HONOLULU – Hawaiian Airlines has signed a three-year extension to remain as title sponsor of the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic, Executive Director David Matlin announced today. The extension runs through 2014 for the holiday tournament, a three-day event that annually features some of the premier collegiate basketball programs in the country.
 
As title sponsor, Hawaiian Airlines is providing transportation and marketing support, significantly reducing the costs for holding the tournament while helping with its promotion.
                                                 
“In addition to bringing top caliber collegiate basketball to Hawaii for the benefit of local audiences, the Diamond Head Classic is a terrific showcase for our islands and the University of Hawaii on national television, and we are excited to continue our support of this tournament,” said Peter Ingram, chief commercial officer of Hawaiian Airlines.
 
“We are thrilled to extend our relationship with such a valued partner as Hawaiian Airlines,” stated Matlin.  “We appreciate Hawaiian Airlines continued commitment to this tournament and the events surrounding the games, helping us to provide a first-class experience for the teams, coaches and fans."
 
Hosted by the University of Hawai'i, the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic is owned and operated by ESPN Regional Television (ERT), a subsidiary of ESPN. All 12 games of this year's eight-team tournament—which will be staged Dec. 22, 23 and 25—will be televised across ESPN networks. It will amount to more than 25 hours of invaluable national exposure for both UH and the state's tourism industry.
 
In its first three years of existence, the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic has featured a number of the nation's top basketball programs. Two-time NCAA Championship runner-up Butler captured the 2010 tournament, while the tournament has also drawn teams from such power conferences as the ACC, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC. Last year, Hawai'i provided one of the tournament's most memorable moments with its overtime upset of nationally ranked Xavier, a squad that would eventually advance to the NCAA Sweet 16.
 
“The Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic is a tournament we look forward to hosting every year,” Hawai'i head coach Gib Arnold said. “It gives us a unique opportunity to compete against some of the best teams in the country on a national stage. Hawaiian Airlines certainly adds to the name recognition of the tournament and I'm glad they're back as a sponsor.”

Joining host Hawai'i in the 2012 field are Arizona, East Tennessee State, Indiana State, Miami, Ole Miss, San Diego State and San Francisco. Six of the eight squads qualified for the postseason in 2011-12.
 
Kansas State upended Long Beach State to win last year's tournament. Butler, the NCAA Championship runner-up in 2010 and '11, claimed the 2010 Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic. USC took home the inaugural tournament championship in 2009.
 
Additional information for the family-friendly tournament and resort destination of Honolulu, Hawai'i, including travel packages, can be found on the Diamond Head Classic Web site at www.DiamondHeadClassic.com.
 
 
About Hawaiian Airlines
Hawaiian has led all U.S. carriers in on-time performance for each of the past eight years (2004-2011) as reported by the U.S. Department of Transportation. Consumer surveys by Condé Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure and Zagat have all ranked Hawaiian the highest of all domestic airlines serving Hawai'i.
Now in its 83^rd year of continuous service, Hawaiian is Hawai'i's biggest and longest-serving airline, as well as the largest provider of passenger air service from its primary visitor markets on the U.S. mainland. Hawaiian offers nonstop service to Hawai'i from more U.S. gateway cities (11) than any other airline, along with service from Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Australia, American Samoa, and Tahiti. New nonstop service will begin between Honolulu and Sapporo, Japan (October 30, 2012), Brisbane, Australia (November 27, 2012), and Auckland, New Zealand (March 13, 2013). Hawaiian also provides approximately 170 daily jet flights between the Hawaiian Islands.
Hawaiian Airlines, Inc. is a subsidiary of Hawaiian Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: HA). Additional information is available at HawaiianAirlines.com. Follow updates on Twitter about Hawaiian (@HawaiianAir) and its special fare offers (@HawaiianFares), and become a fan on its Facebook page (Hawaiian Airlines).
 
ESPN Regional Television/Event Ownership
The nation's largest syndicator of collegiate sports programming, ESPN Regional Television (ERT) annually produces more than 1,200 sporting events. Content includes action from NCAA football, basketball and Olympic sports, NHRA and professional and amateur golf, accounting for more than 3,400 live and/or original hours of programming. ERT's owned and operated events reach over a million fans a year and provides more than 200 additional hours of programming.
 
In addition to event ownership, ERT is the production headquarters for ESPNU; syndication rights-holder and producer of national, regional and local shows for college conferences (SEC, BIG EAST, Big 12, Mid-American, WAC) and manages the Big 12 Corporate Partner Program.
 
ESPN Regional Television markets and/or owns several sporting events:
Collegiate Football
BBVA Compass Bowl (Birmingham, Ala.); Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl St. Petersburg; Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl (Dallas-Fort Worth); MAACO Bowl Las Vegas; Gildan New Mexico Bowl (Albuquerque); MEAC/SWAC Challenge presented by Disney (Orlando, Fla.); Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas (Houston); Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl (Honolulu) and The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards
Collegiate Basketball
Anaheim Classic (Anaheim, Calif.); Charleston Classic presented by Foster Grant (S.C.); Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic (Honolulu); Jimmy V Classic (Madison Square Garden); Old Spice Classic (Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Fla.); Puerto Rico Tip-Off (San Juan); BracketBusters  and State Farm Champions Classic (Georgia Dome, Atlanta)
Collegiate Lacrosse
ESPNU Warrior Classic 
Additional Events
ESPN National Golf Challenge
 
For more information, visit ESPNPlus.com.