Alaska and Hawaiian Airways have reached a defining second of their merger journey.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has granted the mixed carriers a single working certificates (SOC), formally bringing their operations below one regulatory framework whereas sustaining each manufacturers.
The milestone comes simply over a 12 months after Alaska Air Group accomplished its acquisition of Hawaiian Airways and marks the formal unification of two of essentially the most recognizable names in Pacific aviation.
“This was a year-long, multi-phase effort involving a number of departments and 1000’s of hours of labor,” mentioned Ben Minicucci, President and CEO of Alaska Air Group, in an official assertion. “We respect the FAA and the US Division of Transportation for his or her steering and help as we rigorously reviewed and harmonized our processes with a shared deal with security. This is a vital step in our journey as a mixed group, and I’m enthusiastic about our future collectively.”
This is a vital step in our journey as a mixed group, and I’m enthusiastic about our future collectively.
Ben Minicucci, President and CEO of Alaska Air Group
Incomes the SOC didn’t occur in a single day. It took months of coordination throughout flight ops, upkeep, and coaching groups to deliver each airways in sync below one playbook. The FAA’s sign-off now places Alaska and Hawaiian below one regulatory roof, simplifying oversight and opening the door to new efficiencies throughout their mixed community.
A Unified Operation Behind the Scenes
Whereas Alaska and Hawaiian Airways will proceed to function with their distinct manufacturers and liveries, they now share a typical operational framework. Pilots and dispatchers throughout each fleets will use the AS name signal for communication with air visitors management.
The change additionally brings the retirement of Hawaiian’s historic “HAWAIIAN” callsign, first used practically a century in the past. The ultimate flight utilizing the legacy identifiers HA/HAL (Hawaiian Airways Flight 866 from Pago Pago Worldwide Airport (PPG) in American Samoa to Honolulu Worldwide Airport (HNL) on 29 October 2025) closed an period of impartial Hawaiian operations earlier than the brand new designation took impact.
Though vacationers will nonetheless see Hawaiian’s HA designator on tickets, some flight numbers have been reassigned to stop duplication inside Alaska’s system. It’s a refined however important operational step for an airline group that now carries about 40% of visitors between Hawaii and the US mainland.
The SOC can be a prerequisite for additional integration milestones. In April 2026, each carriers will migrate to a single passenger service system (PSS), the core know-how that powers reservations, check-in, and boarding. As soon as reside, all flights will formally carry the AS code, although Hawaiian flights will stay clearly branded with the airline’s signature Pualani tail and onboard hospitality.
Management Transitions and Strategic Growth
Alongside the SOC announcement, new Honolulu-based management roles took impact to strengthen operations throughout the islands and Pacific area.
Diana Birkett Rakow, previously Alaska’s Govt Vice President of Public Affairs and Sustainability, has been named CEO of Hawaiian Airways, succeeding Joe Sprague, who’s retiring after a 25-year profession with Alaska Air Group.
Jim Landers, Hawaiian’s Senior Vice President for Technical Operations, turns into Head of Hawaii Operations.
Shelly Parker, beforehand Horizon Air’s Vice President of Station Operations and Inflight, will function Head of Hawaii Visitor Operations.
Alaska Airways officers say these appointments mirror Alaska’s dedication to retaining a powerful native presence whereas constructing a extra cohesive operational construction throughout the Pacific.
With the FAA certification full, the mixed airline group is already increasing its attain. Simply this week, Alaska introduced that 13 new nonstop routes might be added in 2026, together with new service between San Diego (SAN) and Tulsa (TUL), Portland (PDX) and Baltimore (BWI), and HNL and Burbank (BUR), the latter marking the primary hyperlink between these airports in additional than 20 years.
By subsequent summer season, Alaska will function every day service to all 4 Hawaiian islands from main West Coast gateways.
As Alaska prepares to affix Hawaiian within the Oneworld alliance in Spring 2026, the SOC marks a important step towards a worldwide, absolutely built-in operation. Collectively, Alaska and Hawaiian Airways now serve greater than 140 locations throughout North America, Asia, Latin America, and the Pacific, with Europe set to return on-line in 2026.
