Hawaiian Holdings Reports 2019 Third Quarter Financial Results

HONOLULU, Oct. 22, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Hawaiian Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: HA) (the "Company"), parent company of Hawaiian Airlines, Inc. ("Hawaiian"), today reported its financial results for the third quarter of 2019.

"Our team did a fantastic job this quarter, demonstrating once again that Hawaiian Airlines is the carrier of choice for guests traveling to, from and within the Hawaiian Islands," said Peter Ingram, Hawaiian Airlines president and CEO. "In the face of heightened competition, we delivered strong financial results and made significant progress towards accomplishing the strategic priorities that we established at the beginning of the year.  As we enter the home stretch of 2019, we look forward to continuing to execute our proven formula for generating value for our guests and our investors.  I extend my thanks, as always, to my 7,300 colleagues for their tireless efforts to deliver award-winning, authentic Hawaiian hospitality every day."

Statistical information, as well as a reconciliation of the non-GAAP financial measures, can be found in the accompanying tables.

Shareholder Returns, Liquidity and Capital Resources

The Company returned $25.7 million to shareholders in the third quarter through share repurchases of $20.0 million and a dividend payment of $5.7 million.

On October 18, 2019, the Company's Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of 12 cents per share to be paid on November 29, 2019 to all shareholders of record as of November 15, 2019.

As of September 30, 2019, the Company had:

• Unrestricted cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments of $745 million
• Outstanding debt and finance lease obligations of $782 million

Third Quarter 2019 Highlights

Leadership and People

• Appointed Robin Kobayashi as interim Senior Vice President of Human Resources.

Operational

• Ranked #1 nationally for on-time performance year-to-date through August 2019, as reported in the U.S. Department of Transportation Air Travel Consumer Report, adding to its record of 15 consecutive years as the most punctual airline.
• Implemented Amadeus' Departure Control Flight Management to optimize load planning and improve operational efficiency.

Products and Services

• In September and October, launched sales of Main Cabin Basic fares in all North American markets, enhancing Hawaiian's product portfolio with a fare option that appeals to the most price-conscious travelers.

Routes and Network

• Received final U.S. Department of Transportation approval to operate one additional daily nonstop flight between Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND) and Honolulu Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) starting in March of 2020.
• Announced service for three new routes with its A321neo fleet:
• Four-times-weekly service between Maui's Kahului Airport (OGG) and Las Vegas' McCarran International Airport (LAS) beginning December 15, 2019
• Thrice-weekly nonstop service between Honolulu (HNL) and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) starting January 7, 2020, supplementing existing daily A330-200 service
• Seasonal winter service between Maui (OGG) and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) from December 14, 2019 through January 5, 2020, supplementing existing daily A330-200 service

Fleet & Financing

• Took delivery of two Airbus A321neo aircraft, increasing the size of its A321neo fleet to fifteen aircraft.
• Entered into two Japanese Yen-denominated debt financings, collateralized by four Airbus A330 aircraft and two Airbus A321neo aircraft.
• Extended the leases on three A330 aircraft, enabling cost savings while maintaining fleet flexibility for future growth.

Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2019 Outlook

The table below summarizes the Company's expectations for the fourth quarter ending December 31, 2019, and the full year ending December 31, 2019, expressed as an expected percentage change compared to the results for the quarter and the full year ended December 31, 2018, as applicable.

Investor Conference Call

Hawaiian Holdings' quarterly earnings conference call is scheduled to begin today (October 22, 2019) at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time (USA).  The conference call will be broadcast live over the Internet. Investors may access and listen to the live audio webcast on the investor relations section of the Company's website at HawaiianAirlines.com. For those who are not available for the live webcast, a replay of the webcast will be archived for 90 days on the investor relations section of the Company's website.

About Hawaiian Airlines

Hawaiian^® has led all U.S. carriers in on-time performance for each of the past 15 years (2004-2018) as reported by the U.S. Department of Transportation. Consumer surveys by Condé Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure and TripAdvisor have placed Hawaiian among the top of all domestic airlines serving Hawai'i.

Now in its 90th year of continuous service, Hawaiian is Hawai'i's biggest and longest-serving airline. Hawaiian offers non-stop service to Hawai'i from more U.S. gateway cities (13) than any other airline, along with service from Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, American Samoa and Tahiti. Hawaiian also provides, on average, more than 170 jet flights daily between the Hawaiian Islands, with a total of more than 260 daily flights system-wide.

Hawaiian Airlines, Inc. is a subsidiary of Hawaiian Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: HA). Additional information is available at HawaiianAirlines.com. Follow Hawaiian's Twitter updates (@HawaiianAir), become a fan on Facebook (Hawaiian Airlines), and follow us on Instagram (hawaiianairlines). For career postings and updates, follow Hawaiian's LinkedIn page.

For media inquiries, please visit Hawaiian Airlines' online newsroom.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that reflect the Company's current views with respect to certain current and future events and financial performance.  Such forward-looking statements include, without limitation, the Company's expectations regarding available seat miles, cost per available seat mile, cost per available seat mile excluding fuel and non-recurring items, gallons of jet fuel consumed, fuel cost per gallon, and economic fuel cost per gallon for the quarter and full year ending December 31, 2019; the Company's expectations regarding operating revenue per available seat mile for the quarter ending December 31, 2019; and statements as to other matters that do not relate strictly to historical facts or statements of assumptions underlying any of the foregoing.  Words such as "expects," "anticipates," "projects," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," variations of such words, and similar expressions are also intended to identify such forward-looking statements.  These forward-looking statements are and will be subject to many risks, uncertainties and assumptions relating to the Company's operations and business environment, all of which may cause the Company's actual results to be materially different from any future results, expressed or implied, in these forward-looking statements.  These risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, the Company's ability to accurately forecast quarterly and annual results; economic volatility; macroeconomic developments; political developments; the price and availability of aircraft fuel; fluctuations in demand for transportation in the markets in which the Company operates, including due to the occurrence of natural disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes and tsunamis; the Company's dependence on tourist travel; labor negotiations; regulatory determinations and related developments; competitive pressures, including the impact of rising industry capacity between North America and Hawai'i and interisland; the Company's ability to continue to generate sufficient cash flow to support the payment of a quarterly dividend; changes in the Company's future capital needs; foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations; and the Company's ability to implement its growth strategy.

The risks, uncertainties and assumptions referred to above that could cause the Company's results to differ materially from the results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements also include the risks, uncertainties and assumptions discussed from time to time in the Company's other public filings and public announcements, including the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and the Company's Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, as well as other documents that may be filed by the Company from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.  All forward-looking statements included in this document are based on information available to the Company on the date hereof.  The Company does not undertake to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that may arise after the date hereof even if experience or future changes make it clear that any projected results expressed or implied herein will not be realized.