Alaska Airlines, owner of Hawaiian Airlines, and the largest combined carrier flying between the mainland and Hawaii, is in the middle of a sweeping overhaul of its 737 narrow-body fleet. The airline is adding more First and Premium Class seats across aircraft commonly used on Hawaii routes, while reducing what’s available to everyone else. These cabin changes are already rolling out and will be largely complete by the end of 2025.
While Alaska owns Hawaiian Airlines, these changes apply only to Alaska’s aircraft at this time. Travelers flying under the Hawaiian brand won’t see any such updates, yet.
What’s changing across the Hawaii Boeing 737 fleet.
The redesign impacts Alaska’s 737-800, 737 MAX 8, 737-900ER, and 737 MAX 9 planes. First Class will grow from 12 to 16 seats on these aircraft, and Premium Class from 24 to 30. These upgraded seats include leg rests, seatback device holders, and new USB-C charging ports.
More premium seating means less space elsewhere. Alaska is not increasing the overall size of its aircraft—just reshuffling the interior. For many travelers in Main Cabin, that means tighter legroom, reduced access to overhead bin space, and a growing list of perks now reserved for those who pay more.
Why this matters on Hawaii routes.
Even small shifts—like relocating power outlets or slightly trimming legroom—can become frustrating during a long-haul flight. Travelers flying Alaska regularly between California and the islands have begun to notice those changes and are questioning what kind of experience will remain available at standard fares.
What Alaska says you’re gaining.
Alaska’s messaging around the cabin redesign emphasizes a better onboard experience. Their plan includes USB-C charging at every seat, device holders to support hands-free viewing, and refreshed interior styling. The fleet will share a more consistent look by late 2025, with uniform seat designs, materials, and updated bulkheads.
Alaska says moving power modules out of seatbacks will increase legroom slightly. That may be true as we have noted previously, but it doesn’t necessarily result in a significant comfort gain for those in the Main Cabin.
Premium perks now include overhead bins.
Another change already underway is the introduction of reserved overhead bin space for Premium Class passengers. This gives those seated in the expanded Premium section guaranteed space for their bags—a growing concern, especially when flights operate near capacity.
For passengers in standard economy, that means more competition for fewer unreserved bins and less flexibility to place their bags wherever there’s space. While this shift is clearly helpful for those paying for Premium, it adds another layer of inconvenience for everyone else.
Uniform cabins, but still no Hawaii vibe.
Alaska’s redesign aims to standardize its 737 interiors with matching seats, carpets, and cabin dividers. The result is a modern, consistent look across the fleet. However, some travelers headed to Hawaii may think there’s still something missing.
Unlike flights on their Hawaiian Airlines, where the sense of place begins the moment you board, Alaska’s cabins remain businesslike and neutral. And while the airline now owns Hawaiian, that onboard feeling hasn’t carried over. Some travelers say they hoped the merger might bring a bit of the islands into Alaska’s product. So far, that hasn’t happened.
These changes do not affect Hawaiian (yet).
.Although Alaska now owns Hawaiian Airlines, these cabin updates apply only to Alaska’s aircraft. No equivalent changes have been announced for Hawaiian’s A321neo or A330 planes.
Alaska told us yesterday that A330 widebody updates are coming soon, but did not provide any dates. So, how Hawaiian planes will be directly impacted in the future remains unclear.
Could these changes impact your Hawaii trip?
If you’re flying to Hawaii soon, these aircraft updates may directly affect your trip, especially if you’re seated in economy. As Alaska continues reconfiguring more of its 737s, the chances of being on one of the newly updated planes are rising quickly.
Travelers using miles for award tickets may also see fewer options in standard economy. With more space now allocated to First and Premium Class, fewer Main Cabin economy seats remain. That shift can reduce award availability and limit access to overhead bins.
If you’ve counted on booking the lowest fare and still getting a decent seat, that strategy may fade. What used to be included in the base fare—like space, and carry-on flexibility—is increasingly moving behind an Alaska paywall.
What Beat of Hawaii sees ahead.
This is one of Alaska’s most significant structural shifts to its Hawaii fleet. While the airline frames the changes as upgrades, aspects of the practical result are clear: more revenue seating and fewer no-frills seats. It’s part of a broader industry trend but hits harder on long-haul Hawaii routes.
Alaska’s plans reflect a changing landscape. Travelers in the back of the plane are being asked to give up more—unless they’re willing to pay extra for what used to come standard. As the integration of Hawaiian progresses, the line between product improvement and product shrinkage may continue to evolve.
Let us know if you’ve flown one of Alaska’s updated planes to Hawaii. BOH editors will be doing so soon. Did you notice the difference? Did it change how you think about seat selection or fare class? We’re listening.
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I’ll say this. The more the airlines squeeze me for every nickle and dime I have, the more I want to stay home. Plus worrying about sitting next to some obese person in 3 across seating, ugghhh, not worth the humbug anymore. I laughed at Alaska asking $1,800 more for an upgrade to first class seating. I’d get 9″ more legroom, a complimentary meal, free drinks, but still worry about about some obese person sitting next to me encroaching into my First Class seat.
Hmmm, I have been flying Delta lately from and to Hawaii because their fares have been the best in first class which usually not the case. If your dates are flexible and you can fly at least one direction on a Tuesday or Wednesday you can get a round-trip first class West Coast to Hawaii (I fly out of Kona) for $1600. Are you saying Alaska is charging $1800 for an upgrade to first class? As in that’s the charge for an upgrade from your economy ticket? If so that’s no good. I can say that I always look at United, Hawaiian, Alaska and Delta and for the last year or so, Delta has been winning. I do have a mileage ticket on Hawaiian from Auckland to Honolulu in December that was a great deal but my outbound from LAX to Sydney was half the price on Delta premium select than it was booking through Alaska on a partner. Previously United was the best deal for premium economy, no longer. Now booking through Alaska for Asia for this coming fall is absolutely incredibly expensive.
How do you figure someone will encroach in your first class space?
They have full height dividers between seats. The armrest is about 6″ wide, you both have a place to rest your arm. If you’re not obese yourself, you have 3″ on either side of you in your seat.
With an emotional support standard poodle…. Don’t ask🙄.
I booked my yearly trip from Seattle to Honolulu in December via Hawaiian airlines for the month of September. At the time of booking, I was booked on a A330 plane. Recently I was logged on the Hawaiian airlines app and noticed a change in the type of plane being used. Now my plane is a Boeing 787. My first class seat 3H is no longer near the window. Now it’s in the middle row. The 1st class is set up on the Boeing 787(1-2-1) and 9 rows. A330 is only 3 rows.
Jessica,
Did Hawaiian inform you of this change? I would not be happy if I booked a window seat and was moved to the middle.
Alaska still has a mix of interiors, none all that inspiring! I’ll be glad to get USB charging ports that actually work or even USB ports at all, many of Alaska’s older 800s have those 110 plugs between the seats that… usually don’t work! As for premium getting bigger and economy shrinking, that is our fault. It’s what the customers want. More of us want more and will pay for more. Airlines can fill as many premium and first class seats as they currently have so they can undoubtedly fill more and I’m not talking upgrades, fill them with cash.
If they could put wings on a bus they would…maybe the seats would be better.
I don’t know why they keep calling this set up “First Class”. It’s more like “Economy First Class/Business Class”, where you get a little better seat only because they are two across instead of three across with a single isle. I’ve flown first class on occasion over the decades, and I know what first class Used to be like. This ‘new version’, isn’t. But the price is. It’s the now standard airline ‘pay more, get less’ approach, and people are paying, just to escape the sardine-can claustrophobic atmosphere of Economy, which is, of course, worse than ‘regular’ ticketing used to be. And, it won’t be getting any better in the future.
Why have airlines turned flying from an ‘adventure’ , into an ‘endurance’ event?
So if you book and pay for the upgrade for an exit row(extra legroom), get onboard and it is deemed you are not capable of operating the door or unwilling, where do they put you? My last Hawaiin Air flight a fairly frail elderly woman had booked the seat and refused to move as she was a former Stewardess. It took the Captain to come back to reason with her that she didn’t have the strength anymore, but in an emergency they would rely on her experience to help the passengers.
From my seat map analysis…
it looks like Alaska is reallocating the prodigious exit row leg room, it currently has on the aircraft mentioned to the “f/c and “stretch section” upgraded cabins.
It’s a pretty ingenious interior re-decoration actually of the cabin of these aircraft which now makes them look more like an AS 737-700 over the wings rather than the usual AS 737-900s to give more seat in the high end cabins. Kudos actually.