This is the airline you should fly if you want a terrific start to your Hawaiian vacation

Benjamin Zhang/Business Insider

A Hawaiian Airlines Airbus A330-200.

• I recently flew Hawaiian Airlines from Honolulu to New York.
• The scene at Honolulu International Airport was a bit hectic.
• But the Hawaiian Airlines flight itself was terrific.

Founded in 1929, Hawaiian is one of the oldest airlines in the world. Yet, unless you've flown into or out of Hawaii, it's safe to say most of us have not had the pleasure to experience one of the airline's delightfully pleasant flights.

As much as Emirates is a globe-trotting ambassador for Dubai and Qantas for Australia, Hawaiian serves as the flying embodiment of America's 50th state.

These days, the airline is riding high and expanding to new destinations across Asia. Hawaiian is also welcoming a new fleet of Airbus A321neo jets that will help it grow to new markets in the US.

Even though Hawaiian suffered from financial problems during the early 2000s, the airline has been resurgent over the past dozen years under the leadership of CEO Mark Dunkerley. In 2016, Hawaiian's annual profits surged 48% to $280 million while being named the world's most punctual airline by aviation intelligence firm OAG.

Recently, I had the chance to experience Hawaiian Airlines on a flight home to New York after a spending a couple of days in Honolulu on business.

I took Hawaiian Flight 50, non-stop service from Honolulu International Airport (HNL) to JFK International, that was scheduled to take off at 3:15 pm and land in NYC at around 7 am. Since Business Insider was kind enough to pick up the tab for the 10-hour-long flight, I felt it was a good idea to show up to our Manhattan office at 9 am. This meant I actually had to get good sleep on the flight if I had any chance of being a functioning human being at work the next day.

But I digress. Here's a closer look at my experience on board Hawaiian Flight Five-O: