Alaska Airlines acquired Hawaiian Airlines, with the merger being completed in September 2024 to create the US’s fifth-largest airline. As it stands, the two companies operate separately, but are in the process of obtaining a single operating certificate and are working on a combined loyalty program called Atmos. However, both brands will remain, with most flights to or from Hawaii using the Hawaiian Airlines brand and all other flights branded as Alaska.
This is similar to how large airline holding companies in Europe, mainly IAG, Air France-KLM, and Lufthansa Group, operate. Because the two brands are separate, their fleet differences also wouldn’t appear to be as much of a concern: Alaska is all Boeing 737, while Hawaiian operates Airbus A321neos, A330s, and Boeing 717s. However, Alaska Air Group has recently made an order for the Boeing 787-9, which has no commonality with Hawaiian’s fleet. Why is this?
Hawaiian Airlines And The Boeing 787
Alaska Airlines holds orders for 17 Boeing 787s, consisting of 12 787-9s and five 787-10s. Alaska Airlines is also acquiring four additional 787-9s, which are coming from Hawaiian Airlines. Although Hawaiian relies on its Airbus A330-200 fleet for long-haul operations (of which there are 24), it also ordered 12 Boeing 787-9s long before the Alaska-Hawaiian merger. Despite the fact that these aircraft have no commonality with the A330 fleet.
In 2008, Hawaiian Airlines ordered six Airbus A350-800s for delivery in 2017. These were primarily to complement the carrier’s existing widebody fleet and would serve as expansion aircraft. This variant was eventually canceled, so Hawaiian instead switched its orders to the Airbus A330-800. The A330-800, however, is an orphan aircraft, one of Airbus’s least successful variants, which could raise ownership costs due to the lack of a second-hand market.
The benefit of the A330-800 is that the type has an incredibly high commonality with the A330-200. It would have allowed Hawaiian to seamlessly integrate these planes into its fleet. Boeing, however, was aggressively pursuing market share with the 787 in the late 2010s, and is reported to have offered the 787s at an incredible price to win Hawaiian Airlines. The carrier canceled its orders for the A330-800 and instead ordered 10 Boeing 787-9s with 10 options, two of which were later exercised.
Where Are The Boeing 787s Going?
Enter Alaska Airlines. The carrier has long operated a Boeing 737-only fleet (with a brief stint flying the Airbus A320 family after it acquired Virgin America), but with the Hawaiian merger, Alaska now has access to 24 A330-200s and four 787-9s. The airline formally announced that the remaining Dreamliners on order will go to Seattle Tacoma International Airport, and it also brought its total orderbook to 17, including five 787-10s (making it only the second US operator of the 787-10).
Alaska Airlines will also be transferring the four 787s currently in service. By Spring 2026, Hawaiian’s long-haul fleet will be all Airbus again, while Alaska Airlines will fly all of the group’s 787s. While it is possible that some of the Dreamliners on order will go to Hawaiian, this would mean that Alaska would be removing the 787 from Honolulu, only for the planes to return. This isn’t out of the realm of possibility, but the carrier likely wouldn’t have removed the type if this were the intent anytime soon.
|
Hub |
Aircraft |
|---|---|
|
Honolulu |
Airbus A321neo, Airbus A330-200, Boeing 717-200, Boeing 787-9 (to be removed) |
|
Seattle |
Boeing 737-700, Boeing 737-800, Boeing 737-900ER, Boeing 737 MAX 8, Boeing 737 MAX 9, Boeing 737 MAX 10 (future), Boeing 787-9 (future), Boeing 787-10 (future) |
Alaska Airlines ordered more 787s because it wants to fuel its own growth in Seattle against 
Delta Air Lines, which has long been the dominant player in the Seattle long-haul market. While Hawaiian Airlines did order Boeing 787s in the past, Alaska Airlines has a different goal in mind. The 717s and Airbus’ will stay in Hawaii, while the 737s and 787s will be based in Seattle. Does this mean that an A330neo order will be coming for Hawaiian Airlines?
No New Widebodies Anytime Soon For Hawaiian
Hawaiian Airlines operates 24 Airbus A330-200s, an older, less efficient aircraft that debuted in 1998. However, Hawaiian’s examples are far from elderly. Data from planespotters.net indicates that the average age of Hawaiian’s A330 fleet is only 12.4 years. Its first A330, N380HA, was delivered in 2010, while the youngest A330 in Hawaiian’s fleet, N361HA, was delivered in 2017, making it roughly eight years old.
Not only are Hawaiian’s A330s young, but several of these planes are leased. This means that Hawaiian Airlines is still paying for these planes, and generally speaking, airlines prefer to fly their aircraft for at least 20 to 30 years before removing them. These aircraft are not close to retirement age, and while Hawaiian could elect not to renew its leases, less than half of the Hawaiian A330-200 fleet is leased.
Hawaiian could receive new aircraft for growth, but Hawaiian Airlines was losing money for years before the merger. Its long-haul operations, in particular, have been struggling, as Hawaii is a low-yield leisure market that primarily appeals to Americans. Operating costs are high due to Hawaii’s remoteness, and its largest foreign market, Japan, has been in an economic recession. Alaska has been focused on right-sizing Hawaiian’s network rather than growing it.
Why The 787 Could Eventually Return To Hawaiian
In Europe, IAG, Air France-KLM, and Lufthansa Group own several airline brands that operate different aircraft types. Air France flies the Airbus A320, while Transavia and KLM fly the Boeing 737. British Airways flies the Boeing 787, while Iberia and Aer Lingus will be receiving the Airbus A330-900. SWISS flies the Boeing 777-300ER, despite no other Lufthansa Group carrier operating a passenger 777 variant as of now.
Except, these airlines are all independent carriers that operate separately and are under the control of a single company for strategic purposes. Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines intend to operate as one airline, with a combined air operating certificate. Retaining two names is a branding tactic due to the local significance of both names. In essence, this airline operates more similarly to the budget airlines of the 2000s in the US, which were owned by legacy carriers, such as Delta’s Song or United’s Ted.
|
Company |
Airline Brands |
|---|---|
|
Air France-KLM |
Air France KLM Martinair Transavia |
|
International Airlines Group (IAG) |
Aer Lingus British Airways Iberia LEVEL Vueling |
|
Lufthansa Group |
Air Dolomiti Austrian Airlines Brussels Airlines Discover Airlines Edelweiss Eurowings ITA Airways Lufthansa SWISS |
Staff need to be trained and parts need to be sourced for each aircraft type in an airline’s fleet. These costs reduce on a per-unit basis as a fleet grows larger. It’s likely that, when it comes time to replace the A330s, Alaska will once again go with 
Boeing, as this will allow a streamlined fleet with lower unit costs. Furthermore, bringing the 787s back to Honolulu in the distant future will allow for staff, parts, and planes to move easily between hubs, a task that cannot be easily accomplished with two different types.
The Advantage Of The Airbus A330neo
If Alaska Airlines were to order the A330neo for Hawaiian, it would almost certainly be the Airbus A330-900 variant. This variant has proven far more popular due to its superior operating cost, and it has enough range that the longer range of the A330-800 is of little advantage. The A330neo is also optimized for medium-haul routes, meaning that on routes to the West Coast and Japan, Hawaiian’s two largest markets, it could see a small fuel burn advantage with the A330neo.
If Alaska ordered A330neos, it would end up with two small widebody fleets that couldn’t move between the two brands, making for a less streamlined and harmonized operation. However, Hawaiian already has parts and staff for the Airbus A330 in its Honolulu hub. In removing the 787 from Honolulu, crews will either be retained on other aircraft or moved to Seattle, and Honolulu won’t have parts for the 787 anymore.
If Alaska decided to order more 787s for Hawaiian, it would need to retrain pilots, flight attendants, and ground staff on the aircraft. It would also need to station parts in Honolulu. The A330-900, in contrast, can be added practically overnight, as it has high commonality with the original A330 apart from its engines. Integration costs are far lower for adding the A330neo than the Boeing 787 at Hawaiian, and these are not insignificant.
Verdict On The Future Of Hawaiian’s Fleet
The future of the Hawaiian Airlines widebody fleet is the Airbus A330-200. These planes are young, and the decision for their replacement won’t come until the late 2020s at the earliest, but more likely the 2030s. When it comes, however, don’t be surprised to see Alaska order more Boeing 787s. While the current examples on order are for flights out of Seattle-Tacoma, bringing them back to Honolulu will allow for a larger, more cost-effective fleet and a more harmonized operation.
Integration costs, however, can be high, and Alaska appears committed to the A330 operations in Honolulu. If the costs of replacing the A330 with the 787 are extremely high (which would involve retaining staff and replacing parts), then the A330-900 is the obvious pick. As such, the final verdict is that the A330neo is the underdog in this fight, but not excessively so.
