Biomaster antimicrobial protection takes flight

From 1 January, Hawai‘i’s biggest and longest-serving airline has used the technology to inhibit the growth of unwanted microbes on its inflight magazine Hana Hou!

Surfaces treated with Biomaster protection are proven to reduce opportunities for cross contamination and provide an important second line of defence in addition to regular airline cleaning protocols.

Hana Hou Publisher Chris Pearce, who has been in the inflight magazine business since the late 1980’s, has published Hawaiian Airlines’ inflight magazine since 1998.  

Chris takes up the story. “Hawaii was hit particularly hard by Covid travel restrictions which were imposed in late March of 2020. No one really knew then how the virus was transmitted and a strict hygiene regime went into effect which resulted in magazines being removed from the seat pockets.

 “The only interim measure we could come up with at the time was to purchase standing brochure racks, fill them up with magazines, and place them adjacent to the jetways so that boarding passengers could take copies. However, we knew that we had to find a way to get magazines back into the seat pockets.

 “The next method we used, during the summer and fall, was to print the magazines in Southern California and then ship them to Mexico to be enclosed in individual poly bags. This would protect passengers from possible covid contagion from a previous passenger. However the cost was high, not only because of the poly bag expense, but because with just one copy per reader the magazines depleted more quickly, requiring us to adjust our press run.”

“We first learned about Biomaster from a passenger who had taken an American Airlines flight and seen the Biomaster logo imprint on their inflight magazine cover. Our printer in Los Angeles, Lithographix, Inc. successfully applied the additive to the cover coating of the January issue of Hana Hou!”

Hawaiian has led all U.S. carriers in on-time performance for each of the past 16 years (2004-2019) as reported by the U.S. Department of Transportation. Consumer surveys by Condé Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure and TripAdvisor have placed Hawaiian among the top of all domestic airlines serving Hawai‘i.

Now in its 92nd year of continuous service, In 2019 Hawaiian offered nonstop flights between Hawai‘i and more U.S. gateway cities than any other airline, along with service connecting the islands with Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, American Samoa and Tahiti. Hawaiian is currently offering an adjusted schedule of daily flights within the Hawaiian Islands and between Hawai‘i and the U.S. mainland as well as Japan.

For more information about Hana Hou! and Hawaiian Airlines visit their websites.

*Please note that Addmaster was acquired by the Polygiene Group AB in January 2021, so all news articles prior to that date will still be branded as Addmaster.