Hawaiian’s Dreamliner Returns To Maui. For Now.

When we first stepped aboard Hawaiian Airlines’ Dreamliner before it entered passenger service, it felt like the beginning of an entirely new chapter for Hawaii travel. We followed the aircraft through years of delays, its long-awaited arrival, and our first impressions onboard.

We flew it in first class from Los Angeles to Honolulu just before it left that route last year, and followed the merger that changed where many of us thought the Dreamliner would spend its future.

That’s why this latest schedule change stood out to us. During the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday periods, one daily Seattle-Maui flight is scheduled to be operated by the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. The aircraft now wears Alaska Airlines colors. Just what that means for the people actually sitting in it is the part most travelers have not caught quite yet.

Hawaiian Dreamliner returns to Maui for holiday travel.

The Dreamliner is scheduled to operate one daily Seattle-Kahului roundtrip from November 20 through November 30 and again from December 17 through January 4. Aircraft assignments can always change, but for now, the schedule puts the Dreamliner back on a Hawaii route after many travelers assumed it had largely moved on.

For visitors planning a Maui trip during those periods, the assignment offers another opportunity to fly an aircraft that Hawaiian spent years developing before it entered passenger service in 2024. It also continues a story we’ve been following from the day Hawaiian announced its Dreamliner plans.

Hawaiian 787 Dreamliner cabin still feels Hawaiian despite the new Alaska livery.

The most obvious difference is the paint, and there is no mistaking that once the airplane pulls up to the gate. Alaska’s livery has replaced Hawaiian’s familiar branding.

Step onboard, however, and the experience is still remarkably familiar. The Leihoku Suites remain in place, the cabin design is still the one Hawaiian created, which we walked through with Hawaiian’s executive team the week the first aircraft arrived in Honolulu. Alaska has not yet begun the larger interior changes it has signaled for the fleet, including the true premium economy cabin many travelers still want but Hawaiian never installed.

For now, passengers board an Alaska airplane while spending most of the flight inside an aircraft that still feels largely Hawaiian. That makes these Maui flights something more special than an ordinary seasonal aircraft change.

Dreamliner 3-3-3 economy seating remains the biggest debate among Hawaii travelers.

From the beginning, our readers agreed on many of the Dreamliner’s strengths. The quieter cabin, larger windows, lower cabin altitude, and modern design all earned praise from travelers who had waited years to experience the new aircraft.

The biggest debate centered on the economy seating instead. Hawaiian replaced the Airbus A330’s popular 2-4-2 layout with the Dreamliner’s 3-3-3 configuration, and many readers immediately noticed the tradeoff between a newer aircraft and the A330’s more comfortable seating arrangement.

Some appreciated the newer aircraft enough that the seating change didn’t matter. Others said they would gladly choose the older A330 because of its wider seats and fewer middle seats. Every Dreamliner article we’ve published has reminded us that the discussion is far from settled.

Hawaiian 787 Dreamliner future on Hawaii routes stays uncertain under Alaska.

When Alaska and Hawaiian combined, many readers assumed the Dreamliner would quickly disappear from Hawaii flying altogether. Instead, what has changed most so far is the branding, while much of the passenger experience remains the one Hawaiian spent years designing and introducing.

We know that won’t last forever, with future cabin modifications expected as Alaska continues integrating the fleet. For now, however, those changes have not arrived.

Until then, these seasonal Maui flights represent something we didn’t expect to see. The airplane Hawaiian built to define its future is flying Hawaii routes once again, even if it now does so in Alaska colors. For those of us who followed this airplane from its inception, that return, however brief, is worth noting.

Would you book the Dreamliner for your next Hawaii trip despite the 3-3-3 economy seating, or would you still rather fly Hawaiian’s Airbus A330 with its familiar 2-4-2 layout?

By Rob and Jeff, Beat of Hawaii.

Some of the most meaningful parts of Hawaii are the ones visitors walk right past without knowing they are there. We’ve spent nearly 20 years finding them firsthand for BOH as full-time Hawaii residents reporting on travel, culture, and island life, and telling you what they mean for your trip. Join us →