Morella, a Willow Glen resident for almost 30 years, has spent 27 of his 28 years as a commercial airline pilot flying for Hawaiian Airlines. As a reward for his years of service, Morella was tapped to make the airline's inaugural flight last month from the Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport.

"It's a really small company, a little over 3,000 people," Morella says. "It's been like a small family. Everyone knows I've been commuting out of San Jose, so they asked me if I wanted to fly the first trip. I was honored."

Since that initial flight on Sept. 29, Morella is back to flying out of Seattle until he can get a regular route out of his hometown, San Jose. Considering where his commute begins and ends, he says, he doesn't mind having to cover the extra miles.

"I have the best of both worlds," Morella says. "I love being in the South Bay. My wife, kids and I like to go to Lake Tahoe, then we can just jump on a plane and be in paradise."

Morella and his family have strong ties to the community where they live. His wife, Jenelle, works at Willow Glen Elementary School, where his three children attended class. His children all graduated from Willow Glen High School and San José State University.

"My wife was born and raised on the same block of California Avenue we live on now," Morella says.

Morella has equally deep roots at Hawaiian Airlines, where he says his seniority serves him well.

"Once you get locked in, you don't want to jump around because if you switch airlines, you start at the bottom," Morella says.

The pilot appreciates the 75-year-old airline's focus on customer service.

"Employees have worked really hard to have a good on-time record," he says. "We have award-winning cabin service, and island cuisine is served on the aircraft."

Customer service has become even more important in tough economic times, Morella says, when fewer travel dollars are being spent and airlines must compete harder to attract passengers. Although the job has been full of blue skies, Morella had some tense moments in recent years watching his industry wax and wane, especially after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

"From day to day, you keep wondering what's going to happen to who and when," he says. "Hawaiian Airlines is a very stable company. We redid our entire fleet a few years ago, so we're in pretty good shape. People seem to be going to Hawaii more; I think it's the security of still being in the United States."

Morella says there's a strong Hawaiian travel market in the Silicon Valley.

"I always knew San Jose would be a good market for Hawaiian Airlines," he adds. "I certainly hope I'm right."

While Morella doesn't have many interactions with his passengers, he says the feedback from his fellow employees about the new San Jose service has been good.

"The people who work at the gate fight over getting these trips because no one on these flights is going to work," he says. "Everyone's going on vacation. They're in a positive mood."