Seattle-based Alaska Airlines
has made its first-ever route changes following the completion of its acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines
. As the two carriers specifically have overlapping routes between Hawaii and the US mainland, capacity adjustments will begin to take shape next year.
The move is somewhat expected, as Alaska strictly operates a narrowbody fleet while Hawaiian has widebodies. Frequency and equipment changes will involve Honolulu and Seattle initially, with Maui and San Diego to follow.
New addition: HA634
According to independent aviation blog Ishrion Aviation, Alaska will implement the adjustments on April 22, 2025. Hawaiian will add a second daily flight between its home base at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL)
and Alaska’s main hub at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA)
. The additional frequency is reportedly permanent.
Photo: Alaska Airlines
The two flights are HA22 and HA634. The former departs Honolulu at 13:15 and arrives in Seattle shortly before 22:00, while the latter is the new add. HA634 is scheduled to be a redeye flight, leaving Honolulu just after 21:30 and arriving in Seattle around 06:15 the next morning. The additional flight and capacity will result in Alaska removing one of its frequencies on the route.
Instead of five daily flights, the carrier will shift to four. However, with a total of six daily flights on the route between both airlines, there will be plenty of seats offered each month.
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According to aviation data and analytics provider Cirium, Hawaiian will operate 60 total flights on the route in April, offering 16,800 seats. Alaska remarkably has 300 frequencies scheduled, resulting in 51,300 seats. Together, the airlines will offer more than 68,000 seats.
A temporary goodbye
Additional route changes will occur over the summer. Beginning June 12th, Hawaiian will no longer operate flights between Kahului Aiport (OGG)
on the island of Maui and San Diego International Airport (SAN)
. This marks a major shake-up as Hawaiian has consistently flown the route for decades. However, it will be a temporary change. Cirium data shows the airline will cease flights, which are operated by the Airbus A321neo
, for a month. On July 12th, the carrier will randomly operate just one flight in both directions before going on another month-long hiatus.
Photo: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock
On August 12th, Hawaiian will return to the route with one daily flight each way. To cover Hawaiian’s absence, Alaska has scheduled a second daily frequency between Maui and San Diego from June 12th. Interestingly, it will keep its twice-daily operation even when Hawaiian restarts flights on the route. In August, the carriers will offer 29,142 seats across 166 frequencies. In September, there are 180 flights scheduled – 120 on Alaska and 60 on Hawaiian – offering 31,860 seats.
Other impending changes?
The changes are likely to be the first of many as the two move forward with the same parent company, Alaska Air Group. There has been speculation that the airlines could introduce cross-fleet operations, such as potentially launching new international routes from Seattle with Hawaiian’s A330s or Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners.
Photo: Angel DiBilio | Shutterstock
While the move would be somewhat out of place, it could be a reality in the future should Alaska see and wish to address demand or compete with other prominent carriers such as Delta Air Lines.
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