Governor Josh Green, M.D.

 

JOSH GREEN, M.D.

GOVERNOR 

KE KIAʻĀINA

                                                                       

GOVERNOR GREEN, ALASKA AIRLINES AND PARTNERS ANNOUNCE TRAVEL GIFT PROGRAM FOR MAUI WILDFIRE-IMPACTED FAMILIES 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 22, 2024

KAHULUI – Governor Josh Green, M.D., Alaska Airlines CEO Ben Minicucci, and community leaders announced the launch of Maui CARE Flights, a partnership to give more than 3,000 roundtrip Alaska Airlines flights to Maui families impacted by the August 8, 2023 wildfires. 

To kick off this effort, Alaska Airlines will sponsor a special charter flight for impacted Maui families to visit Disneyland from July 11-14, 2024. Hotel stays for the Disneyland trip are being provided by Marriott International and Disneyland Resort is assisting to make this visit possible. Following the special charter flight, Alaska Airlines will donate up to 180 roundtrip tickets (equivalent to one airplane) per month from August 2024 through December 2025. This will provide opportunities for over 3,000 impacted Maui residents to take a trip at their convenience anywhere Alaska flies.

“The ability to travel is important to Hawai‘i residents—travel connects us. It has continuously afforded me the opportunity to travel to Maui to grieve with wildfire survivors and provide them support,” said Governor Josh Green, M.D. “Yet the Maui CARE Flights program is about more than travel—it’s about healing. By giving our wildfire-impacted families opportunities to joyfully bond through these shared experiences together, we’re fostering recovery and resilience. This initiative, made possible by the generosity of Alaska Airlines and our partners, embodies the spirit of aloha and our commitment to supporting the well-being of our community.”

“This gift of travel will give our survivors, who have gone through so much, a chance to reconnect with loved ones, see new places and create new memories together,” said Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen. “The generosity of Alaska Airlines and partners is a wonderful example of the compassion that our residents need as they continue to recover from the devastation of the wildfires.”

“The resilience of the Maui community since last year’s wildfires has truly been inspiring,” said Alaska Airlines CEO Ben Minicucci. “All of us at Alaska Airlines are humbled to continue building on our support for the people of Maui with this new Maui CARE Flights program. Alaska is all about people and care, and we know that travel can offer a break from the mental toll of recovery. We hope that this gift of flight provides a bright spot for Maui families as they navigate the rebuilding of this incredible community.”

“The Alaska Airlines program exemplifies the spirit of aloha, a key component of conducting business in Hawai‘i,” said Kūhiō Lewis, Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement (CNHA) Chief Executive Officer. “CNHA is eager to contribute to bringing relief and joy to a resilient community that has faced significant hardships.”

CNHA will manage the intake process. Interested individuals and families can fill out a short application form online at www.helpingmaui.org or in person at CNHA’s Kākoʻo Maui Resource Center. Applicants will need to provide their FEMA assistance number and pre-wildfire address. Those who do not have a FEMA assistance number can verify eligibility through other methods.

Photos from today’s event, courtesy Office of the Governor, are here.

The news conference may be viewed here. 

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Media Contacts:  

Erika Engle
Press Secretary
Office of the Governor, State of Hawai‘i
Office: 808-586-0120
Email: [email protected]

 

Makana McClellan
Director of Communications
Office of the Governor, State of Hawaiʻi
Cell: 808-265-0083
Email: [email protected]

Jacob Aki
Public Affairs Manager – Hawaiʻi
Alaska Airlines
Cell: 808-230-9071
Email: [email protected]