Alaska Airlines Buying Hawaiian Airlines

Alaska Air Group, Inc., parent company of Alaska Airlines, and Hawaiian Holdings, Inc., the parent of Hawaiian Airlines, have announced a definitive agreement for Alaska Airlines to acquire Hawaiian Airlines.

Read New Release By Hawaiian Airlines

This $1.9 billion all-cash transaction, at $18 per share, includes $0.9 billion of Hawaiian Airlines’ net debt, aiming to enhance service options and connectivity across the Pacific, the Continental U.S., and globally.

The merger will retain both airlines’ brands, expanding the fifth largest U.S. airline to a fleet of 365 aircrafts and 138 destinations, plus over 1,200 through the one world Alliance. Honolulu will become a key hub, bolstering service to Hawaii and offering new connections to Asia and the Pacific.

This move is expected to bolster growth, job opportunities, and commitment to environmental stewardship. The combined network promises enhanced competition, choice, and benefits for the airlines’ 54.7 million annual passengers, including expanded international connectivity and increased loyalty program benefits.

The merger underscores a commitment to maintaining a strong workforce and community investment in Hawaii, with plans to continue workforce development initiatives and promote regenerative tourism.

“This combination is an exciting next step in our collective journey to provide a better travel experience for our guests and expand options for West Coast and Hawai‘i travelers,” said Ben Minicucci, Alaska Airlines CEO. “We have a longstanding and deep respect for Hawaiian Airlines, for their role as a top employer in Hawai‘i, and for how their brand and people carry the warm culture of aloha around the globe. Our two airlines are powered by incredible employees, with 90+ year legacies and values grounded in caring for the special places and people that we serve. I am grateful to the more than 23,000 Alaska Airlines employees who are proud to have served Hawai‘i for over 16 years, and we are fully committed to investing in the communities of Hawai‘i and maintaining robust Neighbor Island service that Hawaiian Airlines travelers have come to expect. We look forward to deepening this stewardship as our airlines come together, while providing unmatched value to customers, employees, communities and owners.”
“Since 1929, Hawaiian Airlines has been an integral part of life in Hawai‘i, and together with Alaska Airlines we will be able to deliver more for our guests, employees and the communities that we serve,” said Peter Ingram, Hawaiian Airlines President and CEO. “In Alaska Airlines, we are joining an airline that has long served Hawai‘i, and has a complementary network and a shared culture of service. With the additional scale and resources that this transaction with Alaska Airlines brings, we will be able to accelerate investments in our guest experience and technology, while maintaining the Hawaiian Airlines brand. We are also pleased to deliver significant, immediate and compelling value to our shareholders through this all-cash transaction. Together, Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines can bring our authentic brands of hospitality to more of the world while continuing to serve our valued local communities.”

Also Read – New Hawaiian Airline Routes to Salt Lake City and Sacramento

Complementary Networks and Greater Choice for Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines’ Combined 54.7 million Annual Passengers

The combination of complementary domestic, international, and cargo networks is positioned to enhance competition and expand choice for consumers on the West Coast and throughout the Hawaiian Islands through:

• Preserving outstanding brands: The combined airline will maintain both industry-leading Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines brands while integrating into a single operating platform, enabling the remarkable service and hospitality of each to be enjoyed by passengers with continued excellence in operational reliability, trust and guest satisfaction for which both companies have been consistently recognized.
• An enhanced product offering for a wide range of consumers: The combination preserves and expands high-quality, best-in-class product offerings with price points to make air travel accessible to a wide range of consumers across a range of cabin classes, including greater choice between Alaska Airlines’ high-value, low-fare options and Hawaiian Airlines’ international and long-haul product on par with network carriers.
• Complementary networks expand travel options: Passengers traveling throughout the Continental U.S., U.S. West Coast and across the Pacific will benefit from more choice and increased connectivity across both airlines’ networks, with service to 138 destinations including non-stop service to 29 top international destinations in the Americas, Asia, Australia and the South Pacific, and combined access to over 1,200 destinations through the oneworld Alliance.
• Expanded service for Hawai‘i: For Hawai‘i residents, the combination will expand service and convenience by tripling the number of destinations throughout North America that can be reached nonstop or one stop from the Islands, while maintaining robust Neighbor Island service and increasing air cargo capacity.
• Strategic Honolulu hub: Honolulu will become a key Alaska Airlines hub, enabling greater international connectivity for West Coast travelers throughout the Asia-Pacific region with one-stop service through Hawai‘i.
• Increased loyalty program benefits: The transaction will connect Hawaiian Airlines’ loyalty members with enhanced benefits through an industry-leading loyalty program for the combined airline, including the ability to earn and redeem miles on 29 global partners and receive elite benefits on the full complement of oneworld Alliance airlines, expanded global lounge access and benefits of the combined program’s co-brand credit card.

Conditions to Close

The transaction agreement has been approved by both boards. The acquisition is conditioned on required regulatory approvals, approval by Hawaiian Holdings, Inc. shareholders (which is expected to be sought in the first quarter of 2024), and other customary closing conditions. It is expected to close in 12-18 months. The combined organization will be based in Seattle under the leadership of Alaska Airlines CEO Ben Minicucci. A dedicated leadership team will be established to focus on integration planning.

What are your thoughts on this? Good or Bad?

A Sneak Peek of the new Hawaiian Airlines Boeing 787 First Class Suite