Hawaiian Airlines is offering fares as low as $19 to evacuate victims of the wildfire devastating Hawaii’s Maui island.
Not only is the airline adding extra flights, but it has dropped fares to as low as $19 for the main cabin in an effort to assist.
“We’re doing what we can to provide resources to take care of our employees, and we’re doing what we can to take care of our guests,” Hawaiian Air CEO Peter Ingram said.
In a statement posted to the Hawaiian Airlines newsroom, Ingram expressed sorrow over the “incredibly tragic and sad event.”
“Our hearts go out to everyone impacted on Maui, and especially those who have lost loved ones,” he said, revealing that 500 of their colleagues “call Maui home.”
He promised:
Our teams across our operation are working tirelessly to help those affected, including our nearly 500 colleagues who call Maui home. We send our deepest condolences to those impacted by the fires and will continue to leverage every resource we have to support the Maui community.
Bullet points on the August 10 update detail some of the actions taken by the airline in the wake of the devastation, including additional flights and lower fares.
“We flew 12,718 seats in and out of Kahului yesterday,” the newsroom update revealed, adding that it has made “every main cabin seat from Kahului to Honolulu available at $19 through Aug. 14, so costs would not be an obstacle to those needing to leave.”
It also noted that it transported 5,786 guests out of Maui the day prior.
WATCH — Aerial Footage, Before & After Pictures Show Devastating Hawaii Wildfire
Ingram reiterated these points to MSNBC, explaining that the airline has been “treating it as how much capacity can we put in the air.”
“We’ve added extra flights yesterday, we’ve got extra flights ready to go today, we’re going to operate that schedule, and we’re prepared to have extra flights through the weekend,” he told the outlet.
The devastating wildfire, which engulfed the historic town of Lahaina, has claimed the lives of at least 55 individuals, and that figure could continue to grow.
Hawaii Governor Witnesses Devastation in Lahaina: “Tragically Gone”