Today’s reveal of Alaska Airlines’ new Boeing 787 Dreamliner design may have impressed global aviation media, but for Hawaii travelers, it marked the official end of something far deeper and ore personal. The aircraft that Hawaiian Airlines once called the future of its international and domestic service, and that so many Hawaii-bound passengers had come to associate as an island-style flagship featuring peak luxury, will now fly without a single visible trace of Hawaii.
That confirms what Beat of Hawaii has previously indicated. Pualani is gone. The word “Hawaiian” is gone. The only reminder of the Dreamliner origin may be inside, if at all.
What travelers will now see on ex-Hawaiian Dreamliners.
All of Hawaiian’s Boeing 787 Dreamliners will be repainted with Alaska’s new “global livery,” a swirling blend of teal and blue that leans more Arctic than aloha. There’s no mention of Hawaii, no flower, no Pualani, and no cultural symbolism that even acknowledges where these planes were born.
And while Alaska says the cabins mahy keep Hawaiian’s island design for now, the disconnect is already stark. As one person put it, “Inside the cabin, it still feels like Maui. But from the outside, the plane now looks more ready for London or Rome. The contrast is jarring.”
It’s not just cosmetic. The Dreamliner was supposed to be the crown jewel of Hawaiian’s once grand, now failed ambitions. It is now the flagship for Alaska’s own global future.
Why Hawaiian’s Dreamliner was more than just a plane.
Hawaiian Airlines invested heavily in the Dreamliner, not just as a plane but as a high-end brand statement. These aircraft were designed with curved, custom ceilings inspired by tropical plants, unique lighting, and state-of-the-art lie-flat business class seating meant to rival even the best international competitors.
For travelers flying to Hawaii, the experience began the moment they stepped onboard. One reader, Tony J., described flying the Dreamliner in first class for a family wedding and said the feeling of island hospitality started right at the gate.
But even as Hawaiian debuted its most advanced aircraft, it erred seriously when it skipped an actual premium economy cabin, offering only extra legroom instead, which left many travelers underwhelmed on longer routes. Other than costly business class, the remainder of the planes were configured with all three-across seating.
Another reader, AZ K., used points for what he suspected might be a final trip to Kauai for his wife’s 80th birthday. He recalled a prior Dreamliner flight as smooth and memorable, but added that he was not looking forward to being crammed into a narrow body if they could manage another trip.
Those kinds of memories are precisely why this transition feels so personal. It’s not just an aircraft change. It’s a symbolic exit.
Not everyone is sad, but many are fed up.
A few flyers welcomed the change. “I’m looking forward to seeing Hawaiian’s 787s at Sea-Tac,” wrote Shirley, who lives near Seattle and has flown the Dreamliner once. “Sorry, Hawaii and California!”
But most Hawaii-focused BOHI reader sentiment has been somewhere between resigned and furious. “Alaska never really wanted to grow Hawaiian,” Robby o. commented. “They just wanted to buy the Dreamliners under the guise of a merger.”
Another said bluntly, “The Dreamliners are too precious to work shorter hauls like Hawaii. Alaska will do what’s most profitable.”
One reader, CJ, offered a more measured take: “A favorable outcome would have been to keep the airlines separate like Air France and KLM. It would also be nice if they could keep the HA livery.”
But that won’t happen. And what we’ve been saying for a long time is today official.
What’s left that still looks Hawaiian?
At the time of writing, only the legacy A330, A321neo, and Boeing 717 fleets will continue flying in Hawaiian livery. That includes transpacific routes from Honolulu and connections to the neighbor islands both. But even that may not last forever.
The A330s are set to receive interior upgrades over the next few years, including new premium cabins and economy seating. Still, there has been no confirmation that the exterior design or even the cabin’s Hawaiian-themed elements will survive the refurbishment. No official images. No stated livery plans.
For now, they still wear Pualani. But Hawaii travelers in particular have reason to be cautious. As one reader noted after flying the Dreamliner, the plane itself may be beautiful, but if it doesn’t say Hawaiian, it doesn’t feel like Hawaii.
Travelers are already making decisions.
Hawaiian’s identity shift is affecting real travel choices. Several readers have pointed out they’re switching carriers, not over price, but over principle. Tommy H., who said he has over 500,000 miles on Hawaiian and always flew first class, wrote that he will no longer pay a premium for what now feels like a cheaper ride.
Norma Rae, who once flew Hawaiian exclusively, now prefers United for West Coast to Hawaii routes. After a long delay, poor communication, and lack of backup aircraft, she said the experience was what finally convinced her that “HA lost its Aloha Spirit long before Alaska started running routes.”
Even more recently, a Maui-bound traveler reported that Alaska operated his return flight, although it had been booked through Hawaiian. While it got him home, he said Hawaiian would have done it with Aloha. That difference, he said, is precisely why he keeps choosing Hawaiian and why he hopes Alaska doesn’t change what makes it special.
Others pointed to the irony that even some budget carriers now offer better in-flight service than what Hawaiian once represented. Matt, a reader with industry experience, said that when flight attendants step over trash in the aisle while passengers clean it up, the Aloha Spirit is gone.
What’s next and what’s not being said.
Alaska Airlines has made it clear: the Dreamliners will be used for their new long-haul global expansion from Seattle to places like London, Rome and Asia. They are now the public face of a different airline.
But what hasn’t been clearly explained is what remains truly Hawaiian in this dual-brand strategy. DOT approval requires Alaska and Hawaiian to preserve essential service on key inter-island and mainland routes. These commitments are in place for six years. What the agreement does not include is any obligation to retain specific aircraft types or Hawaiian branding and visual identity. With the most desirable and visible of Hawaiian’s fleets now flying under Alaska’s global image, the sense that the Hawaiian brand is fading feels all too real.
Even longtime supporters are rethinking their loyalty. One HawaiianMiles cardholder said he had dumped all his points into two first-class tickets on the Dreamliner, but now that it’s back to the Airbus, “it’s not nearly as good.”
If it doesn’t look or feel Hawaiian, is it?
That’s the question many Hawaii travelers are now asking. A newer plane doesn’t make up for lost identity, and some are already frustrated with the Dreamliner’s configuration.
Christina T. called it a cool plane, but said the 3-across seating felt claustrophobic on long flights and didn’t offer the comfort she expected.
Others say the shift is part of a bigger loss. One longtime flyer described it as the slow ride to complete absorption, comparing it to what happened with Virgin America.
The Dreamliner was supposed to represent the future of Hawaiian Airlines. However, as of today, that future has officially been erased. And no one has said whether what’s left will still feel like Hawaii.
Do you think Hawaiian Airlines still feels like Hawaii? Would you switch airlines over this rebrand? Let us know in the comments.
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When I booked my upcoming trip to Honolulu I specifically planned as much of it as possible on Hawaiian. I have been a loyal Alaska Airlines customer and cardholder for years. I always fly first class. I was flying from DC to Honolulu. Getting there was to be DC to LAX on Alaska and then on to Honolulu on Hawaiian. Coming home, I planned carefully to fly the Dreamliner overnight from Honolulu to Seattle and then back to DC on Alaska. I was extremely excited. Several months after booking I got a message from Alaska that my flight to Honolulu had been changed. Now I would be flying to San Diego and after a layover would fly to Honolulu on Alaska. And, instead of arriving in the late afternoon, I would be arriving late at night. So my whole first day is gone. Then, a month later I was notified that my flight from Honolulu to Seattle would not be on the Dreamliner. I am beyond angry. Customer Service was no help at all. This is the last time I will fly on Alaska or Hawaiian.
We go to Oahu every year and fly with Hawaiian Airlines. We get so excited, you can feel the aloha spirit starting with the flight. Now it is gone. I am now going to book with United or Delta.
Why would you now explicitly reject flying on Hawaiian Airlines?
Well here’s the thing, I love Hawaiian but unfortunately they were losing money hand over first and you can only declare bankruptcy so many times before you go under. Alaska is a very financially stable company and Hawaiian has just reported a profit for the first time since 2019. Thanks Alaska. If Delta or any of the other big boys would have bought Hawaiian they would have been completely gutted. At least with Alaska they still have a chance.
I have flown both and both are great airlines and I believe that Alaska will do right for the Hawaiian brand. Sure they are going to use the 787’s for these new global routes but they currently only have 4 in the fleet and 13 more on its way. I could see in the future Alaska replacing the A330’s with more Dreamliner’s or just adding more to both liveries. Don’t throw out the baby with the bath water. (and until then, they have already said they would be updating the 330’s.) So dont be too quick to judge and lets ride it out! 🙂
“No cultural symbolism that even acknowledges where these planes were born.” With all due respect, they were born in Everett, Washington.
Deeply troubled & sadden of the “buyout/bailout” – why? – I’ve seen the painful deaths of Pan Am and Northwest. First the Dreamliners were “cock-roached” off HAL’s planned routes and detoured to where? – Rome, Iceland and London – are you kidding me?; Layoffs, firings, early retirements and loss of seniority (sans pilots & flight attendants); AAL employees manning mainland HAL check-in counters; and revelations that AAL executives have little/no idea or don’t care about the complexities of international travel and their arrogance against “knowing your customer” at international destinations! Let’s get real – it’s all corporate greed: fares have increased, frequent flyer mileage requirements will increase while benefits decrease, longer layovers and the loss of “Aloha” that made HAL feel home. Aloha nui loa and RIP HAL.
Sure layoff are a thing when two companies combine and while a little over 300 have been laid off, well over 500 union positions have been added at Hawaiian and more to come. And nobody is losing their seniority, all the workgroups will be dovetailed together the same way they were when AS purchased Virgin America. All mainland customer service agents were given the opportunity to move over to AS and depending on how long they have been there they pay more than doubled. As for AS’s mileage plan, it’s one of the best in the business. If anyone bought HA, this was the best possible outcome.
Greed?
You mean Hawaiian Airlines should have continued burning through investors’ money until there was nothing left so they could not be greedy?
Exactly.
I live in San Francisco. We had our own trauma when Alaska bought Virgin America. They fist gutted the destinations we could fly to and then replaced the Airbus fleet with their crappy 737s.
As soon as the merger of Hawaiian and Alaska was announced I knew that the cancer would spread and eventually destroy Hawaiian. It’s not dead yet but just you wait.
Why do you suppose Virgin America sold out?
Could it be that their whole operation and business model was unsustainable?
Alaska Airlines thought they were going to get a piece of the high end IT business in Silicon Valley, just as that industry peaked.
I know that many of us know that HA was in real trouble financially, not a little trouble but Big trouble. The 787 would very likely been the nail in the coffin, looking at the last 2 years financials one cannot see how HA could have maintained lease payments on even the 4 that have been delivered, although the arrangements were complicated just to get them ordered in the first place.
Concentrating on refurbishing the A330s and centering HA long haul ops in HNL makes much more sense than HA long haul from Seattle. Once the 330s are refurbished you wont be able to tell the difference between them and the 787 or any other modern widebody. The 787 lie flat seats are the same ones American and Qatar use so not particularly unique besides color palate and accenting. We will have to see how AS evolves HA but I suspect keeping it closer afield to Hawaii will be the future.
I’m still amazed that Hawaiian Airlines had 24 A330’s in its fleet, more that its A321’s, and on top of that ordered 787’s.
Even if the bottom hadn’t fallen out of world airline travel in 2020 and never came back, where on earth, literally, was Hawaiian going to operate 24 A330’s and a dozen, or more, 787’s fitted out for premium heavy service.
Interisland is going to be interesting. Presumably Hawaiian is losing money because of over capacity with Southwest.
The challenge is going to be to find a plane. The pilots will never accept a pay scale that will make an ATR profitable. They will still want the same money to be a captain of a 50-76 turboprop that they do of a 717 because they will argue they get paid for command responsibility, not productivity.
But more importantly, there just isn’t a plane to replace the 717. It’s rugged, overbuilt, simple, and, don’t forget, paid for. So Alaska will have to spend money just to maintain interisland service and that will require some hard thinking.
And possibly most importantly of all, anything out there now in the size of the 717 isn’t built for the endless landings and takeoffs, and for the cargo that the 717 carries.
The Qantas Link 717s that were retired about a year ago had less than 20,000 cycles despite being operated for around 15 years. I wonder if taking used 717s with less cycles would be an option?
It is 100% true that there is no replacement. An E-175/ 195 while designed for short haul service does not have the belly capacity to carry the baggage + cargo and mail that the 717s do. And they are also not designed to operate as many cycles as the 717 was designed to withstand so if they took used E-175s, they aren’t going to last that long. Skywest operates E-175s and I can’t imagine SkyWest taking that flying away from HA, you want to see a total lack of any character, service or brand identity? SkyWest is your faceless airline!
Yes. That is correct. The Dreamliner is gone, although it barely arrived.
It’s gone because the airline that ordered them in 2018 died in 2019, the last year they made a profit.
Alaska Air Group just bought the carcass in 2024 and took it to the airline rendering plant to salvage what they could.
I predicted this when the Merger was first announced. And sure enough, Alaska took them.
AS didn’t take them, they took the whole company. Two months from now the whole thing will be Alaska Airlines. Alaska will put the right aircraft on the right route. Just by doing this and rearranging the current flights/aircraft HA has finally made its first profit since 2019. You can’t fault Alaska for making right decisions.
Hawaiian Airlines had a long history of making poor financial decisions. It got to where it was for a reason. It never made sense to fly twin aisle planes on routes that single aisle could fly. It didn’t make sense economically, the airline’s financials reflected that. It didn’t make sense for the environment, the bigger planes are less fuel efficient per seat mile, especially when under filled.
The 787 always seemed like a strange fleet choice for Hawaiian too. The rest of the Airbus fleet had type commonality for the crew, but the 787 was going to require new type certificates (licenses). The A330 NEO or A350 would’ve made more sense.
The international ambitions of Alaska were clearly their motivation for the merger, but for Hawaiian, it was a life line to stay solvent. They’re keeping the A330’s HNL based because of the economics of moving the crews and facilities. That means the long-haul appropriate routes to HNL will stay with them at least.
It was a very bad choice to order a ultra long range airliner that wasn’t common with their existing A-330 fleet to operate mostly medium haul routes at a time when they were on the verge of bankruptcy. People seem to be much more concerned with the feeling they have when they get on an HA plane than if HA had just gone bankrupt and liquidated. As much as Alaska has become the villain, they have, for now rescued HA from itself. Alaska is a smart company, whether we think they have good service or not, but they will respond to the market and the demand of its Hawaii customers dollars. I expect to see HA stay around and get leaner, concentrating on being HNL centric with long haul based only from HNL and on the soon to be refurbished A330. Lets not be too sad about the 787, it is just another widebody plane and once the A330s are refurbished you will not be able to tell the difference.
As a kid growing up in Hawai’i from 1959-1970 I remember Aloha and Hawaiian airlines as inter-island puddle jumpers. Seems getting bigger isn’t always better and getting too big for your pants, or greedy, is at the expense of that ohana feeling.
I thought the SST was Hawaii’s future air travel. Let all the rich cats aboard that and adjust all the regular commercial airlines to economy plus seating at economy prices. If they really have the dough then let them flaunt it on the SST airfare. Other than that please keep quiet.
It’s inevitable. For 10+ years, I flew Continental to the Philippines. At Honolulu, the flight changed from CO to CX for Air Micronesia which was still with CO aircraft but with Chamorro Air Mike crews. I loved it. I traveled globally from the East Coast and flew Continental whenever possible. Then they were absorbed by United. Air Mike was done away with and United planes replaced Continental planes. A brutal downgrade even though I always flew business class on both CO and UA. As for Hawaiian – well it may be that given their financial deterioration that led to the acquisition would have produced more sadness about the brand than people are experiencing now. Think mainland passenger trains once luxury, then tattered remnants of greater glory.
People forget that Continental actually absorbed United. The United name was kept for better global recognition. United was once again on the ropes financially and Continental bought them.
We fly to Hawaii (almost always Kauai) once or twice a year from the Bay Area. Our first choice is AS and we will fly SWA if the AS flights don’t work for us. We have never flown HA, so I can’t comment on their service. However, we have always had good service on Alaska and their mileage plan is the best in the business. We recently got back from Kauai and got a free upgrade to first class, the second time that has happened. We are fine in narrow bodies, even though I’m 6’1″ and my wife is 6′ tall. We have flown to Milan twice on Alaska miles, with our flight there last year all of the way on narrow bodies (AS E-175 to Portland, then Icelandair 757 to Iceland and then 737 to Milan) and it was fine. We’ve also flown on BA A-380 between SFO and LHR twice on AS miles. We are looking forward to the new AS service to Europe. Regarding the 3-3-3 seating on the 787, we recently flew to and from Amsterdam on an AA B-787 and it was great both ways.
Hawaiian Airlines, an airline that I have cherished over the years for its exceptional service and warm, welcoming atmosphere. My wife and I have always opted for first-class travel with Hawaiian because we truly believe that no other airline offers the same level of service and comfort. From the moment we boarded the plane, we felt transformed, immersed in the beautiful spirit of Aloha that Hawaiian embodies. The impeccable service provided by your staff has always made our journeys enjoyable and memorable, which is why we were deeply disappointed to hear about the merger with Alaska Airlines. We had hoped that the outcome would favor Hawaiian Airlines, but unfortunately, it seems that the unique advantages we loved, including the Premium Airport Service, are no longer available. This shift has left us feeling a sense of loss for the unparalleled service and ambiance we have come to appreciate. We sincerely miss the attention to detail and the genuine hospitality that made Hawaiian
Hearing what is happening to Hawaiian airlines is really sad. First trip there was 30 years ago for 20th wedding anniversary. Went first class and can only fly first class there because of the great experience- and that has been many times. Had to recently cancel a trip with family there due to a surgery and after seeing what to expect going forward decided that the last hurray flight (due to poor health) is just not in the cards for us. Cannot have the last experience be a let down.
We have flown Hawaiian Airlines for what seems like forever The service was always so warm and inviting on our last trip the attitude was closer to frost bite. Polite but cold. The cabin crew couldn’t wait to be done with the little in flight service they provided. Asking for anything was not meet with a smile but a frown. It felt like a cold wind from Alaska had entered the cabin. Hawaiian was bought for its holdings not for its Alohoa spirt and Alaska is confirming it with each change they make. They at least need someone training their cabin crews with Aloha spirt not this is just another job. I agree with all you and others have said about the changing of the planes They are crowded and cold in spirt. We too may be going back to United.
Have fun with that.
Only Alaska outbid Seattle exclusively and you can’t find a better airline or mileage program. Great upgrades.
Dreamliner gone. Check
Only Airbus remains. Older less premium. Hawaiian Airlines brand reduced to second fiddle status.
Six years. Interisland endangered after 717s retired. Alaska to contract another operator for That? Small regional jet or turboprop?
Hawaiian is definitely fading.
No more aloha. Goodbye.
I saw this coming from miles away. Alaska never cared and has killed our Pualani. I’m going to avoid Alaska like the plague for what they’ve done, and only fly them if I’m visiting rural Alaska where there’s no competition. If I need to get to Seattle for some reason I’ll take Delta!
I have never enjoyed flying with Alaska and avoid it wherever possible similar to my feeling over Southwest. The merger between Alaska and Hawaiian has been miserable and I’ve seen nothing but lost value. Other than interisland, I’m not sure I will continue flying with what was formerly my exclusive choice due to quality and service. I wish HA would have throttled back on commitments to stay solvent and remain aloha.