Hawaiian Air hires new station manager for Pago Pago

Hawaiian Airlines has confirmed that the Honolulu-based carrier has hired a new Pago Pago station manager, who replaces the post left vacant by Judith McCoy, now serving as station manager for the airline’s operations in San Diego, Calif.

When McCoy left in late November of last year, the airline started recruiting for a new local station manager, while local assistant manager Sia Burgos acted as interim manager.

Responding to Samoa News inquires, Hawaiian’s spokesman Keoni Wagner said late Tuesday afternoon that Mitzi Semo is the new station manager for Pago Pago and that Semo has served as a Customer Service agent at the Pago Pago station since 2010.

“She brings an impressive management and technical background to her new position, having co-founded and run Ta'iala Academy in Mapusaga Fou since 2010 and spent 12 years in the Information Technology sector as a consultant and project manager,” said Wagner via e-mail from Honolulu.

Semo also owned her own business providing VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) telephone systems and IT professional services. She's an alumnus of Brigham Young University in La'ie on Oahu, where she studied Business Management, said Wagner.

In a bulletin to employees, Senior Director of International Stations Gary McKoy commented, "Hawaiian Airlines is fortunate to have someone of Mitzi's caliber on board as our manager. She brings a wealth of knowledge, enthusiasm and pride for our brand to this position."

Meanwhile, Hawaiian released yesterday passenger data for January 2013, which shows that the nation’s 12th largest airline carried last month 792,009 passengers, an increase of 7.2% from January 2012 - where 738,981 passengers were carried on the airline’s routes. According to the data for last month, more than 80% of seats were filled.

Hawaiian, which has led all U.S. carriers in on-time performance for each of the past eight years (2004-2011) as reported by the U.S. Department of Transportation, currently operates two weekly flights, on Thursday and Mondays, between Honolulu and Pago Pago.

The airline usually adds a third weekly flight to the territory in the summer months to accommodate the busy summer travel time.