Fly Shuttle & Tours Is Rapidly Growing, But the Owners Still Get Behind the Wheel

2024 SmallBiz Editor’s Choice Award winner: Brothers Tim and Thai Lai started with two vans and now oversee a giant fleet, tire sales, a repair shop and more to come.

At its start 15 years ago, Fly Shuttle & Tours consisted of two vans and two brothers, Tim and Thai Lai. Its primary service linked visitors with the airport and their Waikīkī hotels. But the Lais had bigger goals, many of which have already been achieved.

The brothers moved to Hawai‘i from Southern California, where their parents had settled with their five children after fleeing Vietnam in the final days of war.

One of their biggest admirers is Dean Calibraro, now the company’s chief marketing officer. He remembers his first weekly meetings with the pair took place in one of the company’s vehicles.

“They work harder than anybody I’ve ever met in my life,” Calibraro says. “And they take care of their people.”

Fly Shuttle & Tours now occupies a large parcel on Āhua Street in Māpunapuna; it’s undergoing a buildout, with some offices in place and more to come. The company’s fleet now numbers 13 motor coaches – the big buses with elevated passenger decks – with two more on the way, plus seven minibuses and four SUVs.

The company still provides airport shuttles, but its transportation services now encompass a range of attractions – you may have seen depictions of Kualoa Ranch, for example, on the exterior of one of their motor coaches.

The Māpunapuna site now includes a tire sales business, an automotive repair shop and a party area for employees (“We believe in ‘work hard, play hard,’ ” Calibraro says). And the workforce now numbers roughly four dozen.

The Lais aren’t done: They just signed a lease on an adjacent lot, where they plan to build a car-rental service and their new offices.

The company’s growth ramped up post-pandemic. Even during the Covid tourism shutdown, Fly Shuttle & Tours found ways to support its business by forging new partnerships. During those uncertain times, risk sharing was crucial.

Though Fly Shuttle & Tours is on an upward trajectory, the bosses still see it as a family concern, even shouldering some of the basic tasks themselves:

The “About” section on the company website includes a message from Thai that clearly states their operating philosophy.

“We still get behind the wheel and drive. Driving keeps us close to our customers and gives us the feedback we need to continuously improve our customer experience.”