Earlier today, Alaska Airlines management announced plans to transition the neighbor island 717 fleet to Hawaiian-branded 737 aircraft by 2028. However, buried within that same announcement is a more immediate and concerning development: Alaska Airlines management intends to introduce Alaska-branded 737 aircraft, operated by Alaska Airlines crews, on neighbor island routes, with plans to operate three daily round-trip flights between Honolulu and Maui (HNL-OGG) beginning as early as this October.
This decision by Alaska Airlines management is a profound disappointment and marks a clear break from the core commitments made to Hawaiian Airlines employees and the people of Hawaiʻi at the outset of the merger. At that time, management underscored that preserving the Hawaiian Airlines brand—its unique identity and operational presence—was essential to the merger’s success.
Throughout the merger process, Alaska Airlines management gave unequivocal assurances about a true dual-brand strategy. They insisted there was “no other choice” but to honor the culture and legacy built by Hawaiian Airlines over the past 97 years. Management further justified the merger by pledging it would enable the company to accelerate investments in passenger experience and technology, all while protecting the Hawaiian Airlines brand and Hawaiʻi-based jobs.
By introducing Alaska-branded aircraft to the core of neighbor island service, Alaska Airlines management is abandoning those commitments. This move replaces the iconic Pualani livery—a symbol deeply rooted in Hawaiʻi’s heritage—with an operational shift that overlooks the essential need for a distinct Hawaiian identity. While management has indicated that the Pualani livery will eventually be on these replacement aircraft and that they will be crewed by HNL-based Flight Attendants, these future assurances do not change the here and now of the situation.
Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants are familiar with the lifeline nature of Arctic flying and the “milk run” within Alaska—routes where isolated communities rely entirely on the consistency of air service for everything from medical care to essential commerce. Neighbor island flying in Hawaiʻi serves that same vital, infrastructure-level purpose. It’s not just a route; it’s the heartbeat of the state.
For Hawaiian Airlines Flight Attendants, this decision is fundamentally personal. The neighbor island operation is where our airline started, serving as the core of what has been built over the decades. It is our legacy—the place where we learned the unique standard of care that defines our service. Encroaching on this work is not just a business decision; it undermines the history and foundation of the neighbor island operation and jeopardizes the stability of the single-duty-period pairings that enable our Honolulu-based Flight Attendants to serve their communities and return home to their families the same day.
Our MEC is already taking action. Our pre-merger Hawaiian MEC Grievance Committee is actively reviewing all available options under our collective bargaining agreements. We are prepared to pursue every avenue to challenge this encroachment, including filing a formal grievance and seeking all remedies necessary to protect our work and uphold our contracts. We are also in close communication with both the Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines ALPA MECs and are aligning our efforts in response to management’s announcement.We stand together in both our disappointment and our resolve. We will hold management accountable for the promises made to our Flight Attendants and the people of Hawaiʻi. Updates will follow as we move forward together.
