Hawaiian Airlines’ new CEO, Diana Birkett Rakow, acknowledged this week the issues travelers have been facing. They include widespread technical problems with booking, seat selection, check-in, and customer support. The admission, sent in a November 2024 email to customers, marks her first major communication since becoming CEO and confirms what frustrated travelers have been saying here for months.
The timing follows the leadership change we covered earlier in our article Surprise CEO Exit At Hawaiian Airlines. What’s Next For Travelers, as she set the stage for what Hawaiian wants customers to expect during the transition ahead.
What the CEO admitted and how travelers are reacting.
Rakow wrote that customers have encountered technical issues with their Atmos account, managing travel, and even knowing whether to contact Hawaiian or Alaska for help. This was the first time the airline acknowledged directly that the problems are broad and ongoing. Her message closely matched what readers have been reporting for months and what we have also encountered as frequent airline travelers.
Travelers describe seat maps that do not load until after payment, leaving them to select seats only once their booking is complete. Others say paid upgrades have disappeared during check-in or that long-established benefits, such as early boarding, fail to attach. Some have seen Atmos balances shift without explanation or have been unable to log in at all. People tell us their itineraries vanish from the app for hours before reappearing with missing details. Others describe slower airport lines because agents must manually override errors or reissue documents. For many, the most confusing part has been support handoffs, with Hawaiian directing them to Alaska and Alaska sending them back to Hawaiian.
Rakow is delivering this message as a new leader who unexpectedly stepped into the role. We wrote about her elevation when the prior CEO departed, and some travelers say this makes the apology feel different because they have not yet seen her guide the airline through a complete travel season. The message carries the voice of Hawaiian, but the person delivering it is still introducing herself to customers during a period of extreme change.
The six month timeline and what travelers may face until spring.
Rakow said Hawaiian and Alaska will remain on separate passenger systems until spring 2026, as had been known. That means many of the issues travelers are experiencing now may continue for approximately six more months. Hawaiian expects that once airlines transition to a single system, booking, check-in, and account management will become more seamless, as has long been the case with Alaska Airlines. Until then, however, the airline is working within two separate structures while trying to reduce disruption wherever possible.
The months ahead include holiday travel, the start of the new year, and perhaps spring break. Hawaiian’s message suggests the experience may remain uneven during that period. The email aimed to prepare customers for what the airline believes will be a more stable operation once spring arrives.
Hawaiian maintains that its core culture remains unchanged.
Rakow wrote that recent operational updates, including behind the scenes changes such as the retirement of the HA call sign, are not cultural changes. She said Hawaiian Airlines’ employees and values remain at the center of every decision. Some travelers say the experience feels different than before, pointing to slower communication and more complicated booking flows. Hawaiian says its identity remains intact despite the current strain on systems, processes, and personnel. Travelers will evaluate that based on their own experiences.
Why Hawaiian offered reassurance about its future now.
Rakow included a statement noting that Hawaiian Airlines is still here and will continue to be here. Airlines rarely use that type of language unless they recognize that customers may have related concerns. The reassurance reflected how disruptive the past year has been for travelers navigating system changes, loyalty shifts, and support inconsistencies. Hawaiian appears to be addressing that uncertainty directly by stating that the airline remains committed to its long-term presence and service.
Hawaiian asks travelers to share their experiences directly.
Rakow encouraged customers to complete the survey included in her email and said that traveler input is shaping decisions during the transition. Hawaiian appears to be tracking patterns across booking issues, account errors, and airport processes as it prepares for further updates. For those who have struggled with the current systems, this survey provides the first direct way to document their experience with the airline.
Note that the survey did not go to all customers, as BOH editor Jeff received it while Rob did not. Also frequent HA flyer and regular BOH commenter Barbara said she too did not receive it. Lastly, the survey link that was in the email we’ve embedded below was not shareable.
What this means for your upcoming Hawaii trip.
Hawaiian says the most meaningful improvements will come once the single passenger system launches next spring. Until then, travelers may continue to see some level of unpredictability across booking, seat selection, account access, and check-in. Some issues may be fixed before then, while others may not be resolved until both airlines operate on the same system. That is consistent with what we have been hearing since the very beginning. Therefore, travelers planning trips between now and spring may want to check reservations closely and allow additional time at the airport as well.
Rakow’s email acknowledged the realities travelers are facing and set expectations for when Hawaiian believes a smoother experience will arrive. The months ahead will determine how effectively the airline navigates this transition while maintaining customer confidence.
Have you run into problems booking a flight, finding seats, checking in, or getting support from Hawaiian or Alaska during this period? Your experiences below help other travelers understand what to expect while Hawaiian works toward its spring 2026 changes.
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I have been extremely frustrated and dissatisfied with this merge! I have 3 separate confirmation codes and HA & AS tell me to talk to the other back and forth and then they say to only use Atmos but I make a new password for it every time & can’t get into
It!
I’m stuck!!
I’ve spent Hours getting nowhere!
The baggage policy is horrible. We were honored to get baggage allowance via status as well as add more baggage by having the credit card. Now that there is no stacking, our baggage limit is severely restricted. Not happy.
My family and I went to just got back from Eugene, OR. we booked thru Alaska but flew on Hawaiian to and from PDX. The PDX to Eugene leg was via Horizon/Alaska. Checking in and getting boarding passes going was fine. On the return, we couldn’t check in for the PDX/HNL leg. Customer service via email had to assist with another code. Also in PDX, the Hawaiian boarding pass reader wouldn’t accept the code given by Alaska. I guess this is common since Alaska employees were standing by to redo boarding passes.
Hopefully this will be worked out soon. By the way, I am glad Alaska is scheduling more flights thru PDX rather than SEA. I’ll take PDX any day over SEA. That terminal is beautiful.
And don’t get me started on the A321 seats. My aching back.
I mean Alaska can’t even manage it’s own direct systems, let alone now with Hawaiian’s. I mean, they had to call Accenture to come in and get things going. Not sure why the inept IT team leadership was even allowed to stay, considering the outages and warnings before the last outage.
Tech is hard – but project planning, refining, reiterating, testing, testing again, then again and go live with experts on standpoint is rudimentary. If they can build Palantir and get reusable rockets to space and back, they can figure out a booking system and loyalty plan website.
After flights to Alaska and back home through Seattle in June I decided to let them sort things out and I’ll give them a try again next fall. Now some of the airlines I’ve used to book my winter and summer trips seem just as flaky so I do look forward to coming back once things are fixed . . .
I’ve booked several flights on HA the last few weeks and found it frustrating not to be able to see the seat maps before booking. However, after much trial and error each time I was able to eventually see the seat maps before booking. It shouldn’t have been that difficult, and just today I noticed that when searching flights the seat maps were loading correctly as in the past, so they must have at least fixed that issue.
I’ve received this email as well yesterday. The only thing I hope is that what is good about Alaska Airlines will transition over to Hawaiian especially we’re catering is concerned. Alaska has a good choice of food you can prebook including vegetarian/vegan friendly items which is absent on Hawaiian.
The extra legroom seats also have perks in Alaska like free drinks which are not there on Hawaiian as well as overall the economy seats on the 321 Neos have worst legroom then on Alaska flights.
As someone who used to prefer Alaska the choices to fly Alaska to Hawaii has been further reduced due to the Hawaiian acquisition and we are stuck pretty much using Hawaiian for Non-Stop routes otherwise you have to spend a lot more hours going via Alaska’s hubs.
Alaska completed the acquisition of Hawaiian more than a year ago. You’d think they would’ve been component enough to make sure everything is tested and working from day one. They had more than enough time to plan. Everyone who has been saying all along that this merger was a bad idea is now being proven right day after day.
It takes time to integrate systems. Alaska was allowed to purchase Hawaiian about a year ago. It doesn’t mean the merger was completed. It took other carriers far longer to integrate (Amerian-U.S. Airways, United-Continental, Southwest-Air Tran). This merger is actually moving at much faster pace relatively speaking.
Many of the technical issues that some are experiencing will be resolved in April 2026 once the airline is on a unified reservation system.
I would note that the HA website and app have been Greatly improved since Seattle management took over. Many have noticed this.
My booked flight return LIH-SFO in December was changed twice by Hawaiian and ended up with a return a day later than I planned. I still have problems with the Hawaiian app showing my return flight as a trip to Oakland(why) on the original date. I hope when I don’t show up for that flight that the flight showing on Alaska the following day does not disappear. Confusing, oh yes. I’m going back to United for next trip in February.
We flew to Oahu in November. While trying to check-in online, the system was charging for bags, but we were told that with the Hawaiin Airline card our bags would continue to be free of charge. So I waiting until we were at the airport. The ticket agent was able to waive the bag fees, but told me I would have to continue to check-in at the counter to get the free bag option. She also said I had comfort seats that had not been paid for. I explained that you can not book comfort seats without paying at the time. She insisted I pay $100 per seat, then gave me a customer service number to call. Customer service was very helpful and refunded me the original $112 per seat I had paid 3 months prior. I have several flights in the next 6 months. We shall see how it goes. Give yourself extra time and be patient.
I have been unable to sign into my Atmos account. When I enter the password, I get a message that the account does not exist. But I have received monthly account statements! What incompetentcy!
I have been unable to sign into my Atmos account. When I enter the password, I get a message that the account does not exist. But I have received monthly account statements! What incompetentcy!
Just booked an award ticket – Alaska processed payment + indicated Business class. Go to Hawaiian to select a seat – only Main cabin shown.
Use the Chat at Hawaiian to have them do the seat assignment. Be sure to ask what is available or they will simply assign the 1st available.
I could not check in online 2 weeks ago when traveling from Maui to mainland. At the counter, I was asked to pay for our extra comfort seats. I showed her proof that I had paid for them when I booked the flight in 2024! She pushed a few keys and cleared us to go. Always travel with your receipts.
Neither I nor my husband ever received the email referenced above. We have both been Hawaiian Miles rewards members for well over a decade. So much for being able to register our complaint about trying to make reservations! Many seats already taken on our desired flight but we’re told our inability to make reservations is because Hawaiian isn’t yet taking reservations for that flight 8 months from now!
Have you tried booking on the Alaska website? That’s where the payments will be processed. I just booked a Hawaiian flight award seat but using the Alaska website.