Alaska Airlines (AS) begins its first coordinated network adjustments following the Hawaiian Airlines (HA) acquisition, optimizing routes between Hawaii and the U.S. mainland starting April 2024.
On September 18, 2024, Hawaiian Airlines was acquired by Alaska Air Group.
The following are the network changes that Ishrion Aviation reported.
Seattle-Honolulu Route Modifications:
- Hawaiian Airlines adds a second daily Honolulu (HNL) to Seattle (SEA) flight from April 22, deploying its Airbus A330 aircraft.
- Simultaneously, Alaska Airlines has reduced its frequency on the same route from five to four daily flights.
San Diego-Kahului Route Restructuring:
- Hawaiian Airlines discontinues its Kahului (OGG) to San Diego (SAN) service from June 12.
- Alaska Airlines compensates by doubling its frequency on this route, introducing a second daily flight.
Strategic Network Balance:
The adjustments maintain consistent daily flight frequencies on both routes while consolidating operations. Hawaiian Airlines strengthens its presence at Alaska’s Seattle hub, while Alaska Airlines assumes full control of the San Diego-Kahului market.
The merger establishes seven key hubs:
- Seattle: Primary mainland hub
- Honolulu: Second-largest hub, anchoring Pacific operations
- Los Angeles: Southern California gateway
- San Francisco: Northern California hub
- Portland: Pacific Northwest operations
- San Diego: Secondary Southern California base
- Anchorage: Alaska gateway
The combined network integrates into oneworld Alliance’s global system, connecting passengers to over 1,200 destinations worldwide.
Further changes between Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines’ networks are expected soon.
When Alaska announced its acquisition of Hawaiian, the carriers highlighted the potential for Hawaiian to deploy its widebody aircraft on new routes from Alaska’s hubs. While speculative, Hawaiian’s newly added second daily HNL-SEA flight raises questions due to its extended ground time:
- HA634: Departs HNL at 9:15 PM, and arrives at SEA at 6:15 AM (next day).
- HA633: Departs SEA at 3:55 PM, and arrives at HNL at 6:50 PM.
Although this does not confirm plans for a new Hawaiian route from Seattle, the decision to keep the A330 idle for over nine hours during the day is notable and could signal further adjustments.
Distinctive BAT’s comprehensive airline branding analysis reveals Hawaiian Airlines as the industry leader in brand recognition and distinctiveness.
The research surveyed 1,000 U.S. international travelers and evaluated 18 airlines’ brand elements, including logos, icons, and physical touchpoints.
Hawaiian Airlines achieves a top BAT score of 123 out of 200, demonstrating superior brand recognition and minimal misattribution. The rankings showcase significant performance gaps:
- Delta Air Lines follows at 116
- Southwest Airlines secures third place with 109
- Air Canada reaches 108
- American Airlines scores 104
- United Airlines attains 99
- Mid-tier performers include Aer Lingus (80), KLM (75), and Alaska Airlines (74)
- Lower-scoring carriers: Lufthansa (69), Emirates (67), Spirit Airlines (63)
- Bottom performers: Singapore Airlines (60), British Airways (56), Turkish Airlines (50)
- JetBlue and Air France tie at 36
Hawaiian Airlines’ success stems from consistent brand element application across all touchpoints. The study identifies inconsistent brand application as a key weakness for other carriers, notably Alaska Airlines’ omission of its icon from its logo.
