Talk Story - The Hawaiian Airlines Pilot Podcast

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Aug 2026

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Talk Story - A production by the Pilots of Hawaiian Airlines and the Hawaiian Airlines Master Executive Council - ALPA.

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August 13, 2026Episode 4035 min

ALA-HAL: Grievance and Contract Enforcement

One of the core functions of a labor organization is ensuring the contract is appropriately enforced. In this episode, ALA Grievance Chair Larry Freer and HAL Grievance Chair Iam Bouret discuss how our Grievance Committees operate behind the scenes to defend our contracts. The two Chairs and their respective committees monitor contract violations, engage with the Company to enforce the contract, and advocate on pilots’ behalf for remedies whenever violations occur. Their work requires comprehensive contract knowledge, historical research and analysis, strategic problem solving, dedication, and resolve. In this episode, we discuss the recommended steps pilots should take if they are affected by a potential contract violation, then provide an overview of the process from the perspective of the Grievance Committee, including ways a grievance could be resolved and the potential timeline to get resolutions. If you have a potential contract violation to report, click the links below or visit our respective MEC websites for more details. Alaska Pilots: Click here to file a pre-grievance. Hawaiian Pilots: Click here to file a CCR. In this conversation: 00:00 – Introductions 02:25 – Importance of Contract Enforcement 05:30 – Types of Violations 08:16 – Potential Violations and Pilot Actions 15:32 – Grievance Committee Preparations 19:26 – Engaging with the Company 22:22 – Timeline and Phases of Resolution 31:33 – Summary and Conclusion

July 31, 2026Episode 3923 min

ALA-HAL: JCBA Update and Fleet Announcements

Negotiations with Alaska Management for a Joint Collective Bargaining Agreement (JCBA) continue, with limited progress since the start of the year for the Alaska and Hawaiian pilot groups. At the same time, Alaska Airlines recently announced major fleet changes, including the addition of five new freight aircraft (one A330, four 737s) and the future transition from the Boeing 717 to the 737-800 for interisland Hawaii flying. To outline the pilot protections provided by the Transition and Process Agreement (TPA), and to update pilots on the status of the JCBA negotiations, we have the Co-Chairs of the Joint Negotiating Committee, Captain David Wilhelm (ALA) and Captain Doug Grant (HAL). The guests discuss the current slowdown in JCBA negotiations and the path ahead. They also dive into the TPA protections involved with a future fleet transition, and the difficulties entailed in opening a new Honolulu 737 base. In this conversation: 00:00 - Introductions 02:11 – JCBA Negotiations Status 04:18 – Unresolved and Reopened JCBA Items 09:24 – JNC Expectations and Future Plans 11:59 – New Freight Aircraft 14:09 – 717 Replacement and the TPA 21:56 – Final Thoughts

March 3, 2026Episode 3829 min

Talk Story: Crew Hotels

Life on the road is part of a pilot's career. To ensure those nights away from home are spent in safe, hospitable hotel rooms, the Hawaiian pilots' contract sets appropriate standards of quality. To ensure that contract language is enforced, HAL pilots rely on their Hotel Committee. In this episode, Hotel Committee Chair Ryan Williams breaks down the important work his committee does, and how pilots can assist their efforts. If you ever wanted to know how crew hotels are vetted, or what role the pilots have in the selection process, or if you want to know more about current hotel issues, including freight and interisland hotels or the transition to API, listen for answers from our Hotel Chair. 0:00 – Introduction & Background 3:10 – Reasons for a New Hotel 4:33 – Providing Hotel Feedback 7:36 – Hotel Sourcing 12:30 – Hotel Inspections 15:39 – Hotel Selection Process 17:24 – API Transition 18:14 – MyCrewCare App & Hotel Info 22:13 – Freight Hotels & CVG 24:42 – Interisland Hotels & Food Availability 27:18 – Wrap-Up

November 7, 2025Episode 3726 min

ALA-HAL: State of the Merger After SOC

With Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines attaining Single Operating Certificate (SOC) status at the end of October, the two airlines are now a single carrier from the FAA’s perspective. To discuss how this marks an important transition for our pilot groups, Alaska MEC Chair Will McQuillen and Hawaiian MEC Chair Larry Payne sit down to offer their perspective on the state of the merger and what comes next with respect to our joint contract negotiations and the evolution of the airline. They also discuss recent hiring trends, route announcements, and important changes to our contract language that will come into effect later this year. Hawaiian MEC website: hal.alpa.org Joint ALA-HAL website: alahal.alpa.org

October 27, 2025Episode 3654 min

Talk Story: Pilot Assistance - Pilots Supporting Pilots

With Hawaiian pilots facing an array of changes related to the Alaska merger, in this episode we’re putting a spotlight on one way the union can help pilots navigate times of stress: our Pilot Assistance Committees. These five committees - Aeromedical, CIRP, HIMS, Pilot Peer Support, and Professional Standards - are staffed by pilot volunteers providing confidential support and guidance to other pilots. To explain these programs and how they can help, we speak with HAL Pilot Assistance Committee Chair Pam Huber, HAL Aeromedical and Pilot Peer Support Chair Deigo Sanchez, and HAL Professional Standards Chair Ryan Avery. To help navigate this extended-length podcast, we’ve included timestamps for each of the individual topics: 0:00 – Introduction 2:29 – Pilot Assistance Overview 9:08 – CIRP Committee 16:39 – Pilot Peer Support Committee 22:12 – Pilot Mental Health Discussion 29:17 – Aeromedical Committee 34:45 – HIMS Committee 40:48 – Professional Standards Committee 47:44 – Final Thoughts

July 2, 2025Episode 3516 min

ALA-HAL: Aircraft Orders, New Base, and JCBA

In this episode, our Alaska and Hawaiian MEC Chairs, Will McQuillen and Larry Payne, sat down to provide their thoughts on the recent announcements about the Seattle 787 base and the future aircraft orders. The discussion also touched on the status of JCBA negotiations and what pilots can expect moving forward.

May 6, 2025Episode 3433 min

ALA-HAL Merger Status Update (May 2025)

In this episode, our Alaska and Hawaiian MEC Chairs, Will McQuillen and Larry Payne, as well as our Joint Negotiating Committee Co-Chairs, David Wilhelm and Doug Grant, all sat down to provide an update on the status of our Alaska-Hawaiian merger and the state of our Joint Collective Bargaining Agreement (JCBA) negotiations. Through the episode, we covered several topics, including the union’s actions during the last six months to prepare for negotiations, the importance of unity, current perspective on negotiations, and what happens once a Tentative Agreement is reached.

April 25, 2025Episode 3324 min

Talk Story: Meet Our HAL MEC Representatives

In this episode of Talk Story, we’re putting the spotlight on our HAL MEC Representatives. We have three new HNL LEC 065 Representatives who took office at the beginning of March – Block 1 Rep. Dan Moore, Block 3 Rep. Justen Taafaki, and Block 4 Rep. Makoa Gaughen-Haili. In the first segment, we discuss their experiences as incoming Reps, what inspired them to serve, their interactions with the Alaska Reps, and their primary goals for their current terms. In the second segment, we bring in our CVG LEC 060 Representative Trent Madsen, who talks through the challenges facing our freight pilots and their successes in navigating this growing operation. We also discuss his unique perspective on being the sole freight representative as well as a representative for a majority-commuter pilot base. Hawaiian pilots can click below to access the contact information for their respective MEC Representative: LEC 060 - CVG LEC 065 - HNL

January 31, 2025Episode 3228 min

Talk Story: Setting JCBA Goals; Bidding with ALV

In our latest episode of Talk Story, HAL MEC Chair Larry Payne and HAL MEC Block 3 Representative Sean Kimura explain what was achieved through the mid-January meetings between the Alaska and Hawaiian MECs, where Joint Collective Bargaining Agreement (JCBA) goals were established. They discuss how the bargaining priorities were determined, the pilot input and feedback that went into those priorities, and a look ahead to the beginning of negotiations. In the second segment, Scheduling Committee Chair Anthony Fink covers a broad range of bidding and scheduling subjects, including how the Average Line Value system works, how Over Schedule requests are processed, what Reduced Block status entails (and why you may or may not wish to opt-out), and how the upcoming increase to Minimum Flight Grouping Credit may affect our March pairings. If you have any feedback about the podcast and what you would like to see in future episodes, please send us an email at halcommunications@alpa.org.

November 24, 2024Episode 3123 min

Talk Story: The Merger Process and Pilot Participation

We’re approaching one year since the initial Alaska-Hawaiian merger announcement. In this episode, Hawaiian MEC Chair Larry Payne and Merger Committee Chair Eric Thorstad give an overview of the potential changes that are coming as a result of the merger, what effects they might have, and the ways our pilots can make an impact on the process. Among the topics covered: Current JCBA Follow-Up Survey & Pilot Participation Potential Route Changes TPA Protections Value of LEC Representation Average Line Value & Reduced Block Merger Committee Communications & Feedback Seniority List Integration (SLI) Data Verification MEC Ground School Lunches For more information about the Merger Committee and the SLI process, please listen to our previous episode from January where we discuss ALPA’s Section 45 (Merger Policy): Apple Podcasts Spotify Podbean