Hawaiian Dreamliners Get Big Upgrades But WiFi And Premium Economy Wait

The first real clues about Hawaiian Airlines’ future long-haul service have just appeared, and they came from Alaska Airlines’ announcement of its new Boeing 787-9 today. These Dreamliner aircraft were initially meant for Hawaiian’s next two decades of long-haul growth. Instead, they will now be based in Seattle and begin flying to Rome and London in 2026, just as they already do to Asia. This announcement gives Hawaiian flyers their first detailed look at what service may look like after the post-acquisition integration is complete.

We flew Hawaiian’s Dreamliner a few weeks ago, just before it was removed from Los Angeles to Hawaii service, and documented the cabin, meals, WiFi, and service philosophy that shaped Hawaiian’s long-haul identity in Hawaiian Airlines Dreamliner First Class Review: We Flew What Alaska Is Erasing. That experience provides a useful comparison point without rehashing the entire review. What matters here is how different this new long-haul direction appears and what Hawaiian flyers might expect as the integration progresses.

The combined airline confirmed that Dreamliners will retain their existing 34-seat Business Class suites, arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration with sliding privacy doors and lie-flat beds. Additionally, there will be 79 seats in a new section Alaska calls Premium Class, and 187 Main Cabin seats. There is no premium economy cabin. The 787-9s will be based in Seattle, not Honolulu, and will serve long-haul markets from there.

The new soft product reveal.

The most concrete details center on the soft product, offering the clearest glimpse of what Alaska and perhaps Hawaiian flyers can expect in the future. Amenities for the Dreamliner will be sourced from Salt and Stone, using the brand’s Bergamot and Hinoki skincare line. These kits represent a major upgrade. Hawaiian has never offered comparable amenity kits.

Bedding will also receive a big lift, especially when compared with Hawaiian’s cheap bedding, which we have commented on. That will come through a collaboration with Filson and Formia. The blankets, previously revealed exclusively for Alaska business class, feature a signature check pattern and are unmistakably Pacific Northwest.

The aesthetic move from Hawaiian’s warm, island-inspired palette is to a restrained yet elegant Seattle-forward look. The contrast is likely to be carried through a darker, more muted cabin design as well.

Dining is planned as multi-course, elevated, and available for pre-order, blending Japanese and Hawaiian influences in Business Class with West Coast partnerships including Salt and Straw, Straightaway Cocktails, and Stumptown Coffee. This reflects a West Coast culinary identity, moving away from the island-forward approach Hawaiian traditionally embraced.

Seasonal items cited include Sweet Potato Hash Benedict with Sriracha Hollandaise, Green Tea Pancakes with chicken apple sausage, Lemon Pesto Gnocchi, and Strawberry Burrata Salad. Altogether, this reflects a West Coast culinary identity, moving away from the island-forward approach Hawaiian traditionally embraced on long-haul routes.

The premium economy mystery.

There is one notable omission in the long-haul plan. Despite the length of these flights and expectations in markets like Europe and Asia, the combined airline did not introduce a premium economy cabin for the 787-9. Instead, it confirmed 79 seats in a section called Premium Class, but not true premium economy. That means extra legroom, larger screens, more recline, and slightly enhanced service, but it is not a true middle cabin. A true middle cabin would have six seats across, among other distinctions, rather than the nine that are found in economy on the Dreamliner.

This is significant for Hawaiian flyers, as premium economy has been a promised but undelivered and unrevealed product. We covered that in Premium Economy Is Coming to Hawaiian Airlines: What to Expect and in What Airlines Won’t Tell You About Premium Economy To Hawaii. Alaska has announced that premium economy will be introduced on the Hawaiian A330s, and the industry expected it to be standard on the Dreamliner as well. Alaska is anything but transparent on any of this.

If the combined airline is not introducing or even mentioning a premium economy product on its flagship international aircraft flying 10-hour routes where it matters most, on premium-heavy routes, the A330 retrofit promises look increasingly unclear.

This creates new questions:

• Why promise premium economy on older A330s, only to apparently skip it entirely on the newest long-haul aircraft?
• Why leave Hawaiian flyers with a pricing gap and no competitive middle cabin on routes where the big three major carriers offer one?
• How will that affect Hawaii’s long-haul markets, particularly beyond North America, such as Japan and Australia, where premium economy is widely preferred?

What this means for Hawaiian’s remaining fleet.

With the Dreamliners now shifting to Seattle, Hawaiian is left with its A330s and A321neos for all Hawaii-based trans-Pacific service. Those aircraft were supposed to evolve alongside the 787, but that roadmap may just have effectively been reset.

Some elements of the new 787 soft product may trickle into Hawaiian’s fleet, but the A330 and A321 cabins were never designed to match the lighting, finishes, or overall feel seen on the Dreamliner. The warm, island-forward presentation we documented on our recent flight was specifically designed for the 787, not for the older fleets that remain in Hawaii.

The result is a split identity that did not exist before. Seattle will define the new long-haul product, while the Hawaii-based fleet’s next iteration remains unknown. Whether Hawaiian’s A330s receive a partial upgrade or a completely different direction, it is clear that any unified fleet vision is no longer the plan.

The connectivity gap.

There is one upgrade Dreamliner flyers will not see until at least late 2026. While the 787-9 cabins are modern and the soft product is being significantly enhanced, the aircraft will still not have WiFi connectivity until Starlink installation begins in the Fall of 2026. The airline says the full Alaska fleet, including the 737 product, will not be completed until 2027.

Therefore, free WiFi for Atmos Rewards members will not be available on the 787-9 for another year. That creates a stark gap on long-haul routes. On flights like Seattle to London or Seattle to Rome, virtually every major carrier already offers fast, reliable broadband, and several offer it free. If the new 787-9 launches international service with only the older system, the combined airline could be the lone carrier on those long-haul routes without high-speed WiFi.

These upgrades also won’t appear on the remaining Dreamliner runs between Seattle and Honolulu. Those flights appear poised to continue operating with Hawaiian’s current soft product while the airline awaits the early-2025 launch of its Seattle Dreamliner base. Once that transition occurs, the full new service package is expected to debut on long-haul routes, including Japan, London, and Rome, starting in the spring.

For Hawaiian flyers used to Hawaiian’s Starlink performance on A330 and A321, which we covered in How Hawaiian Starlink Revolutionized the Entire Airline Industry, this delay remains noticeable.

Closing comments.

For Hawaiian flyers, this first look at the combined airline’s long-haul plans reveals the beginnings of what is changing. While there are clear improvements in amenities and dining, notable shifts away from Hawaiian’s identity are also evident, at least on the Dreamliner fleet, particularly in cabin design and service tone. There are also gaps, most notably the absence of a premium economy option and the delayed WiFi rollout timeline.

How do you see the shift away from Hawaiian’s island identity on the Dreamliner compared with the upgraded amenities and Seattle-forward feel of the new service?