HONOLULU -- Hawaiian Airlines trustee, Joshua Gotbaum will be paid more than $500,000 a year to help the ailing airline emerge from bankruptcy, much less than what he originally asked for in pay.

Hawaiian Airline pilots and flight attendants protested outside bankruptcy court Friday as a judge awarded their company trustee $50,000 a month plus another $10,000 a month for living expenses.

Gotbaum was not at the hearing.

"We're satisfied with the decisions today. After all it's impossible for us not be satisfied because the court agreed with us on everything," Gotbaum's attorney Bruce Bennett said.

"Well, he didn't get everything he asked for. We're encouraged that Josh Gotbaum dropped his salary demand by a quarter million dollars," Hawaiian Holdings attorney Guy Neal said.

Gotbaum originally asked for close to $1 million in compensation. Attorneys for Hawaiian Holdings fear Gotbaum will ask for more money, plus a bonus if he's successful at pulling the airline out of bankruptcy.

"The numbers have never really been established, but people have been asking, or people say he's asking for between $1 million and $3 million at the end of this case," Neal said.

Another concern for employees is how long will it take Gotbaum to produce results.

"We need to move quickly through this process. We need to do the right things at the right time and we're concerned that the trustee is not doing those things," HAL pilot Capt. Jim Giddings said.

Gotbaum has said in the past he wants the airline to emerge from bankruptcy by Labor Day.

"We still think that's too long, but we're encouraged that he put something out there so people can hold him to that, hold him accountable for what he is doing," Neal said.