Hawaiian Airlines said its passenger count increased by nearly 40,000 in October compared with the same month a year earlier.

The state's largest carrier said it flew a total of 646,756 customers last month, up 6.5 percent from October 2007's 607,393.

Hawaiian also said its planes were 82.9 percent full last month, compared with 89.9 percent in October 2007. The lower load factor came after the airline increased its passenger capacity following the shutdowns of Aloha Airlines and ATA Airlines this spring.

Hawaiian also said that Peter Ingram, the company's chief financial officer, will make a presentation at the Imperial Capital Global Opportunities Conference to be held Nov. 17 to 18, in New York.