Open Jaw :: On The Town ::

With Theresa Storm
27FEB08

The Outriggers Band and Dancers perform for guests at WestJet’s inaugural flight to Kona, Hawaii, from Vancouver.

A smiling Hawaiian welcomes WS guests to Kona with a traditional symbol of aloha — a fresh flower lei.

Aloha Kona! WestJet Throws An Inaugural Lu’au

There was no Kalua pig – that portly slow-cooked kingpin of Hawaiian lu'aus. For that, I’m sure, the Vancouver International Airport Authority was grateful (can you imagine a group of WestJet “owners”, cum chefs, unearthing a 250-pound salted pig covered in banana leaves from an underground hot rock imu beneath the terminal?).

No matter. WestJet’s Cora Berg, coordinator of launches (and event planner extraordinaire), and her lei-clad WS team ensured guests waiting to board the inaugural nonstop from Vancouver to Kona, Hawaii, last month were well fed and entertained in the aloha spirit, too.

Island-bound passengers (WS’s Maui guests waited at the next gate) got tropical fever when “The Outriggers,” a lively Vancouver-based Polynesian trio, turned the boarding lounge into a concert stage for a couple of hours. Beneath a “WestJet now flies to Kona, Hawaii” banner, the keyboardist was accompanied by a ukulele and Hawaiian steel, lead rhythm, and bass guitars, as they sang the sweet melodies and well-known faves of Hawaii.

No lu'au would be complete without hula dancers. Soon, three lovely, barefooted young women in bright red-and-yellow skirts and coconut bras glided in, red hibiscus tucked behind their ears. They elegantly swayed in unison, performing timeless, magical dances for spellbound guests (just how do they move their hips that way?).

It was over too soon (how often can one say that when awaiting a flight?) and a boarding call summoned WS0930, seasonally departing YVR twice weekly (Thursdays and Sundays) at 6:30 p.m.

Once airborne, Fred Ring, executive VP corporate projects, asked all to raise a glass of bubbly to toast the last launch of this winter’s eight new sun destinations.

Later, guests played games to win WS prizes, the grand prize a WS key ring (huh?) placed in one of the goodie bags guests received on boarding, with gifts from the airline and Hawaii. The man who had it won two tickets to anywhere WS flies – the first time WestJet has given out such a prize!

Though it was past 11 p.m. in Kona, deplaning guests were welcomed with the traditional symbol of aloha, a gorgeous fresh flower lei. A two-person string band played, two dancers did the hula, and the Big Island Visitors Bureau handed out a welcoming info package.

Mai tai, anyone?