Eighteen months after Hawaiian Airlines’ disastrous reservation system overhaul that many will still recall, passengers face exasperating delays, non-functional technology, and customer service frustrations. Even with tech-savvy Alaska Airlines now at the helm following its acquisition of Hawaiian, the problems persist, and here’s why.
From hour-long foreign call center waits to dysfunctional online systems, Alaska faces the challenge of fixing this legacy of poor performance, which Hawaiian and its customers have been stuck with for what is now a very long time.
We reached out to Hawaiian Airlines’ executive office 10 days ago, prior to publishing this article, to ask for any further clarification. There was no response. In fact, we’ve asked both companies about this situation more times than we can recall at this point. — Beat of Hawaii
Ongoing technology problems haunt Hawaiian Airlines.
When Hawaiian Airlines transitioned from its Sabre-based passenger system to Amedeus in 2023, it was supposed to modernize its reservations, ticketing, and customer service processes. Instead, the rollout was riddled with bugs, which is largely an understatement for those of you who remember the situation, and expected basic functionalities have yet to recover a full year and a half later.
Today, cancellations require lengthy phone calls, and standard features—common with all other airlines serving Hawaii—remain out of reach. Customers have recently been offered the first-time ability to change dates online, however. Even the mobile app has been a huge struggle. For example, the app could not retain our flights this week. We had to reenter the confirmation number each time to have the flight show under My Trips. It wasn’t until we checked in for the flight that the app could retain the information.
During another experience this month, when we attempted to cancel an international ticket within the 24-hour grace period, it involved a 30-minute wait to speak to an agent. All because the process can’t be done online.
Despite completing the cancellation, Hawaiian Airlines couldn’t immediately provide a cancellation number or proof of the voided ticket, promising instead to “notify us offline” within 48 hours, after the grace period had expired.
This makes travelers uneasy, as they wonder if they might need to resort to a credit card dispute should the otherwise buggy system fail to process the cancellation before the 24-hour window closes.
Another issue we’d somehow put out of our minds was just mentioned by Lawrence. Hawaiian does not have the ability to “bank” credits the way that other airlines including Alaska do:
“One more huge problem with Hawaiian is the inability to use a flight credits across more than one reservation. Say I have a $500 credit. If my new reservation is only $300…Hawaiian keeps the $200 balance because their systems are so antiquated.” That is correct, and has been mentioned previously by a number of other commenters. — BOH reader Lawrence.
The Hawaiian call center conundrum.
Hawaiian Airlines’ reliance on an outsourced call center in the Philippines hinders customer service. Long wait times, poorly equipped agents, and disorganized workflows frustrate passengers already dealing with non-functional technology.
Contrast this with our recent United Airlines experience, where a similar call to handle flight credits was answered within five minutes. Not only did United’s system recognize us via the phone number, but agents also had the entire account and reservation details ready without further prompting.
Alaska Airlines, also generally renowned for its top-tier customer service, has, in our experience, done a great job with its online systems and U.S.-based call centers. They will be tasked with figuring out how to align Hawaiian Airlines with its standards.
Alaska risks damaging its reputation without meaningful upgrades to Hawaiian’s call center operations sooner than later. But when exactly is that coming?
Promises unfulfilled.
When we met with BOH reader and Hawaiian Airlines CEO Joe Sprague earlier this year, he expressed hope that major technology and customer service issues would be resolved soon and likely ahead of the planned 2025 joint operating certificate with Alaska Airlines. Yet, with time running out, there’s been little visible progress. Passengers continue to face the same challenges that plagued the airline a year and a half ago. But now we have more information about what Hawaiian Airlines passengers can expect.
Lessons from industry leaders.
Delta, United, Southwest, and Alaska Airlines demonstrate how effective technology and streamlined processes can “generally” enhance customer experiences, even though all those have faced tech challenges. That said, United’s ability to pre-load all passenger details for customer calls, handle virtually everything online and via a sophisticated app, and even efficiently handle flight credits and complex scenarios reflects the U.S. airline industry’s fast-improving integration of technology and customer service. Alaska Airlines has historically excelled in this area, setting an example for Hawaiian to follow, and hopefully soon. But why not now?
Despite the acquisition, Alaska’s ability to impact Hawaiian’s day-to-day still separate operations remains a challenge. Fixing Hawaiian’s deeply rooted technology problems will require substantial investment and coordination—something Alaska has indicated will come at a point in time that many Hawaiian Airline regulars may be reluctant to accept.
Some glimmers of hope?
One encouraging sign was that after canceling the ticket, we noted that the reservation no longer appeared online at Hawaiian, suggesting the cancellation might have been processed correctly.
However, passengers shouldn’t rely on their resourcefulness and be subjected to vague indicators when making and changing travel plans. Nearly a full day later, no email confirming the cancellation had been received. Customer frustration will continue until Hawaiian can provide expected immediate confirmations and offer reliable online tools.
Exactly what’s next in Alaska/Hawaiian integration?
The 2025 single operating certificate integration deadline looms large. That, however, will likely yield no satisfaction for those awaiting a resolution to these issues. It will come in what Alaska describes as the upcoming airline passenger service systems (PSS) integration, which is separate. That is the industry term for the software infrastructure that manages passenger-related functions, including website ticketing, check-in, boarding, seat availability, pricing, mobile apps, ancillary sales, and more.
That was recently reported by Alaska Airlines to be in early 2026. Then, Hawaiian will adopt Alaska’s technologies, and their customer service failures can move into the rearview mirror while Alaska steps in.
What can you do until 2026 to avoid the Hawaiian PSS?
Our next strategy is to try booking Hawaiian Airlines flights on the Alaska Airlines website. That way, we hope to bypass the Hawaiian reservation system’s “mishegas” entirely. If you have tried this, let us know if it made a difference. We understand that international flights on Hawaiian still need to be booked through Hawaiian directly, but not domestic ones.
Has your Hawaiian call center and customer service experience (including using the Hawaiian mobile app) been positive or negative? Please comment below.
Photo © Beat of Hawaii at HNL.
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You can book all Hawaiian flights thru the Alaska Website.