Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines Senior Public Affairs Manager Jacob Aki in a letter to Representative Fagaima Larry Sanitoa explaining in detail the airline’s reasons for suspending the third weekly flight in September, included a discussion of areas where American Samoa could help make a third weekly flight successful.

The September 20, 2026 letter, outlined the following areas where American Samoa could help:
• Coordinating government travel and encouraging advance booking commitments.
• Supporting destination marketing to attract visitors from Hawaiʻi and the mainland US.
• Developing tourism, sporting, educational, church, and cultural events that generate incremental travel.
• Encouraging group bookings that can fill seats during shoulder seasons. (Shoulder seasons are the travel and market period that falls between a destination’s high season and low season.)
• Growing cargo opportunities and identifying additional freight demand.

These areas would help grow year-round passenger and cargo demand, not simply shift existing travelers onto a third flight, Aki stated.

Aki further pointed out that historically, much of the route's demand has been driven by residents traveling between American Samoa and Hawaiʻi. Long-term growth would require expanding inbound demand — in other words bringing more passengers into American Samoa.

Hawaiian Air noted that potential opportunities include:
• Better leveraging Alaska Airlines' network to market American Samoa to travelers across the US and Canada.
• Working with the Visitors Bureau to create destination-focused marketing campaigns.
• Promoting American Samoa's unique assets, including national parks, Samoan culture, fishing, diving, and military history.
• Attracting niche markets such as eco-tourism, adventure travel, sports tournaments, church conferences, and cultural events.

Aki stated that “long-term success depends on diversifying demand and increasing visitor arrivals, not solely increasing outbound travel by American Samoa residents.”

He continued that while Hawaiian appreciates the collaborative approach and is open to continued discussions to strengthen passenger and cargo demand, “any future service decisions, however, will continue to be guided by market, performance, operational considerations, and overall network priorities.”

ILLEGAL DRUGS TRANSPORTED ON HA FLIGHTS TO AM SAMOA CONCERNS

Representative Fagaima in meetings with Hawaiian, in September after the third flight was stopped, also asked the Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines Senior Public Affairs Manager about what Hawaiian is doing to prevent illegal drugs from being transported on its flights to American Samoa?

Aki in his letter responded with the following:

Hawaiian Airlines takes aviation security seriously and works closely with federal and territorial law enforcement partners to support their efforts. 

However, it is important to understand the airline's role within the U.S. aviation security system.

Hawaiian Airlines does not have the legal authority to inspect passenger baggage or conduct law enforcement searches. Those responsibilities belong to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), where applicable, and law enforcement agencies. 

Airlines are not authorized to open or inspect passenger bags simply because they appear suspicious. TSA is responsible for passenger and baggage screening at U.S. airports.

Hawaiian's role is to:
• Comply with all TSA security regulations.
• Ensure baggage and cargo are processed in accordance with federal security requirements.
• Train employees to identify and report suspicious activity.
• Cooperate fully with TSA and law enforcement investigations.
• Share information when appropriate and legally permitted.

“If suspicious activity is observed by employees, Hawaiian immediately refers the matter to the appropriate authorities, who possess the legal authority and investigative tools necessary to determine whether enforcement action is warranted.

Bottom line: Hawaiian supports drug interdiction efforts, but the authority to inspect baggage, conduct searches, and enforce narcotics laws rests with TSA and law enforcement agencies, not the airline.

Hawaiian's role is to maintain compliance, report concerns, and fully cooperate with the agencies that possess those authorities.

Aki concluded his letter to Rep. Fagaima by noting that Hawaiian welcomes ongoing dialogue and information sharing to better understand what would be needed to support additional service in the future. He thanked Fagaima for his continued engagement and advocacy for air service to American Samoa.