Alaska is committing to preserving the iconic Hawaiian brand, but only on certain flights.
Hawaiian Airlines aircraft in Honolulu (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Joey Gerardi)
Since the merger’s 2023 inception, Alaska Air’s leadership has committed to maintaining the Hawaiian Airlines brand. At an Investor Day event on Tuesday, the company detailed plans for Hawaiian’s future.
“The Hawaiian brand is here to stay,” said Alaska Air Group CEO Ben Minicucci during the event. But what might be different is how the brand is displayed across the combined airlines’ networks.
According to Minicucci, the brand will be preserved in Hawaii. “What you’ll see is everything that goes to, from, and within the islands will be branded with Hawaiian,” he said.
Hawaiian’s “rich history” and its local recognition led to the decision to keep the brand, Minicucci added. Hawaiian Airlines was founded in 1929, initially connecting the Aloha State’s various islands.
“The dual brand was simply the right choice to make through the merger,” he continued. “Now, I’m not going to say it [will] be easy.”
A Hawaiian Airlines Airbus A321neo Paine Field.
(Photo: AirlineGeeks | Katie Zera)
The plan, Minicucci says, is to create the full Hawaiian experience even before passengers arrive in the islands.
“So that’s our goal: that your experience begins when you put your foot on that airplane,” he added.
Alaska and Hawaiian are in the process of integrating their networks for 2025. On the domestic side, these changes include bolstered capacity on Hawaiian Airlines aircraft between Hawaii and the mainland.
Alaska will subsequently scale back some service to the state, including Honolulu to Los Angeles; Portland, Oregon; and San Diego, San Francisco, and San Jose, California, among others. Hawaiian continues to serve all of these markets.
An Alaska Airlines 737-800 (Photo: AirlineGeeks | William Derrickson)
The airlines plan to gain a single operating certificate in October 2025. In the meantime, Alaska has already been shifting some of Hawaiian’s widebodies away from Honolulu.
Alaska will use Airbus A330s on long-haul flights from Seattle to Tokyo Narita and Seoul, South Korea, next year. In addition, the aircraft will operate between Seattle and Anchorage in the summer.
While these A330s are currently under the Hawaiian banner, it remains a bit unclear how the company plans to brand these flights since they don’t touch Hawaii itself.
“I’m excited about some of the things we’re thinking about [regarding the] dual brands,” Minicucci shared. “I think it’s going to be unique.”
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