Hawaiian Airlines
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Hawaiian Airlines, Inc. ( ) is a commercial U.S.
airline An airline is a company that provides civil aviation, air transport services for traveling passengers or freight (cargo). Airlines use aircraft to supply these services and may form partnerships or Airline alliance, alliances with other airlines ...
headquartered in
Honolulu Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...
, and a subsidiary of the Alaska Air Group. It is the largest operator of commercial flights to and from the island state of Hawaiʻi, and the tenth largest commercial airline in the United States by passengers carried. Operating from its primary hub at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport on Oʻahu and a secondary hub at Kahului Airport on
Maui Maui (; Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ) is the second largest island in the Hawaiian archipelago, at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2). It is the List of islands of the United States by area, 17th-largest in the United States. Maui is one of ...
, the airline provides inter-island flights within Hawaiʻi, routes to other Pacific island destinations, including
American Samoa American Samoa is an Territories of the United States, unincorporated and unorganized territory of the United States located in the Polynesia region of the Pacific Ocean, South Pacific Ocean. Centered on , it is southeast of the island count ...
and
Tahiti Tahiti (; Tahitian language, Tahitian , ; ) is the largest island of the Windward Islands (Society Islands), Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France. It is located in the central part of t ...
, service to
Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...
and the U.S. mainland, and international connections to
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,
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
,
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
,
New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
and
South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...
. Hawaiian is the oldest American carrier that has never had a fatal accident or a
hull loss A hull loss is an aviation accident that damages the aircraft beyond economic repair, resulting in a total loss. The term also applies to situations where the aircraft is missing, the search for its wreckage is terminated, or the wreckage is ...
and consistently ranks as the nation’s most punctual airline. It also leads in reliability metrics, including the fewest cancellations, overbookings, and baggage handling issues. On December 3, 2023, Alaska Air Group announced that it planned to purchase Hawaiian Airlines. After receiving regulatory approval, the acquisition was completed on September 18, 2024.


History


Early years (1929–1984)

Inter-Island Airways (Hawaiian: '), the forerunner of the airline which is now known as Hawaiian Airlines, was incorporated on January 30, 1929. Inter-Island Airways, a subsidiary of Inter-Island Steam Navigation Company, began operations on October 6, 1929, with a Bellanca CH-300 Pacemaker, providing short sightseeing flights over Oʻahu. Scheduled service began a month later on November 11 using Sikorsky S-38s with a flight from
Honolulu Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...
to Hilo, via intermediary stops on Molokaʻi and
Maui Maui (; Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ) is the second largest island in the Hawaiian archipelago, at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2). It is the List of islands of the United States by area, 17th-largest in the United States. Maui is one of ...
.Hawaii Nine-0 ''
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'' March 2020 pages 86–97
On October 1, 1941, the name was changed to Hawaiian Airlines when the company phased out the older Sikorsky S-38 and Sikorsky S-43 flying boats. The first
Douglas DC-3 The Douglas DC-3 is a propeller-driven airliner manufactured by the Douglas Aircraft Company, which had a lasting effect on the airline industry in the 1930s to 1940s and World War II. It was developed as a larger, improved 14-bed sleeper ...
s were added to the fleet in August 1941, some examples remaining in operation until final retirement in November 1968. Modern pressurized equipment was introduced in 1952 in the form of the Convair 340. Further Convair 440s were added from 1959 to 1960, most of the Convairs being converted to turbine propeller power from 1965 to 1967. The last were sold in 1974. Hawaiian Airlines started to offer jet service in 1966 with the acquisition of Douglas DC-9-10 aircraft, which cut travel times in half on most of its routes. From 1973 onwards, the airline's logo featured the face of Miss Hawaii 1964, Leina'ala Drummond, who had been a flight attendant with the airline.


Hawaiian Air Cargo

From 1976 to 1977 and again from 1978 to 1980, Hawaiian had a mainland air cargo division called Hawaiian Air Cargo based in
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, focused on the
United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...
Logair domestic cargo program. Hawaiian used
Lockheed L-188 Electra The Lockheed L-188 Electra is an American turboprop airliner built by Lockheed Corporation, Lockheed. First flown in 1957, it was the first large turboprop airliner built in the United States. With its fairly high power-to-weight ratio, huge pro ...
freighter aircraft. The airline won an Air Force contract for 1976–1977, but then lost the lease of the aircraft it was using and was unable to bid for 1977–1978. In 1978, Hawaiian tried once more with a new batch of aircraft. Hawaiian Air Cargo operated again 1978–1980, when Hawaiian sold the operation to Zantop International Airlines.


Growth outside Hawaii (1984–1994)

Hawaiian Airlines began to expand its footprint throughout the 1980s as the result of intense competition on inter-island routes created by the entrance of Mid Pacific Air into the market. In 1985, the company began its first foray outside the inter-island market through charter services to the South Pacific and then throughout the rest of the Pacific using Douglas DC-8 aircraft. Despite the early successes of this new business, Hawaiian was forced to curtail its charter services when the Federal Government banned all DC-8 and B707 aircraft without hush kits from operating within the US. Hawaiian did, however, manage to gain a short exemption for its South Pacific services. Soon after, in early 1985, the company received the first two of its leased
Lockheed L-1011 TriStar The Lockheed L-1011 TriStar (pronounced "El-ten-eleven") is an American medium-to-long-range, wide-body trijet airliner built by the Lockheed Corporation. It was the third wide-body airliner to enter commercial operations, after the Boeing 747 ...
s. One aircraft was used to launch Hawaiian's first scheduled operation out of Hawaiʻi: daily
Honolulu Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...
-
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services. This new service put Hawaiian in direct competition with the major US air carriers for the first time in its history. Throughout 1985 and 1986, Hawaiian Airlines added additional L-1011s to its fleet and used them to open up services to other West Coast gateway cities such as San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, Las Vegas, and Anchorage, which placed Hawaiian in further competition against the major US airlines. Hawaiian Airlines also entered the new international markets of Australia and New Zealand in 1986 with one-stop services through Pago Pago International Airport. Hawaiian also aggressively grew its international charter business and pursued military transport contracts. This led to a large growth in the company's revenues and caused its inter-island service's share of revenues to shrink to just about a third of the company's total. During the 1980s, Hawaiian also embarked on the development and construction of Kapalua Airport on the west side of Maui. Opened in 1987, the airport was designed with a , which constrained its ability to handle large aircraft. As a result, when the airport first opened, Hawaiian Airlines was the only inter-island carrier with aircraft capable of serving the airport. With its de Havilland Canada DHC-7 Dash 7 turboprops, Hawaiian had a distinct competitive advantage in the Maui market. Heading into the 1990s, Hawaiian Airlines faced financial difficulties, racking up millions of dollars in losses throughout the previous three years. Due to the airline's increasingly unprofitable operations, it filed for
Chapter 11 Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code ( Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, w ...
bankruptcy protection in September 1993. During this time, the company reduced many of its costs: reorganizing its debt, wrestling concessions from employees, cutting overcapacity, and streamlining its fleet by disposing of many of the planes it had added to its fleet just a few years earlier. As part of Hawaiian's restructuring, it sold Kapalua Airport to the State of Hawaii in 1993. Hawaiian soon after discontinued service to the airport as it retired its Dash 7 fleet. The retirement of the Dash 7 in 1994 also resulted in the airline operating a more streamlined all-jet fleet as it exited bankruptcy in September 1994.


All jet fleet (1994–2003)

To replace its retired DC-8s and L-1011s, Hawaiian Airlines leased six DC-10s from
American Airlines American Airlines, Inc. is a major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, and is the Largest airlines in the world, largest airline in the ...
, who continued to provide maintenance on the aircraft. An agreement with American also included participation in American's
SABRE A sabre or saber ( ) is a type of backsword with a curved blade associated with the light cavalry of the Early Modern warfare, early modern and Napoleonic period, Napoleonic periods. Originally associated with Central European cavalry such a ...
reservation system and participation in American Airlines' AAdvantage frequent flyer program. The DC-10s were subsequently retired between 2002 and 2003. The company replaced these leased DC-10s with 14 leased
Boeing 767 The Boeing 767 is an American wide-body airliner developed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The aircraft was launched as the 7X7 program on July 14, 1978, the prototype first flew on September 26, 1981, and it was certified ...
aircraft during a fleet modernization program that also replaced its DC-9s with new
Boeing 717 The Boeing 717 is an American five-abreast narrow-body aircraft, narrow-body airliner produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The Twinjet, twin-engine airliner was developed for the 100-seat market and originally marketed by McDonnell Dougla ...
aircraft. The Boeing aircraft featured an updated rendition of the company's "Pualani" tail art, which had appeared on its Douglas aircraft since the 1970s. A new design was updated by a local artist Mauriel Morejon. Pualani, which means "flower of the sky," the key icon of Hawaiian's brand for more than four decades, continues to feature on the tail of the aircraft; beneath her, a silver maile lei with woven pakalana flower wraps around the fuselage. In October 2002, Hawaiian began service to Phoenix Sky Harbor airport with its Boeing 767–300 aircraft.


Second bankruptcy and reorganization (2003–2005)

In March 2003, Hawaiian Airlines filed for
Chapter 11 Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code ( Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, w ...
bankruptcy protection for the second time in its history. The airline continued its normal operations, and at the time was overdue for $4.5 million worth of payments to the pilots' pension plan. Within the company, it was suggested that the plan be terminated. As of May 2005, Hawaiian Airlines had received court approval for its reorganization plan. The company emerged from bankruptcy protection on June 2, 2005, with reduced operating costs through renegotiated contracts with its union work groups; restructured aircraft leases; and investment from RC Aviation, a unit of San Diego–based Ranch Capital, which bought a majority share in parent company Hawaiian Holdings Inc in 2004.


Post-bankruptcy (2005–2012)

On September 28, 2005, Hawaiian Airlines began nonstop daily flights from Honolulu to
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. This made San Jose the fifth gateway city in California to be serviced by Hawaiian; the others were
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,
San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
,
Sacramento Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in Northern California's Sacramento Valley, Sacramento's 2020 p ...
, and
San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
. On May 4, 2006, Hawaiian Airlines expanded service between the US mainland and Hawaii in anticipation of the induction of four additional Boeing 767–300 aircraft, primarily focused on expanding non-stop service to Kahului Airport from San Diego,
Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
, and Portland. Additional flights were also added between Honolulu and the cities of Sacramento, Seattle, and Los Angeles. In 2006, Hawaiian Airlines was rated as the best carrier serving Hawaii by '' Travel + Leisure'', Zagat and '' Condé Nast Traveler''. On July 24, 2007, Hawaiian Airlines and
Air New Zealand Air New Zealand Limited () is the flag carrier of New Zealand. Based in Auckland, the airline operates scheduled passenger flights to 20 domestic and 28 international destinations in 18 countries, primarily within the Pacific Rim. The airline h ...
signed a $45 million contract for Air New Zealand to perform heavy maintenance on Hawaiian's Boeing 767 aircraft. This contract lasted for five years. Air New Zealand stated that this opportunity will also give a chance for them to build their expertise working on 767s. In August 2007, the Seattle Seahawks became the second sports team to begin using Hawaiian Airlines to travel to games. The Las Vegas Raiders, also of the NFL, have been flying Hawaiian Airlines since the 1990s. The two teams formerly flew on Hawaiian's Boeing 767s to and from all their games, but now travel on Hawaiian's Airbus A330s. Several of Hawaiian's Boeing 767 and A330 aircraft have been fitted with decals of logos of the Raiders. In March 2008, the airline launched nonstop flights to
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, capital of Philippines, in the airline's first major international expansion since it emerged from bankruptcy protection in June 2005. In response to the closure of ATA Airlines and Aloha Airlines, the airline began flights to Oakland on May 1, 2008. On February 16, 2010, Hawaiian Airlines sought approval from the
United States Department of Transportation The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT or DOT) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It is headed by the secretary of transportation, who reports directly to the president of the United States a ...
to begin nonstop flights from its hub at
Honolulu Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...
to Tokyo-Haneda sometime in 2010. The airline was one of five US carriers – the others being
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,
Continental Airlines Continental Airlines (simply known as Continental) was a major airline in the United States that operated from 1934 until it merged with United Airlines in 2012. It had ownership interests and brand partnerships with several carriers. Continen ...
,
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and
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 — seeking approval to serve Haneda as part of the U.S.-Japan OpenSkies agreement. Approval was granted from USDOT to begin nonstop service to Haneda, Japan. The flight began service on November 18, 2010. In addition, the airline is planning to establish a codeshare agreement with
All Nippon Airways (ANA) is a Japanese airline headquartered in Minato, Tokyo. ANA operates services to both domestic and international destinations and is Japan's largest airline, ahead of its main rival flag carrier Japan Airlines. the airline has approximate ...
. On January 12, 2011, Hawaiian Airlines began nonstop service to Seoul-Incheon, South Korea. On March 31, 2011, Hawaiian announced that they will be renovating the check-in lobby of the inter-island terminal at the Honolulu International Airport (Hawaiian's main hub). Hawaiian, the only occupant of the inter-island terminal, will be removing the traditional check-in counter, to install six circular check-in islands in the middle of the lobbies. Those check-in islands can be used for inter-island, mainland, and international flights. On July 12, 2011, Hawaiian added Osaka, Japan to its network. On November 17, 2011, Hawaiian ordered five additional Airbus A330-200 aircraft. On June 4, 2012, Hawaiian expanded to the east coast with daily flights to New York's
John F. Kennedy International Airport John F. Kennedy International Airport is a major international airport serving New York City and its metropolitan area. JFK Airport is located on the southwestern shore of Long Island, in Queens, New York City, bordering Jamaica Bay. It is ...
. On August 30, 2012, Hawaiian filed an application with the U.S. Department of Transportation for a nonstop route between Kona and Tokyo-Haneda. This would fill a void that Japan Airlines left when it ceased service to Kona nearly two years earlier. However, the US Department of Transportation rejected the airline's application to begin service. On December 3, 2012, the airline unveiled plans to begin flights to
Taipei , nickname = The City of Azaleas , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Taiwan#Asia#Pacific Ocean#Earth , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country ...
, Taiwan, beginning July 9, 2013, as part of its aggressive expansion plans.


Further expansion and new subsidiary carrier (2013–2023)

On February 11, 2013, the airline announced a new venture in the turboprop inter-island business, "’ Ohana by Hawaiian”. The service is operated by Empire Airlines using ATR 42–500 turboprop airplanes. The service began on March 11, 2014, to Molokaʻi and
Lānaʻi Lānai is the sixth-largest of the Hawaiian Islands and the smallest publicly accessible inhabited island in the chain. It is colloquially known as the Pineapple Island because of its past as an island-wide pineapple plantation. The island's o ...
. The airline expanded more "ʻOhana by Hawaiian" routes between Kahului, Kailua-Kona and Hilo during the summer of 2014. On April 10, 2013, the airline announced its first destination in China, with service to
Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...
expected to start on April 16, 2014, pending government approval. At the same time, the airline announced that it would end service to
Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...
capital of the Philippines on July 31, 2013. On July 11, 2013, the airline signed a codeshare agreement with
China Airlines China Airlines (CAL; zh, t=中華航空, poj=Tiong-hôa Hâng-khong, p=Zhōnghuá Hángkōng, first=t, c=, s=) is the state-owned flag carrier of the Taiwan, Republic of China (Taiwan). It is one of Taiwan's two major airlines, along with E ...
. On March 12, 2014, Hawaiian announced that it would begin daily service between Kahului and
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on May 2, adding a second flight from June 30 to September 8 in response to passenger demand. It would also begin nonstop summer service between Los Angeles and both Līhuʻe, Kauaʻi, and Kona, Hawaiʻi. On August 14, 2014, the airline announced direct service between Kahului and
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beginning in November. On January 5, 2015, Hawaiian refiled its previously rejected application with the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) for the Kona-Haneda route with service, if approved, to begin in June. The request was prompted by a DOT decision in December 2014 to review the public interest in
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' Seattle-Tokyo route after Delta reduced the frequency of those flights from daily to seasonal. On March 31, DOT again denied the request, opting instead to allow Delta to continue operating the route, with
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taking over if Delta's planned service continued to fail. On May 1, 2017, the airline revealed a new logo and livery for its aircraft. On March 6, 2018, the airline announced an order for 10 Boeing 787–9 Dreamliners with options for an additional ten; selecting GE GEnx engines. An order for an additional two 787-9 aircraft was announced on January 4, 2023, converted from existing options. Due to the economic effects of the
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, Hawaiian Airlines reported a net loss of over $100 million for the Q2 of 2020. Fourteen-day travel quarantines, which were reinstated for August 2020 have also contributed to Hawaiian Airlines' plans to downsize the company by 15–25% by summer 2021. On May 27, 2021, Hawaiian announced that it would discontinue the 'Ohana by Hawaiian brand and its cargo and passenger services after the pandemic and resulting quarantine significantly impacted inter-island travel. The interruptions in service forced the airline to reconsider the viability of the operation and determine it was no longer feasible. The carrier's ATR fleet would be moved to the mainland and be prepared for sale. On April 25, 2022, Hawaiian Airlines announced they will become the first major air carrier to offer the
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Starlink service on all transpacific flights. The service will be offered free to passengers beginning in 2023. In September 2024, Hawaiian announced it had installed Starlink on its
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fleet. On May 15, 2023, Hawaiian Airlines has introduced the new "Leihōkū Suites" on their Boeing 787–9 Dreamliner aircraft. These suites offer a space with fully lie-flat seating, an 18-inch in-flight entertainment screen, personal outlets, wireless charging, and direct aisle access. The design elements are said to be evoking Hawaiʻi's natural world.


Acquisition by Alaska Air Group (2023–2024)

In December 2023, Alaska Airlines announced that it would merge with Hawaiian Airlines by purchasing it for $1.9 billion in cash along with an assumption of approximately $900 million in outstanding debt. Airline industry analysts had promoted the merger for years which would create a combined carrier focused on the western United States. The merger would provide Alaska, which is primarily a domestic carrier with narrowbody aircraft, with Hawaiian's widebody jets, pilots, and international networks. The merger would retain both Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines as separate brands; Hawaiian Airlines would also become a
Oneworld Oneworld (Computer reservations system, CRS: *O, stylised as oneworld) is a global airline alliance consisting of 14 member airlines. It was founded on 1 February 1999. The alliance's stated objective is to be the first choice airline alliance f ...
member. The two airlines intend to operate a combined frequent-flier program, with Alaska's Mileage Plan likely to replace HawaiianMiles unless the companies opt for an all-new program. The proposed merger was approved by shareholders of Hawaiian Airlines in April 2024, following earlier approval from both Alaska Air Group and Hawaiian Holdings, Inc. Under President Biden, the U.S. Department of Justice has worked to prevent further consolidation in the airline industry, but it was initially unclear whether the department would file suit against the merger, with analysts noting differences between the proposal and prior proposals opposed by the administration. The main area of regulatory concern is likely to be that the deal would put about 40% of the traffic between Hawaii and the mainland U.S. in one company's hands. When the deal was announced, company executives expected approval from the Justice Department to take between a year and 18 months. On August 19, 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice completed its regulatory antitrust review of the proposed acquisition and declined to attempt to block the merger in court. On September 17, 2024, the regulator from the U.S. Department of Transportation approved the merger, with conditions including the one-to-one exchange rate for airline points, maintenance of "robust levels" of inter-island passenger and cargo flights, continued service to rural Hawaiian communities, the permission for children under the age of thirteen to sit next to accompanying adults regardless of their tickets, as well as lowered costs for military members and their families. At the time, the companies overlapped on 12 nonstop routes which they described as minimal. Alaska Airlines emphasized its experience operating an intra-Alaska network including service to 16 destinations not reachable by road while pledging to maintain a robust inter-island schedule in Hawaii to neighbor islands. The ''
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'' speculated that consolidation would lead to higher prices for consumers on flights to Hawaii although this was disputed by the companies. When the merger was announced, Gov. Josh Green (HI) promised that he and the attorney general Anne Lopez would monitor the merger "very closely" adding that both "are very high-quality companies, but ultimately, I will be watching to make sure all of our state's needs are met and all of our workers are cared for." As part of its effort to garner local support for the merger, Alaska Airlines made three key promises to Hawaii residents to maintain the Hawaiian Airlines brand, keep all front-line union employees, and protect neighbor island flights. In February 2024, Richard Bissen (mayor of Maui County), Rick Blangiardi (mayor of the City and County of Honolulu), Derek Kawakami (mayor of Kauai County), and Mitch Roth (mayor of Hawaiʻi County) published an open letter in the ''
Honolulu Star-Advertiser The ''Honolulu Star-Advertiser'' is the largest daily newspaper in Hawaii, formed in 2010 with the merger of '' The Honolulu Advertiser'' and the '' Honolulu Star-Bulletin'' after the acquisition of the former by Black Press, which already owned ...
'' declaring their support for the merger as "good for Hawaiʻi" and enhance service to neighbor islands. Alaska Airlines has confirmed that miles held in Hawaiian's HawaiianMiles
frequent flyer program A frequent-flyer programme (FFP) is a loyalty program offered by an airline. Many airlines have frequent-flyer programmes designed to encourage airline customers enrolled in the programme to accumulate points (also called miles, kilometres, ...
would be converted to the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan scheme at a 1:1 ratio. On September 18, 2024, Alaska Air Group completed the acquisition of Hawaiian Holdings, Inc.


Corporate affairs


Ownership and structure

The parent company of Hawaiian Airlines, Inc., is Alaska Air Group. Hawaiian Holdings, Inc., was previously listed on NASDAQ from June 2, 2008, to September 18, 2024, and before was listed on the American Stock Exchange. Hawaiian Holdings, Inc., was a
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whose primary
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was the sole ownership of all issued and outstanding shares of
common stock Common stock is a form of corporate equity ownership, a type of security. The terms voting share and ordinary share are also used frequently outside of the United States. They are known as equity shares or ordinary shares in the UK and other C ...
of Hawaiian Airlines, Inc. On June 30, 2008, the company announced that it had been added to the Russell 3000 Index.


Business trends

Recent key figures for Hawaiian Holdings, Inc. (which include the operations of Hawaiian Airlines and former regional subsidiary carrier ʻOhana by Hawaiian), are shown below (for years ending December 31):


Destinations

Hawaiian Airlines serves destinations in several Asia-Pacific countries and territories. The airline added its eighth international destination,
Incheon International Airport Incheon International Airport is the main international airport serving Seoul, the capital of South Korea. It is also one of the largest and busiest airports in the world. This airport opened for business on 29 March 2001, to replace the old ...
near
Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...
, South Korea, on January 12, 2011. It also has daily and weekly direct, nonstop international flights from Honolulu to Tahiti, Australia, South Korea, Japan, and New Zealand.


Codeshare agreements

Hawaiian Airlines has codeshare agreements with the following airlines: * Alaska Airlines *
American Airlines American Airlines, Inc. is a major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, and is the Largest airlines in the world, largest airline in the ...
*
China Airlines China Airlines (CAL; zh, t=中華航空, poj=Tiong-hôa Hâng-khong, p=Zhōnghuá Hángkōng, first=t, c=, s=) is the state-owned flag carrier of the Taiwan, Republic of China (Taiwan). It is one of Taiwan's two major airlines, along with E ...
(ends June 30, 2025) *
Delta Air Lines Delta Air Lines, Inc. is a Major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, operating nine hubs, with Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport being its ...
(ends June 30, 2025) *
Japan Airlines Japan Airlines (JAL) is the flag carrier airline of Japan. JAL is headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its main hubs are Tokyo's Narita International Airport, Narita and Haneda Airport, Haneda airports, as well as secondary hubs in Osaka's Kansai ...
(ends June 30, 2025) * JetBlue *
Korean Air Korean Air Lines Co., Ltd. (KAL; ) is the flag carrier of South Korea and its largest airline based on fleet size, international destinations, and international flights. It is owned by the Hanjin, Hanjin Group. The present-day Korean Air tra ...
(ends June 30, 2025) *
Philippine Airlines Philippine Airlines (PAL) is the flag carrier of the Philippines. Headquartered at the Philippine National Bank, PNB Financial Center in Pasay, the airline was founded in 1941 and is the oldest operating commercial airline in Asia. Philippine ...
*
Qantas Qantas ( ), formally Qantas Airways Limited, is the flag carrier of Australia, and the largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations in Australia and List of largest airlines in Oceania, Oceania. A foundi ...
*
Turkish Airlines Turkish Airlines (Turkish language, Turkish: ''Türk Hava Yolları''), or legally Türk Hava Yolları Anonim Ortaklığı, is the flag carrier of Turkey. , it operates scheduled services to 352 destinations (including cargo) in Europe, Asia, Oce ...
*
United Airlines United Airlines, Inc. is a Major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States headquartered in Chicago, Chicago, Illinois that operates an extensive domestic and international route network across the United States and six ...
* Virgin Australia (ends June 30, 2025)


Interline agreements

Hawaiian Airlines has interline agreements with the following airlines: * APG Airlines * Emirates * Hahn Air * Japan Transocean Air * Norse Atlantic Airways *
South African Airways South African Airways (SAA) is the flag carrier of South Africa. Founded in 1929 as Union Airways it later rebranded to South African Airways in 1934, the airline is headquartered in Airways Park at O. R. Tambo International Airport in Johannes ...
* Sun Country Airlines * Virgin Atlantic It also has a cargo interline agreement with
Southwest Airlines Southwest Airlines Co., or simply Southwest, is a Major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States that formerly operated on a low-cost carrier model. It is headquartered in the Love Field, Dallas, Love Field neighborhood ...
.


Fleet

, Hawaiian Airlines operates the following aircraft: The airline names its Boeing 717 aircraft after birds found in Polynesia, its Airbus A330 aircraft after Polynesian constellations historically used to navigate to the Hawaiian islands, and its Airbus A321neo fleet after plants and forests within the Hawaiian islands.


Inter-island fleet


Boeing 717

Hawaiian began operating the Boeing 717 on its inter-island network in March 2001. On June 4, 2008, the airline announced that it had agreed to lease an additional four 717 airplanes to meet demand due to the shutdown of Aloha Airlines' passenger operations and the closing of ATA Airlines, with deliveries between September and the end of 2008.


Medium and long-haul fleet


Airbus A321neo

In January 2013, Hawaiian signed a memorandum of understanding with
Airbus Airbus SE ( ; ; ; ) is a Pan-European aerospace corporation. The company's primary business is the design and manufacturing of commercial aircraft but it also has separate Airbus Defence and Space, defence and space and Airbus Helicopters, he ...
for an order of 16 A321neo aircraft plus up to 9 options. The aircraft is operated in a 2-class, 189-seat configuration. Following the completion of labor agreements relating to the operation of the aircraft with the airline's pilot and flight attendant unions, the airline finalized the order in March 2013. In December 2016, Hawaiian announced their intention of leasing two additional A321neo aircraft, bringing their total fleet of the type to 18. The first flight took place on January 17, 2018, from Kahului to
Oakland, California Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, California, Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major We ...
.


Airbus A330-200

On November 27, 2007, Hawaiian Airlines signed a memorandum of understanding with
Airbus Airbus SE ( ; ; ; ) is a Pan-European aerospace corporation. The company's primary business is the design and manufacturing of commercial aircraft but it also has separate Airbus Defence and Space, defence and space and Airbus Helicopters, he ...
for 24 long-range jets priced at $4.4 billion. The order included six Airbus A330-200s with a further six purchase rights and six Airbus A350-800s with a further six purchase rights. Plans to fly to Paris and London were discussed. Deliveries for the A330s began in 2010 while the first A350 was to be delivered in 2017. Upon the cancellation of A350-800 development, Hawaiian opted for six A330-800s instead. On October 27, 2008, Hawaiian announced that, prior to the arrival of its new A330s, it would lease two additional Airbus A330-200 aircraft, beginning in 2011, at the same time extending the leases of two Boeing 767-300ER aircraft to 2011 (to be withdrawn from service coincident with the delivery of the A330s). Two weeks later, the airline announced the lease of an additional A330-200 for delivery in the second quarter of 2010, and negotiated for delivery of one aircraft from the earlier lease agreement to be moved up to the same quarter. In December 2010, Hawaiian ordered an additional six A330-200 aircraft, bringing the fleet total to 15. Further lease agreements were signed with Air Lease Corporation (one aircraft), and three aircraft each from Hong Kong Aviation Capital and Jackson Square Aviation, bringing the A330-200 fleet to twenty-two. In July 2015, Hawaiian announced the lease of an A330-200 from Air Lease Corporation. The purchase of another A330-200 was announced in December 2016.


Boeing 787-9

In February 2018, Hawaiian was rumored to be cancelling its order for six A330-800s and replacing them with 787-9s. It was reported that Boeing priced the aircraft at less than $115 million, and possibly less than $100 million, each; the production cost of a 787-9 is between $80 million and $90 million.
Boeing Capital Boeing Capital is a subsidiary of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, providing Commercial Aircraft Sales and Leasing, aircraft leasing and lending services. Boeing Capital is made up of two divisions, Aircraft Financial Services and Space & Defense Fin ...
also released Hawaiian from three 767-300ER leases in advance; these aircraft were to be transferred to
United Airlines United Airlines, Inc. is a Major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States headquartered in Chicago, Chicago, Illinois that operates an extensive domestic and international route network across the United States and six ...
. Initially, Hawaiian refuted it cancelled its A330-800 order, but did not dismiss a new deal with Boeing. However, on March 6, 2018, Hawaiian Airlines confirmed the cancellation of the A330-800 order and the signing of a Letter of Intent with Boeing to purchase ten 787-9 aircraft, with options for an additional ten planes; the deal was finalized at the Farnborough Air Show in July 2018. Hawaiian announced on January 4, 2023, that two additional 787-9 aircraft would be added to its order (for a total of 12 787-9 aircraft on order) as part of a deal with Boeing to defer deliveries. Following multiple delays, Hawaiian received its first 787-9 in January 2024 with initial deployment flying to the West Coast. Previously, Hawaiian had been expecting deliveries to start in November 2023.


Historical fleet

Throughout its history, Hawaiian Airlines has operated a diverse range of aircraft including the following:


Services


In-flight services


Catering

Hawaiian provides complimentary and paid beverage service on all of its flights. Meals are not provided on inter-island flights because of their short length (30–45 minutes). On its U.S. mainland flights, Hawaiian is one of the only major U.S. airlines to provide complimentary meals in its main cabin (coach class); each meal is made with no
preservative A preservative is a substance or a chemical that is added to products such as food products, beverages, pharmaceutical drugs, paints, biological samples, cosmetics, wood, and many other products to prevent decomposition by microbial growth or ...
s and with all-natural ingredients and is packaged with recyclable materials. In 2009, Hawaiian introduced premium meals in its main cabin, giving passengers the option of having the complimentary meal or paying to upgrade to a premium meal. The premium meals consisted of a variety of high-end Asian cuisines but were later discontinued. In March 2007, Hawaiian introduced a " tasting menu" or "tapas menu" for its first-class passengers on its U.S. mainland and international flights. The menu consists of twenty entrees set on a rotation, with five available on any given flight. Passengers are provided information on the available entrees for their flight when they board or shortly after takeoff and may choose up to three entrees as part of their inflight meal. In August 2012, Hawaiian announced an upgrade to its economy class in-flight U.S. mainland service. Among the upgrades were a new menu, a complimentary glass of wine on lunch or dinner flights, and a free tropical cocktail before landing on breakfast flights. This was in contrast to other airlines, which cut back on meal service. According to Hawaiian's then-CEO Mark Dunkerley:
"In today's competitive world you cannot justify providing complimentary meals on a traditional business model. It simply does not pay for itself... which explains why essentially everybody has taken all that free food off the airplane. We're being illogical by actually investing heavily in this area...It's part of who we are, and it's what makes us different from everybody else."
Starting December 1, 2017, guests in the main cabin on Hawaiian flights between Hawaiʻi and western U.S. gateway cities will be treated to complimentary meal service exclusively created for the airline's new ''Pau Hāna Café'' brand. ''The Pau Hāna Café'', named after the Hawaiian term for "finished work", is a branded continental breakfast box for brunch and a hot sandwich and side for lunch. On December 20, 2017, a partnership was announced with Mana Up, the Hawaiian-based accelerator for local consumer packaged goods, to increase the diversity and volume of locally made products served on board. In February 2024, the airline announced it would offer free in-flight Wi-Fi provided by SpaceX's Starlink, making it the first major US airline to offer the satellite-based service. Costs were not disclosed. It came at a time when other airlines were increasing their high-speed offerings. It follows an agreement signed in April 2022 to use the Starlink network that allowed the company to offer inflight wi-fi for the first time.


Accidents and incidents

* On December 23, 2000, a Hawaiian Airlines McDonnell Douglas DC-10 operating HA481 experienced a
runway overrun A runway excursion is a runway safety incident in which an aircraft makes an inappropriate exit from the runway. This happens mainly due to late landings or inappropriate runway choice. There are several types of runway excursions: * A depa ...
at Faa'a International Airport in
Papeete Papeete (Tahitian language, Tahitian: ''Papeʻetē'', pronounced ; old name: ''Vaiʻetē''Personal communication with Michael Koch in ) is the capital city of French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of the France, French Republic in the Pacific ...
. An investigation determined that the incident was due to improper spoiler configuration and the flight crew's decision to land in a thunderstorm. There were no fatalities. * On May 1, 2015, a Hawaiian Airlines
Boeing 767 The Boeing 767 is an American wide-body airliner developed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The aircraft was launched as the 7X7 program on July 14, 1978, the prototype first flew on September 26, 1981, and it was certified ...
operating flight HA24 from Kahului Airport to
Oakland, California Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, California, Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major We ...
, returned to the airport because of smoke in the cabin. The passengers were evacuated via the emergency slides. There were two minor injuries. * On May 15, 2015, a Hawaiian Airlines
Boeing 717 The Boeing 717 is an American five-abreast narrow-body aircraft, narrow-body airliner produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The Twinjet, twin-engine airliner was developed for the 100-seat market and originally marketed by McDonnell Dougla ...
operating flight HA118 from Daniel K. Inouye International Airport to Kona International Airport started emitting smoke from one of its engines. It diverted to Kahului Airport, where it was met by fire engines that extinguished the fire. There were no fatalities and no evacuation was ordered. * On August 13, 2018, a Hawaiian Airlines
Airbus A321neo The Airbus A321neo is a Single-aisle aircraft, single-aisle airliner created by Airbus. The A321neo (''neo'' being an acronym for "new engine option") is developed from the Airbus A321 and Airbus A320neo family. It is the longest stretched fusela ...
operating flight HA56 experienced a
tailstrike In aviation, a tailstrike or tail strike occurs when the tail or empennage of an aircraft strikes the ground or other stationary object. This can happen with a fixed-wing aircraft with tricycle undercarriage, in both takeoff where the pilot r ...
upon landing at
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
, causing substantial damage to the aircraft yet no injuries among the 197 passengers and crew members. * On August 22, 2019, an
Airbus A321neo The Airbus A321neo is a Single-aisle aircraft, single-aisle airliner created by Airbus. The A321neo (''neo'' being an acronym for "new engine option") is developed from the Airbus A321 and Airbus A320neo family. It is the longest stretched fusela ...
flying from Oakland to Honolulu (operated as flight HA47) made a successful landing at Honolulu after the cabin started filling with smoke. Seven people were hospitalized for smoke inhalation. There were no serious injuries among the 191 passengers and crew. Hawaiian Airlines stated that it believed that the incident was caused by a faulty engine seal. *On December 18, 2022, an Airbus A330-243 (N393HA), operating flight HA35, encountered severe turbulence 30 minutes before landing in Honolulu from Phoenix, Arizona. Of the 291 people on board, there were no fatalities, but 36 passengers and crew members were injured, with 20 taken to the hospital and 11 in serious condition. The aircraft was reportedly damaged.


Notes


See also

* List of airlines of Hawaii * '' Hana Hou!'', Hawaiian's in-flight magazine * Air transportation in the United States


References


Bibliography

* Banham, Russ.
Hawaiian: How Innovation, Tenacity, and the Aloha Spirit Shaped Hawai'i's First Airline
'. 2014. Greenwich Publishing. * Gradidge, J.M. ''The Convairliners story''. 1997. Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd . * Gradidge, Jennifer. ''DC-1, DC-2, DC-3 – The First Seventy Years''. 2006. Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. .


External links

* {{Subject bar , portal1=United States , portal2=Hawaii , portal3=Companies , portal4=Aviation , auto=y , d=y 1929 establishments in Hawaii 2024 mergers and acquisitions Airlines established in 1929 Airlines for America members Airlines based in Hawaii Alaska Air Group American companies established in 1929 Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1993 Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2003 Companies based in Honolulu Proposed Oneworld members