historic Bellanca CH-300 Pacemaker (while we grabbed the handles). The carrier’s legendary Captain Merle continued to stoke the youngster’s burning desire to become a pilot. In addition to initiatives such as a local ‘Girls in Aviation Day’ in Hawaii, HA actively seeks to inspire and empower the next generations—from the cockpit to across the operation. As such it was a third encounter with a collective of HA’s wāhine toa in a Honolulu Airport hangar in 2023 (pictured above) that sealed the deal for Miss Lucca. After hearing from passionate women from pilots to avionics engineer, aircraft engineers and aircraft maintenance workers, it was the cockpit where the young aviator decided she wanted to be.
. . . Next Stop, Massey
Fast forward to 2025, and that same Miss Lucca is flying solo on her way to completing her private pilot’s licence—and heading south to start a Bachelor of Aviation degree in Palmerston North in Jul. Something which may very well not have happened if that quiet little 11-year-old hadn’t seen a confident wāhine pilot in the cockpit who told her she ‘could do it too’.
. . . One For The Boys
Special mention in this wee tale must go to the facilitator of all things Hawaiian Airlines, HA’s Rusty Williss (AKA Captain Aloha) who has helped keep Miss Lucca’s pilot dream alive over the years. Meanwhile, the proud Grandad (AKA Tony), who’s been paying for all those flying lessons, just wants to know when he can expect a free flight?!
