Two years after Alaska Air Group closed its $1.9 billion acquisition of Hawaiian Holdings, the combined airline says the merger is ahead of schedule financially and has added more than 1,100 net new jobs across Hawaii and the mainland.
The milestone comes as the September 18 anniversary approaches. Alaska CEO Ben Minicucci and Hawaiian Airlines CEO Diana Birkett Rakow told reporters the combined carrier has hit its financial targets ahead of schedule, completed several major integration milestones, and is moving toward a single operating identity.
Minicucci's self-grade: a solid B.
"A would have been like totally flawless and no issues," he said. "But I'm super proud of our employees for everything that they've accomplished."
What's been completed
The integration checklist is legitimately long. In September 2025, the two carriers received a single FAA operating certificate. In October, they launched a unified loyalty program. In April 2026, a single passenger service system went live, connecting both airlines' websites, apps, airport kiosks and reservation records.
On the financial side, Alaska Air Group reported second-quarter revenue of $4.1 billion, with a net loss of $76 million that beat analyst expectations. The company is targeting $1 billion in merger synergies by 2027. Minicucci said they're ahead on several of those targets.
The jobs number
Since the deal closed, the company has hired more than 1,497 new employees, mostly in Hawaii-based union roles. At the same time, 383 of 418 nonunion Hawaiian Airlines employees who received WARN notices have left. Net result: over 1,100 more jobs than when the merger started.
Today there are nearly 6,100 Hawaiian Airlines employees across the islands and about 7,200 systemwide.
What Hawaii travelers and businesses should know
Hawaiian's Boeing 787 fleet is being repainted in Alaska's global livery for international routes out of Seattle, opening one-stop connections to Paris, London, Rome, Reykjavik and Athens. The planes are still staffed by Hawaiian crews for now.
The interisland fleet gets upgraded starting 2028. Boeing 737-800s from Alaska's existing fleet will replace Hawaiian's aging interisland planes. Cargo capacity is set to nearly double by 2027.
The part that is not done yet
Joint labor agreements. That is the big item still on the table. Until those get signed, Alaska and Hawaiian employees stay on separate contracts.
"We're not done. We are still in integration." -- Diana Birkett Rakow, Hawaiian Airlines CEO
Minicucci expects union negotiations to move over the next six to 24 months. The Hawaiian brand stays on the tail of the plane. Two brands, one airline, and for the islands, the aloha spirit is not going anywhere.