In the past week, we contacted customer service at the two major airlines now tied to Hawaii: one headquartered in Seattle and the one currently still headquartered in Honolulu. And despite what the usual online chatter might suggest, our experience with each could not have been more different or unexpected.
Alaska Airlines is known for its U.S.-based customer support. On the other hand, Hawaiian Airlines routes its customer service calls through a Philippines-based call center and has for years.
The assumption, especially from Hawaii loyalists (including us), is that Alaska will “fix” Hawaiian’s offshore system once the merger is complete. But they might want to rethink that plan based on what just happened to us.
Hawaiian Airlines: fast, offshore, and surprisingly effective.
Hawaiian Airlines emailed us about a change to one of our upcoming flights in a multi-flight itinerary. The message didn’t say enough, and since this was a two-leg journey, we wanted to be sure all reservations were intact, especially because our editors had booked a separate itinerary.
We called. Ten seconds later, someone answered.
The representative was based in the Philippines. She was calm, clear, knowledgeable, and knew how to locate the other reservations by name and date of travel. She walked us through the change, confirmed everything on all the records, and ensured it was documented. The entire exchange took about five minutes from beginning to end. Easy!
Given Hawaiian’s long-criticized call center setup, we had expected a mess. What we got was professionalism and speed. It wasn’t just good—honestly, it was excellent.
Over the years, we’ve had a lot of history with Hawaiian call centers. When they were based in Hawaii, we often knew the person who answered the phone—that’s just how things roll here. But when the operation moved offshore years ago, the change was jarring. The accents were sometimes hard to understand, and the service just wasn’t on par.
That’s why the gradual, recent improvement stands out. The Philippine-based team we’ve spoken with lately has been doing a much better job—faster, more knowledgeable, and far easier to communicate with than we remember from the early days.
Alaska Airlines: long waits, unresolved issues, no follow-up.
Not long before the Hawaiian call, we had dealt with Alaska Airlines for a separate issue. They had changed one of our flights on an related itinerary, and the email we received didn’t clearly explain things.
As MVP Gold members, we expected the quick, friendly, and effective support we’d become used to. Instead, we got a callback estimate of more than two hours, even though the system claimed nobody had waited longer than an hour. In the end, however, the phone rang long after we’d already given up and figured things out on our own. That call came more than two hours later. We assumed that was the end of it. But it wasn’t.
Another problem came up, this time involving the Alaska app itself. One of our flight bookings wouldn’t load automatically, and attempts to add it manually repeatedly failed. Since the reservation wasn’t appearing, we couldn’t check in through the app or access mobile boarding passes. Not wanting to wait on hold again, we chose the chat option that was offered instead.
That took about ten minutes—longer than expected for something Alaska had positioned as immediate instead of waiting for a callback. When the chat finally connected, it was with someone in Boise. But what followed felt more disconnected than any overseas call center we’ve dealt with in years. The agent repeatedly disappeared for long stretches without explanation. There was no indicator that anything was happening. At several points, we wondered whether they’d closed the session altogether. Here’s how the exchange went:
Me: “I can’t see this reservation in the app. Even when I try to add it, it says it can’t be added.”
Agent: “It is showing up in your profile. Your mileage number should add it automatically.”
Me: “We both tried that already. It says it cannot be added when I use either the ticket number or confirmation code.”
Agent: “I’m so sorry. There shouldn’t be an issue.”
Me: “Well, there is. So what now?”
Then nothing. No reply, no “still working on it,” no please wait or any indication someone was even still there. I typed again. Still nothing.
Me after another long absence of interaction: “Seriously, this is the worst chat experience with an airline ever. You should be embarrassed.”
Only then did the Alaska agent respond.
Agent: “I was reaching out to a support desk. I am also assisting more than one guest. I apologize it took a moment to respond.”
But it was far beyond a moment, no one had said they were stepping away, nor had they set any appropriate expectations. There was no message, explanation, or way to know what was happening—or even if the session was still live. The lack of basic communication made a frustrating situation worse.
Eventually, the agent told us others had reported the issue that evening and that it would be forwarded to IT and resolved shortly. As a fallback, they suggested uninstalling and reinstalling the app. We did. It didn’t help.
Days later, the reservation still isn’t there. We couldn’t check in or access our boarding passes through the app if we were flying tomorrow. The issue hasn’t been resolved, and no one has followed up.
The integration gap is widening.
Alaska and Hawaiian continue to tell travelers that integration is coming soon. But at the moment, things like this remain murky. While they wait, customers are falling through the cracks.
When a support system works, you notice. When it doesn’t, you’re stuck refreshing pages, reinstalling apps, calling and chatting again, or walking into an airport, uncertain about your reservation. That’s what we see now: two airlines in a state of overlap without alignment.
And based on our experience, there is not yet a consistent support model.
What actually matters in airline customer service.
Airlines love to promote the idea that U.S.-based agents provide better service. But our experience, even to our surprise, didn’t support that this time.
We had long assumed that Hawaiian’s offshore call center would be inferior, and that Alaska’s stateside model would be reliable. That assumption didn’t hold up. In this case, the offshore rep answered immediately, knew what to do, and resolved the issue completely.
Despite its elite status and two separate attempts, the Alaska team delivered slow, partial, and ultimately ineffective responses.
This isn’t about outsourcing. It’s about getting basic results from airline customer service.
Where we land on this.
We’re not saying this is always how it will play out. But we are saying that assumptions about who’s better at service may be outdated. What matters now is what works, especially when travelers navigate complex bookings and flights to and from Hawaii.
Have you had to call either Hawaiian or Alaska recently? Did your call go better than ours—or worse?
We’d like to hear how it worked out for you, especially if it challenged what you too had expected.
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I had a recent call to Hawaiian’s call center because I was checking in online and it was trying to charge me for a check in when it was supposed to be free. I waiting the usual long time and when I explained the problem there was no resolution. I was told I would need to speak with customer service at the airport (which was equally painful). So my experience was no different than most previous calls. Long wait and mediocre results. I will give them credit for one call when I had to cancel an award reservation, that call was actually quick and efficient.
What actually matters is that Hawaiian hasn’t made a profit since 2019, has lost a billion dollars since, and isn’t likely to make one this year.
Everything that is or was Hawaiian Airlines is history.
Alaska Airlines may not have the warm and fuzzy of yester year, but it is profitable and will survive.
If a company can’t do that, nothing else matters.
You are spot on.
My recent interactions with Hawaiian support have followed yours.
Much better service than in previous years, almost immediate response and the agent communicated clearly and effectively.
Have not tried Alaska yet
We had a similar situation; the chat system took forever to reply and agents with both Alaska and Hawaiian . Alaska was very helpful once we were able to get to get a agent on the phone. Hawaiian said it was a problem with both of there systems not alligning. And that it would take 24 hrs. Well one week later we were finally able to view our tickets and imformation. During this time period were told by both airlines that on their end All was well with our tickets and not to worry. Luckily this happened at the beginning of us making our reservation and not a few days before our trip. This is the secound time this has happened since the merger. Now We always print out a hard copy, take a picture and screen shot to back up our reservation as soon as we make them. And don’t even get me started on the app.!!!
I do not understand the bad press about HA’s customer service call center! When I have had to call, less than 4 times in 16 years of flying HA, 4 times a year or more, my reservation changes were quick & easy. No problem understanding the customer service agents. Mission accomplished for me within 15 minutes ever time! Maybe I am just “very lucky”!
No experience with AS, but now I have something to contrast against as a model for my future needs, if I ever should need to call.
I’ve always had great experience with AS reservations customer service. Very friendly; very accommodating. HA customer service has not been anywhere near as good. I’ve had to argue with the Philippines team on very simple issues about cancellations/flight changes. No one had the authority to make a change until I escalated. I’m in the camp that one of the best deals of the AS/HA merger is that 800/online customer service returns to the US.
Hawaiian is a great airline who tries to represent Hawaii as the Aloha state. However for some reason Alaska acts as a much superior airline than Hawaiian. Alaska needs to treat Hawaiian airlines people like Ohana(family) rather than an unwanted stepchild with no money.
They aren’t family. They are employees.
Hawaiians overseas reps are robotic, unable to think using logic and typically have vastly different ways of dealing with customer service. It has never been a good experience for myself and I dread anytime I’m required to call in. It’s absolutely the worst experience possible and single handedly the worst thing about Hawaiian Airlines!!!
There was always professionalism when having to contact Hawaiian Airlines’ call center. I know that rude and concerning comments were addressed about this airlines’ “off-shore” call center sporadically. I knew from the beginning that HA had their operations in Baguio and later to the MetroManila area. It became apparent that many American customers found it disturbing listening to a ‘foreign accent’s … but, on the other hand contacting my financial institution and getting someone based in Houston Texas was perplexing. To elevate the ‘problem’, I just had to put my ‘listening ears’ to ‘communication mode’. … It is not that difficult.
I had also have had bad experiences with Alaska call center agents over the last year. I’ve been an Alaska flyer for over 30 years and am an MVP. I am always courteous when I call, having been in customer service most of my career. More than half the time when I call for an issue or question, I get attitude, back talk, and no true customer service. Example – I called last week with an inquiry about my mileage account. After the agent identified themselves, they said nothing – no greeting, no how can I help, etc. When I explained I was missing miles flown, I got a lecture on how I needed to be patient and that there was nothing they could do or check. Ok, fair enough, but at least pretend like you care and make a connection with me instead of obviously wanting to get me off the phone. Sooo disappointed in Alaska lately; it does not bode well for the future as Hawaiian is not another travel option with non stops to the mainland being cut.
Perhaps Hawaiian got the message from BOH, and that spawned improvements.
On a recent Hawaiian flight, we were in bulkhead seating and had a chance to converse with a really nice flight attendant in the jump seat in front of us. We talked about how Alaska had usurped their 787’s to put them on their own routes. She said yeah and rolled her eyes. She also said they are all very nervous about the merger not knowing what to expect regarding pay, the routes they’re assigned to, etc. Then she asked us how we heard about the 787’s, and we told her we subscribe to BOH. She said “oh, they hate us!” “Why do you say that?”, I asked. She said 90% of the articles regarding HAL are negative.
So maybe they got the message.
Article asked if you have experience with the two airlines and I do. Painful. I bought a refundable ticket but getting the refund turned into finger-pointing between Alaska and Hawaiian. I have currently rebooked my trip but the credit they issued was very difficult to use and now I have two different confirmation numbers for the same trip, keeping my fingers crossed
Aloha,
I also received an email about a flight change from Alaska. I had to wait 2 hours for the return call, but when it came I couldn’t have been happier with the service and the results.
I book my flights about 9 months ahead to get the times and seats I want. This was the third time my flights were changed in the last 6 months. Some of the changes involved having to change connecting locations and hotels. Some were time changes which required changes to car rentals, so even though Alaska made it easy to solve the flight changes, it involved a lot of work for me.
I just don’t understand why they need to make so many changes to flights.
As far as I know, ripping out airport checkin kiosks, thus eliminating paper boarding pass issuance says it all about AS’s attitude as to how they value customer service.
But what can/should we expect from an American( or others ) corporation??
As you’ve experienced App/IT/ sh$#t issues happen !
As far as I know, ripping out airport checkin kiosks, thus eliminating paper boarding pass issuance says it all about AS’s attitude as to how they value customer service.
But what can/should we expect from an American( or others ) corporation??
As you’ve experienced App/IT/ sh$#t issues happen !
Now you guys are making us nervous. Recent round-trip mainland Alaska flights were a bit messed up. Reservation was somehow “lost.” Could not check in on the app. We called and were told “We see it.” But the app would never allow the check-in. “You’ll have to see an agent when you get to the airport,” we were advised. Not at all assuring, for sure. For our next flight, same thing. Only this time we did not panic. Both instances the airport agent saw the tickets and checked us in, gave us paper boarding passes. But the app – well, first time for everything, I guess. Our worry was our seats would be given away since we couldn’t check in. Solution: We got the the airport long before the flight, just to be sure. We did get an apology from the gate (and phone) agents, but that’s as far as it went. Maybe assimilation is not going as well as we might hope?
Having flown both Alaska & Hawaiian in the last 8 months Hawaiian out performs Alaska in every way. Alaska’s negative impact on Hawaiian is already apparent, and it is only going to get worse. I am going back to United to Hawaii after years flying Hawaiian.
You are 100% correct. HA’s call centers have been really good the last 2 years. I have never waited more than 5 minutes. My problems are fixed and I am on my way.
Chat with both airlines is not very good. After getting connected it is easy to spend an hour total time with both.
The old “give me a few minutes to check this out” is just double speak for “I have more than one person to chat with”.
Alaskas call centers are, it would seem, very under staffed. Usually when some does answer problem gets fixed. MVP Gold does make a difference for priority phone service, it’s just slow. Pualani Elite line has been very efficient for me.
Good article.
I’ve had the exact opposite experience. AS agents are always quick to answer and fix problems. HA on the other hand is nothing but long waits, bad phone connections and hard to understand agents.
I received a notice recently regarding a schedule change on a HA trip booked through AS and to call AS to confirm the changes. It was a quick and easy phone call with an agent who was knowledgeable and easy to understand.