It’s been over a month since we first noted the likelihood of upcoming changes as Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines began aligning their planes and routes under one Alaska Air Group. Now, the initial route adjustments are here, marking a significant step forward in what will be a long-term strategic realignment.
These changes are shaping the current landscape of Hawaii flights and raising broader questions about the future roles of both airlines and their respective fleets in this fast-evolving tie-up.
Hawaiian and Alaska Airlines make first route adjustments.
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Starting April 22, per Ishrion Aviation on X, Hawaiian Airlines will introduce a second daily flight between Honolulu (HNL) and Seattle (SEA), utilizing its widebody Airbus A330 legacy aircraft. This schedule includes both a daytime departure at 12:35 pm and an overnight red-eye at 9:30 pm, offering travelers greater flexibility.
The red-eye flight is timed to arrive in Seattle at 6:15 am, aligning seamlessly with Alaska Airlines’ daytime departures for onward connections.
This move enhances the airlines’ connectivity from Hawaii and solidifies Hawaiian’s presence in Seattle, a key market and Alaska Airlines’ largest hub. The additional service underscores the latest coordination between the two airlines, which have begun strategically rebalancing resources.
Concurrently, Alaska Airlines will reduce its narrow-body Boeing 737 service on the same route by one flight daily. While the overall number of daily flights remains steady, this adjustment reflects a shift in how the carriers are optimizing their fleets to meet evolving market demands.
On June 12, Hawaiian Airlines will no longer fly between Kahului Maui and San Diego. Instead, Alaska Airlines will step in to provide a second daily flight between Maui and San Diego, offering both daytime and red-eye flights on that route.
These changes on San Diego-Maui don’t significantly impact capacity (Hawaiian used its A321 narrow-body while Alaska will use its 737 narrow-body). However, the Hawaiian withdrawal from the long-term route indicates a first shift in focus for that brand toward long-haul and Seattle-centric operations, with other routes possibly being shifted to Alaska.
The future role of Hawaiian Airlines widebody aircraft.
Hawaiian Airlines’ widebody planes, including Airbus A330s and the recently introduced Boeing 787 Dreamliners, are central to its long-haul operations. The decision to add a second HNL-SEA flight aligns with speculation about future deployments of these aircraft.
There remain questions about how this is about to evolve further. One reason is that there is currently an ineffective, prolonged layover in the A330’s usage on this new Seattle route, which would indicate something else may be up.
In a recent discussion on Will Hawaiian Airlines’ Widebody Planes Fly the Coop?, reader Greg highlighted logistical challenges ahead stating, “SEA is very gate constrained, especially in the widebody category. In the North satellite, Alaska’s primary gate block, there is only one widebody gate, and using that blocks off two narrowbody gates.” This limitation might restrict Hawaiian’s ability to expand international routes out of Seattle in the near term.”
On the other hand, Chris shared that economic decisions drive the ship, speculating, “I can’t imagine they will keep Hawaii to Australia, New Zealand flights. That just doesn’t factor into their business model.”
How Hawaii travelers will be affected.
For Hawaii-bound visitors and residents, these adjustments may lead to mixed experiences. The additional Honolulu-Seattle flight does provide more options for passengers, particularly those connecting through Alaska’s network. However, some travelers may be disappointed by the transition of the Maui-San Diego route to Alaska Airlines.
Reader Lynn contrasted the two airlines, saying, “I recently flew Alaska Kona to Sea-Tac. Flew back Hawaiian Portland to Honolulu. There is no comparing. Hawaiian was much better—wide-bodied plane and service too.” Similarly, Paul L. expressed frustration about the potential loss of widebody services, sharing, “The main reason I fly Hawaiian from Seattle to Hawaii is the wide-body aircraft that allows me to have only two seats together, avoiding a middle seat. Alaska flights to Hawaii are single aisle with a seating configuration of three and three.”
Not all feedback about this and future changes has been critical. Steve F. pointed out that Hawaiian Airlines’ role is protected to some extent by federal oversight, saying, “Let’s not forget that DOT approval has set certain requirements for the merger such that AS cannot subsume HA as it did Virgin America—and I don’t think it wants to.”
What comes next for newly acquired Hawaiian Air?
These initial route adjustments suggest a long-term strategy is just beginning, one where Hawaiian Airlines may become focused on its widebody international and transpacific routes while Alaska Airlines handles more domestic connections. Whether this marks the beginning of a gradual scaling back of some Hawaiian Airlines’ domestic operations remains to be seen.
Jeffrey, another reader, summed up a common sentiment, saying, “I believe the widebodies should be kept. They are the crown jewel of Hawaiian’s fleet. Pax would rather fly wide bodies and not be cramped in the Max or A321s.” However, Leonard L. warned, “Alaska has a lot of clout at SEA. Although the Alaska Air Group appears ‘sentimental’ about Hawaii and its tourism, it’s only a small part of the picture. It will dig Hawaiian Airlines out of the hole with efficiency and tough decisions at the expense of Hawaii residents.”
The evolving partnership between Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines will undoubtedly bring further changes. How this affects the balance of service and the future of Hawaiian’s air connectivity remains a key topic to watch.
Let us know your thoughts on these developments and how they may shape your future Hawaii travel plans.
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I recently flew HA 50/51 non-stop JFK/HNL and back on an A330-200. Nice flight with good service; 10 hrs +/- each way.
Hopefully HA/AS keeps that flight; presently there’s only three daily non-stops from NYC to HI: Hawaiian and Delta from JFK, and United from EWR (Newark Liberty).
How do I link my Hawaiian airline miles to my Alaska Airlines frequent flyer account?
You can’t — yet. Alaska Airlines has announced that the frequent flyer plans will be combined in the future. There are ways to transfer miles from Hawaiian to Alaska, but for now, generally you just have to wait.
That is a bizarrely long time for an A330 to be sitting in Seattle, especially when gate space there is so tight and presumably the plane will have to be towed to a remote spot.
The key to this mystery unfolding is the future of Hawaiian’s widebody fleet. They are in the process of replacing their A330’s with 787’s in an almost 1 for 1 ratio, but the 787’s are configured in a much more “premium” set up.
Alaska will have to do whatever they’re going to do quickly as Hawaiian has been losing money for some time and AS didn’t pay top dollar for them so they could keep doing that.
Hope AK and HI bring on direct flights to Christchurch, Brisbane, and Manila!
Will Hawaiian air now offer flights to Chicago?
We all have our own concerns, ours are HA LAX to Lihue morning flights, Alaska makes you go to SEA then to Lihue?
Bradley terminal is a nightmare both departures and arrivals.
Any buzz re. aircraft, terminal changes or any changes?
Thank you
Alaska has stated that they will be co-locating terminals, but it will take time.
Specific to LAX, I am speculating that Alaska will move Hawaiian to T6, but first, they need to work with LAX to find a place to put Air Canada, which leases part of T6. The leases for both airlines comes due in 2027. In the meantime, Alaska could move the Hawaiian check in to T6 and then bus passengers from gate 64C to TBIT west. That is not much better, but it might involve less walking. More information will probably be released on Dec. 10 at the Alaska investor day.
Please bring back Hawaiian Air non-stop from OC John Wayne Airport direct to Kahului!! Long Beach Airport is ok, but John Wayne Airport is much “mo betta!” Flying “anywhere” from LAX is just intolerable!!
You do have Long Beach to Maui non-stop on Hawaiian. Also HNL
I agree that LAX is a mess. I don’t see Orange County coming back….a lack of available slots, seat capcity controls, etc.
Long Beach is a great place to fly from. I hope Alaska comes back to Long Beach
Those flights were flown by Aloha and United. I don’t think Alaska or Hawaiian have a plane that can do that flight with a decent payload of the tiny 5,700 foot runway at John Wayne.
There are tons of restrictions at Orange County (steep climb out, evening noise restrictions, etc.). I actually prefer Long Beach as it’s an easy to navigate airport — to me, it’s like utilizing Burbank over LAX. But I’m the type of guy who loves Burbank over LAX…. Burbank is closer to downtown LA, has plenty of driving route options if a particular freeway is jammed up. LAX to downtown has fewer driving options.
What will be the choice plane from jfk to hawaii ? Will the travel experience differ from today?
Under the current combined fleet, the only non-stop option from NYC to Hawaii would be an A330 or 787 (both Hawaiian Airlines). Neither Alaska’s 737 fleet nor Hawaiian’s A321neo have the range.
There are other complications of Alaska operating the A330 out of Seattle. I doubt any Hawaiian pilots are based in Seattle, meaning that as long as the operating certificates aren’t combined, that no pilots based in Seattle are qualified to fly the A330. A second flight from Seattle other than to Hawaii would mean a trip would consist of the flight to Seattle, a rest day, a flight to the international destination, another rest day, a flight back to Seattle, another rest day, and a flight back to Hawaii. I’m sure that violates Hawaii’s pilot contract for the length of a long haul trip. The flight attendants would have similar issues.
Until the operating certificates are combined, or Hawaiian opens a flight attendant and pilot base in Seattle, I don’t see flying the Hawaiian wide-bodies outside of existing Alaskan or American hubs. Union contracts with seniority merging agreements for who can fly those wide-bodies out of Seattle need to be reached to add international flights.
We have flown Alaska almos exclusively for 25+ years. Recently, we are flying Hawaiian to avoid the Alaska 737-800 (MAX) and 737-900(MAX).
Aloha Glenna. To clarify, the 737-800 and 737-900 are not 737-MAX aircraft. Those are the predecessors to the MAX aircraft. The are in what is called the 737 “Next Generation” (737-NG) series.
Everyone is concerned about long haul Hawaiian flights. I am more concerned about inter island flights. The 717 A/C are obsolete, and need replacing. Who is going to fly these routes?
Basically, the extremely old 717s will be replaced by 737s or A321s. The Boeing 717 is really a version of the Douglas DC-9/MD-80. Southwest exclusively flies 737s. Alaska Airlines has been a long-time Boeing customer so their preference would be a 737. It remains to be seen what Alaska does with the acquired Hawaiian Airlines Airbus planes. The ancient A330s are being replaced by 787s (ordered by Hawaiian pre-merger and they just started taking delivery) but Hawaiian’s very new A321neos are a question mark. I expect that Alaska may attempt to trade the A321neos to another airline for 737-MAXs if they can. It will be hard to find the proper match but not impossible.
I hope they keep the 330 on that route.
I really hope Hawaiian Air keeps all of their wide body planes in service. I have flown San Diego to Honolulu for a long time and really enjoy the wide body experience. That said, when I fly to the Big Island the Alaska, Narrow body direct flight from San Diego to Kona does save time and the hassle of changing planes ( sacrificing comfort ).
I wish that Hilo had a direct flight to mainland. Having to drive across the island to fly out or go to Honolulu makes he journey so much longer.
Its quite possible there may be in the future
Okay. Hope there are not more downgrades coming. Especially since we already bought tix for next summer.
This summer, within one month, I flew both the 737 round trip from SEA-PHX on Alaskan and the Airbus wide body round trip from SEA-HNL on Hawaiian. The later, I’ve flown the last 3 years in the Extra Compfy and I actually like the Airbus wide body for the split aisles because the illusion gives off a less packed in flight.
Flying almost 3 hrs on an 737 felt like I was in a sardine can even in 1st class. I hope the wide body stays in service for SEA-HNL, however, I agree with a previously made comment that Alaskan is the major hub and the lack of mandatory space for a wide body at a SEA gate takes up a lot of tarmac space. I don’t see a Alaskan Airbus widebody making a round trip to HNL in the near future and would hope they-Alaskan- would keep Hawaiian’s flying on the route giving the travelers an option to make a decision of which plane to fly.
Just to clarify its “Alaska” Airlines.
We fly to Hawaii a couple times a year out of Sea Tac. Use both Hawaiian and Alaska. Alaska is fine, but really prefer the A330 Hawaiian flies for comfort and service. Certainly hope that continues! But we will get there one way or another🤙
Besides Hawaiian, what other airlines flying to Hawaii deploy widebody jets on domestic USA routes to the mainland? United? American? Delta? Anyone else?
Before ETOPS back in the old days, it was mostly widebodies to and from the U.S. mainland.
All the Big 3 do, just not to the west coast, except United. United still almost exclusively does wide-bodies. American uses them for Dallas flights, and Delta uses them for Minneapolis, Detroit, NYC, and Boston, a new route this winter.
Delta is flying 767s to SLC and LAX this wintwe.
You are right! Before ETOPS, flying on those widebody aircraft such as the DC-10’s and the 747’s back in the day was such a thrill! Boy do I miss those days! 😢
Delta does
HA’s daily flight from PDX to HNL is still on the A 330 widebody 🙂
I don’t care about the financials—losing widebody service is a huge downgrade. Sitting in a cramped 737 for five or six hours to Hawaii just isn’t the same. If this is the future of Hawaii travel, it’s disappointing and frustrating.
This is no surprise. Widebody planes might be more comfortable, but they cost more to operate. At the end of the day, Alaska is about making the numbers work, and that probably doesn’t include keeping Hawaiian’s widebodies on every route.
People seem quick to assume Alaska is out to dismantle Hawaiian Airlines, but I don’t think that’s the case. Let’s not forget that the Department of Transportation’s approval of this merger came with strict rules about maintaining Hawaiian’s identity and service. The widebody planes, in particular, play a major role in international and longer transpacific routes, which Alaska isn’t equipped to handle with its 737s. That said, it wouldn’t surprise me if Alaska shifts the widebodies to routes that serve its own business priorities, like connecting major mainland hubs with Hawaii or even pushing into new international markets out of Seattle. As a frequent traveler, I’m holding out hope they keep the widebodies in the picture, but it’s clear we’re entering a new phase for Hawaii air travel, and not everyone will like the changes.
You are correct, Steve. Department of Transportation’s approval of this merger came with strict rules about maintaining Hawaiian’s identity and service. However, they were referring to routes each carrier flies and Not aircraft types to be used on these routes.
The shift from Hawaiian Airlines’ widebody planes to narrow-body options like Alaska’s 737s feels like a loss for those of us who travel frequently to and from Hawaii. Widebody planes offer not just more comfort, but also a unique experience that reminds you you’re flying to the Islands—whether it’s the extra space, the smoother ride, or even the two-seat configurations that make traveling as a couple or family much easier. Sure, Alaska’s strategy might make financial sense, but there’s something irreplaceable about that larger aircraft experience. If these changes continue, it’s going to feel like flying to Hawaii is just another domestic route instead of the special journey it’s always been.
Call me cynical, Alaska Airlines was Boeing Centric and 737 focussed. This merger gave them the tools to expand in the Continental United States, with long-hauls to Top 10 City megaplexes. Seeing the downgrade San Diego received, is what Seattle will determine for Sacto, Long Beach, possibly Phoenix and even Las Vegas, though they are regarded as the the ‘9th Island’ as their place to go. For myself, the 737 is a non-Starter for anything over 120 minutes! Rather then being competitive, Alaska can expand more profitably their western presence, add-in Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta, Orlando, Miami, while recognizing United at SFO, AA and Delta in LA are markets where they need a sharp pencil and can be a factor, but not the factor. Hopefully, the Valley of the Sun, continues with Widebody Hawaiian Service, it’s been a great ride since making the change in the early millennia.
I’m wondering what current A330 route will be dropped in favor of the new HNL-SEA route.
I can’t see Alaska making the same investment in widebody planes that Hawaiian did. It just isn’t their thing or they would have gone that way sooner. If they stick to 737s for most routes, as is highly likely, it’s going to leave a lot of us passengers unhappy.
Hawaiian’s widebodies always made the long trip from the mainland seem much easier. If they start cutting those out, it’s going to change the entire Hawaii flying experience.
Now it starts. No more SAN to OGG on HA. Now it’s SAN to HNL to OGG. Result: you have to pay for two flights instead of one! Smart ploy by mgt, increased profits, unless you can get a flight on the ‘sardine cans’ (737s) AL will be using. Fewer flights(?), ‘we have a full aircraft today (angain!)’, and the struggle to squeeze into those ‘sit back and relax’ seats and battle for the arm rests start. Does it get any worse (probably)? Makes you wonder(?) why visitors from the mainland are a little cranky by the time they arrive in ‘paradise’, yes? It sure wasn’t ‘paradise’ getting there.
I don’t think Alaska is going to abandon Hawaii’s Pacific destinations, but we’re definitely going to see a lot more 737s in places we’re used to seeing widebodies. It’s a shift I’m not sure I’m ready for.
So as far as the SEA layover. How much time is there? Is it enough for them to send it on an out and back from SEA? If they do have it go somewhere from SEA it will be somewhere already set up to handle the A330s ULD, LAX, SFO et al. seem like likely candidates. ANC is also possible as Alaska cargo has the ability to handle ULD as well. Everyone who has questions should definitely mark Dec. 10th on their calendars as that is the Alaska investor day.
Alaska’s takeover of these routes might work on paper, but for us Hawaii residents, losing the widebody planes means losing comfort and any local touch Hawaiian Airlines brought.
Noticed my local Costco selling $500 Alaska Gift Cards for $449. Wonder if they can be used for Hawaiian airfare?
Seattle thoughts:
Negatives-
Longer connecting flights.
More weather delays.
Positives-
Sorry can’t think of one.
Not quite sure how simply adding an extra wide body flight means more weather delays?? This simply creates more connections between Hawaii and Alaska’s largest hub. It is a good example of the synergies that these two carriers combining is in fact creating more options for Hawaii travelers…. obviously it isn’t all that we’ll see. I wouldn’t be surprised if they use a Hawaiian A330 on their SEA to ANC summer schedule. It makes sense given how much that market explodes in the summer and the gate restrictions in SEA mentioned elsewhere in this post. Going to be really interesting to see what else this combo creates.
Hawaiian is moving widebody flights to the Seattle Hub.
The “Synergy” that results is that west coast flyers will be routed through the Seattle Hub instead of Nonstop flights.
The Alaskan Shark that swallowed Hawaiian is going to give Hawaiian travelers indigestion. What is the pidgin word for bummer?
Alaska “shark”?
I think your confusing the airline that saved Hawaiian from a long slow bleed followed by yet another trip to bankruptcy court with a marine creature.
Saved??? The layoffs at Hawaiian have barely started.
Last week the first 73 heads rolled.
Ask the 1,400 employees that will be gone when the offices in Oahu are finally moved to Seattle, they will tell you Hawaiian is fish food.
You’re confusing the 1,400 people that were fed to the fish to save the airline vs. the airline itself.
This is about saving the airline, not about cutting a few jobs to save the rest.
Hi Rob,
Which Costco is selling the discounted Alaska Gift Cards? They haven’t shown up online or in the store for awhile here in Seattle but would love to get my hands on a few.
Hey Neal,
Saw them last Friday in Orange County, CA- featured next to the Southwest cards at the entry. Probably more to come soon.
Good Luck
Possibly you mean Southwest Airlines gift cards at Costco? I’ve never seen an Alaska Airlines gift card there. If there were Alaska Airlines gift cards sold at a discount, they would immediate show up on GCX, gcx.raise.com (Gift Card Exchange formerly known as Raise). There are, and have been consistently, no Alaska Airlines gift cards resold on GCX. (There are always Southwest cards sold at a 5-10% or higher discounts on GCX, so even if you are not a Costco member, you can save some money on Southwest flights.) Costco is currently running an *online-only* sale of $500 SWA cards at $429.99 versus the regular warehouse price of $449.99.
I have tried over the years to get Hawaiian to consider using their wide body planes to fly non-stop to Europe. It is within the range of the Boeing 787 or on one of their current Airbus 330 fleet. The distance from HNL to CDG is 7,426 miles well within the range of the current 330. Other airlines have longer range trips to Europe or the South Pacific. Even a once a week trip to CDG or LHR from HNL would probably be packed to the gills.
For the life of me I don’t understand why the Hawaii Tourism Board or the state will not push this route. It would open an untapped market with greater potential than a mainland one.
My predictions were correct. Hawaii routes will see more narrow body aircraft and eventually we will see wide bodies from Hawaiian Airlines fly more profitably flights. Hawaii market is a “leisure market” with cheap fares versus “business market” with higher fares.
Well this is very upsetting as we travel 2x/year from San Diego to Maui. Hawaiian’s website is down so I can’t see if they will still over HA 15 from San Diego (SAN TO HNL) which is our favorite flight on the Air Bus. This will now just leave 1 flight per day to OGG, whereas there were 2, Hawaiian and Alaska. These flights are always packed and sold out.
Thanks for the heads up. Do you have any idea what other routes might get switched next?