HONOLULU (ISLAND NEWS) — Hawaiian Airlines plans trim its workforce by 73 workers as a result of its merger with Alaska Airlines Group. Hawaiian Airlines confirmed these non-contract employees will be out of a job by the end of the year.

57 of those Hawaiian Airlines employees are based in Hawaii and the rest are on the mainland. The carrier says some of the job losses were layoffs, but some of those employees were offered a position and declined to stay on.

Alaska Airlines filed a letter on Friday, Oct. 25 with the state of Hawaii’s Labor Department. It said 52 of the job cuts are from Hawaiian’s headquarters, four at a cargo hangar and one at the airport. Dec. 17 is their last day but they’ll be paid through the end of the year. They will also receive both a retention and a severance package along with job placement services.

Kaipo Bee is an Oahu resident who has traveled on Hawaiian Airlines before. “That’s a shock. I mean, we expected it, but I feel bad for the families being affected. I have family members who are working for Hawaiian [Airlines] and that’s terrible,” Bee said.

Hawaiian Airlines said it has about 1,400 non-contract employees left. Those employees received a permanent or interim position based in Hawaii. The carrier says their roles are to “continue to support Hawaiian’s extensive operational presence across the islands and work to integrate both airlines.

The $1.9 billion Alaska-Hawaiian merger was finalized on Sept. 18.

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