Vivian Carter left Honolulu in 1995 for Phoenix, and has been looking for a job opportunity that will allow her to permanently return to the Islands and her family.

Carter, along with other flight attendant hopefuls, came to the Hawai'i Convention Center yesterday to interview to work on one of Hawaiian Airlines' four new jets.

About 1,200 people applied online, and more than 650 were selected to interview for 105 openings, said Louis Saint-Cyr, vice president of in-flight services for Hawaiian.

The high turnout is "amazing and surprising" in light of Hawai'i's tight job market, said Saint-Cyr, with people coming from other airlines.

Hawai'i boasts the nation's lowest unemployment rate — 2.8 percent — and many employers are having difficulty finding and keeping qualified workers.

For Carter the attraction was moving back to the Islands. Desana Dybdal, a 25-year-old flight attendant from Kailua, was hoping to get on with a larger airline. Roman Schwoebel, a 32-year-old New Jersey native living in Kaimuki and working as a waiter, saw the opportunity as a step up the career ladder and a chance to travel to good surf spots in Australia and California.

Hawaiian Airlines bought four Boeing 767-300 jets this year to increase its service between Hawai'i and the Mainland. The jets are scheduled to begin flying this fall.

Reach Christine Terada at cterada@honoluluadvertiser.com .