Angel Flight West

Angel Flight West (AFW) delivers health and hope using donated flights to serve those with healthcare or other compelling human needs. Across Hawaii and 11 other Western states, AFW links volunteer pilots and commercial airlines with people whose non-emergency health needs require air transportation to access care. In addition to medical flights, AFW arranges transportation for other humanitarian purposes such as individuals and families escaping domestic violence, military personnel taking part in therapeutic programs for wounded veterans, specialty camps for children battling life-threatening illnesses, and flights to deliver blood, tissue, organs, and other life-saving cargo. For Hawaii residents who need specialty medical care, particularly interisland or on the continent, air travel is the only option. And for so many families and individuals, commercial flights are prohibitively expensive, especially for those already struggling to pay for medical expenses. Cooke Foundation grant funds supported AFW in the areas of volunteer recruitment and engagement, community outreach and education, and its overall mission operations.

Since the first AFW pilot went wheels up in 1984, the organization has completed nearly 92,000 missions—the equivalent of $95 million in flight costs donated by its volunteer pilots and airline partners. And, since merging with AirLifeLine in 2003, nearly 2,000 of those flights have had Hawaii residents on board.

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