Hawaiian’s heart and home
Our man in America, Chris Sloan, takes us behind the scenes at Hawaiian Airlines’ operation at Honolulu’s Daniel K Inouye International Airport
The airline operates a 19-strong fleet of Boeing 717s
HAWAIIAN AIRLINES
: The wall-mounted screens inside the System Operations Control Centre display a plethora of information for dispatch personnel
Jonathan Gormon, director of dispatch operations (left) and Gary Ozaki, who is manager of dispatch projects
As Hawaiian Airlines (HA) celebrates its 95th birthday, the famed carrier is on its final approach as an independently owned Aai airline. Alaska Airlines’ planned $1.9bn
acquisition of Hawaiian – which has been greenlit by the US Department of Justice and Department of Transportation – is expected to close in the first half of 2025. Alaska is pledging to keep the Hawaiian brand intact while it operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Alaska on a combined air operator’s certificate. Although Hawaiian is beloved by its customers and is one of the state’s largest private employers, the carrier has been beset by financial, market, and competitive turbulence primarily not of its own doing. With the merger, supported by local politicians and stakeholders, the airline is saying Aloha to a brighter future.
The combined entity will serve 54.7 million passengers annually and operate to 138 destinations, as well as providing access to more than 1,200 destinations through Alaska’s membership in the oneworld alliance. The combination will create an airline with about 6.7% of the market share. Though corporate headquarters will be centralised in Seattle, and some corporate positions and functions will undoubtedly be combined and eliminated, Hawaiian’s Honolulu base will continue to operate. Most importantly, the majority of Hawaiian’s 7,740-strong workforce will be retained.
Airliner World
was afforded exclusive behind the scenes access at the very heart of the airline’s operation at Daniel K Inouye Honolulu International Airport (HNL).