The consolidation in the American aviation market continues: Alaska Airlines unexpectedly announced the takeover of Hawaiian Airlines yesterday. If the deal is approved as planned, Hawaiian Airlines will then join the Oneworld alliance, which includes British Airways, American, JAL, and others.
However, the takeover is contingent on approval from all relevant authorities. There are still some uncertainties, so the announcement on the specially created website comes with a prominent legal disclaimer.
Both brand names are to be retained
The joint company will be headquartered in Seattle and will be led by the current CEO of Alaska Airlines. However, the airline states that the brand name Hawaiian Airlines will continue to exist even after the takeover. This is a different approach to what they did with Virgin America: the low-cost carrier was acquired by Alaska in 2016, and the brand name was eliminated within a short time.
So far, Alaska Airlines only operates narrow-body aircraft. These don’t feature “real” business class cabins with lie-flat seats; they only have a domestic first class with recliner seats. Hawaiian, on the other hand, operates Airbus A330 and Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft based in Honolulu. This allows them to operate proper long-haul flights, primarily to Japan but also to the South Pacific. The combined route network would then look like this:
One can now speculate whether Alaska Airlines will rethink its strategy and also offer long-haul flights. Currently, the airline serves virtually all destinations between Alaska and the Caribbean. However, suitable aircraft to fly to Europe or Asia are currently lacking.
Hawaiian Airlines will join Oneworld
Especially for frequent flyers, another interesting change will emerge: if the takeover proceeds as planned, Hawaiian Airlines will then become the 15th member of the Oneworld aviation alliance. Oman Air is also set to join the alliance in 2024. Within a few years, Oneworld will have grown by 3 members.
Hawaiian is currently not a member of any alliance but has codeshare agreements with, among others, American Airlines, Delta, United, and Turkish Airlines. Whether these non-alliance partnerships will continue is still unclear. However, for Oneworld frequent flyers, interesting changes could arise:
- They can redeem miles for flights with Hawaiian Airlines.
- They benefit from lounge access, additional baggage allowance, etc., on Hawaiian flights.
- There could be additional options for connecting flights, e.g., Europe – Hawaii – Cook Islands with British & Hawaiian Airlines. However, a direct flight from Europe to Hawaii is currently missing.
Translated by Ditmar
Cover Picture: SuFlyer, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons