Early years (1929–1984) , restored in 2009 by Hawaiian to flying condition.
Inter-Island Airways (Hawaiian: ''''), the forerunner of the airline which is now known as Hawaiian Airlines, was incorporated on January 30, 1929. Inter-Island Airways, a subsidiary of
Inter-Island Steam Navigation Company, began operations on October 6, 1929, with a
Bellanca CH-300 Pacemaker, providing short sightseeing flights over Oʻahu. Scheduled service began a month later on November 11 using
Sikorsky S-38s with a flight from
Honolulu to
Hilo, via intermediary stops on
Molokaʻi and
Maui. s in Santa Monica, California, August 1941 On October 1, 1941, the company's name was changed to Hawaiian Airlines when the company phased out the older Sikorsky S-38 and
Sikorsky S-43 flying boats. The first
Douglas DC-3s were added to the fleet in August 1941, some examples remaining in operation until their final retirement in November 1968. Modern pressurized equipment was introduced in 1952 in the form of the
Convair 340. Further Convair 440s were added from 1959 to 1960, most of the Convairs being converted to turbine propeller power from 1965 to 1967. The last were sold in 1974. Hawaiian Airlines started to offer jet service in 1966 with the acquisition of
Douglas DC-9-10 aircraft, which cut travel times in half on most of its routes. From 1973 onwards, the airline's logo featured the face of Miss Hawaii 1964,
Leina'ala Drummond, who had been a flight attendant with the airline.
Hawaiian Air Cargo From 1976 to 1977 and again from 1978 to 1980, Hawaiian had a mainland air cargo division called Hawaiian Air Cargo based in
Macon, Georgia, focused on the
United States Air Force Logair domestic cargo program. Hawaiian used
Lockheed L-188 Electra freighter aircraft. The airline won an Air Force contract for 1976–1977, but then lost the lease of the aircraft it was using and was unable to bid for 1977–1978. In 1978, Hawaiian tried once more with a new batch of aircraft. Hawaiian Air Cargo operated again 1978–1980, when Hawaiian sold the operation to
Zantop International Airlines.
Growth outside Hawaii (1984–1994) Hawaiian Airlines began to expand its footprint throughout the 1980s as the result of intense competition on inter-island routes created by the entrance of
Mid Pacific Air into the market. In 1985, the company began its first foray outside the inter-island market through charter services to the South Pacific and then throughout the rest of the Pacific using
Douglas DC-8 aircraft. Despite the early successes of this new business, Hawaiian was forced to curtail its charter services when the Federal Government banned all DC-8 and B707 aircraft without
hush kits from operating within the US. Hawaiian did, however, manage to gain a short exemption for its South Pacific services. Throughout 1985 and 1986, Hawaiian Airlines added additional L-1011s to its fleet and used them to open up services to other West Coast gateway cities such as San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, Las Vegas, and Anchorage, which placed Hawaiian in further competition against the major US airlines. Hawaiian Airlines also entered the new international markets of Australia and New Zealand in 1986 with one-stop services through
Pago Pago International Airport. Hawaiian also aggressively grew its international charter business and pursued military transport contracts. This led to a large growth in the company's revenues and caused its inter-island service's share of revenues to shrink to just about a third of the company's total. During the 1980s, Hawaiian also embarked on the development and construction of
Kapalua Airport on the west side of Maui. Opened in 1987, the airport was designed with a , which constrained its ability to handle large aircraft. As a result, when the airport first opened, Hawaiian Airlines was the only inter-island carrier with aircraft capable of serving the airport. With its
de Havilland Canada DHC-7 Dash 7 turboprops, Hawaiian had a distinct competitive advantage in the Maui market. As part of Hawaiian's restructuring, it sold Kapalua Airport to the State of Hawaii in 1993. Hawaiian soon after discontinued service to the airport as it retired its Dash 7 fleet.
All jet fleet (1994–2003) to replace its
Lockheed L-1011 TriStar jets. To replace its retired DC-8s and L-1011s, Hawaiian Airlines leased six DC-10s from
American Airlines, who continued to provide maintenance on the aircraft. An agreement with American also included participation in American's
SABRE reservation system and participation in American Airlines'
AAdvantage frequent flyer program.
Second bankruptcy and reorganization (2003–2005) In March 2003, Hawaiian Airlines filed for
Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for the second time in its history. The airline continued its normal operations, and at the time was overdue for $4.5 million worth of payments to the pilots' pension plan. Within the company, it was suggested that the plan be terminated. As of May 2005, Hawaiian Airlines had received court approval for its reorganization plan. The company emerged from bankruptcy protection on June 2, 2005, with reduced operating costs through renegotiated contracts with its union work groups; restructured aircraft leases; and investment from RC Aviation, a unit of San Diego–based Ranch Capital, which bought a majority share in parent company Hawaiian Holdings Inc in 2004.
Post-bankruptcy (2005–2012) On September 28, 2005, Hawaiian Airlines began nonstop daily flights from Honolulu to
San Jose, California. This made San Jose the fifth gateway city in California to be serviced by Hawaiian; the others were
Los Angeles,
San Diego,
Sacramento, and
San Francisco. On May 4, 2006, Hawaiian Airlines expanded service between the US mainland and Hawaii in anticipation of the induction of four additional Boeing 767–300 aircraft, primarily focused on expanding non-stop service to Kahului Airport from San Diego,
Seattle, and
Portland. Additional flights were also added between Honolulu and the cities of Sacramento, Seattle, and Los Angeles. In 2006, Hawaiian Airlines was rated as the best carrier serving Hawaii by
Travel + Leisure,
Zagat and
Condé Nast Traveler. logo on the forward fuselage of this
Boeing 767-300ER, christened
Hunakai, to commemorate its partnership with the team. On July 24, 2007, Hawaiian Airlines and
Air New Zealand signed a $45 million contract for Air New Zealand to perform heavy maintenance on Hawaiian's Boeing 767 aircraft. This contract lasted for five years. Air New Zealand stated that this opportunity will also give a chance for them to build their expertise working on 767s. In August 2007, the
Seattle Seahawks became the second sports team to begin using Hawaiian Airlines to travel to games. The
Las Vegas Raiders, also of the NFL, have been flying Hawaiian Airlines since the 1990s. The two teams formerly flew on Hawaiian's Boeing 767s to and from all their games, but now travel on Hawaiian's Airbus A330s. Several of Hawaiian's Boeing 767 and A330 aircraft have been fitted with decals of logos of the Raiders. In March 2008, the airline launched nonstop flights to
Manila, capital of Philippines, in the airline's first major international expansion since it emerged from bankruptcy protection in June 2005. In response to the closure of
ATA Airlines and
Aloha Airlines, the airline began flights to
Oakland on May 1, 2008. On February 16, 2010, Hawaiian Airlines sought approval from the
United States Department of Transportation to begin nonstop flights from its hub at
Honolulu to
Tokyo-Haneda sometime in 2010. The airline was one of five US carriers – the others being
Delta Air Lines,
Continental Airlines,
United Airlines and
American Airlines — seeking approval to serve Haneda as part of the U.S.-Japan OpenSkies agreement. Approval was granted from USDOT to begin nonstop service to Haneda, Japan. The flight began service on November 18, 2010. In addition, the airline established a codeshare agreement with
All Nippon Airways that lasted until March 2018. On January 12, 2011, Hawaiian Airlines began nonstop service to Seoul-Incheon, South Korea. On March 31, 2011, Hawaiian announced that they will be renovating the check-in lobby of the inter-island terminal at the Honolulu International Airport (Hawaiian's main hub). Hawaiian, the only occupant of the inter-island terminal, will be removing the traditional check-in counter, to install six circular check-in islands in the middle of the lobbies. Those check-in islands can be used for inter-island, mainland, and international flights. On July 12, 2011, Hawaiian added Osaka, Japan to its network. On November 17, 2011, Hawaiian ordered five additional
Airbus A330-200 aircraft. On June 4, 2012, Hawaiian expanded to the east coast with daily flights to New York's
John F. Kennedy International Airport. On August 30, 2012, Hawaiian filed an application with the U.S. Department of Transportation for a nonstop route between
Kona and
Tokyo-Haneda. This would fill a void that Japan Airlines left when it ceased service to
Kona nearly two years earlier. On December 3, 2012, the airline unveiled plans to begin flights to
Taipei, Taiwan, beginning July 9, 2013, as part of its aggressive expansion plans.
Further expansion and new subsidiary carrier (2013–2023) On February 11, 2013, the airline announced a new venture in the turboprop inter-island business, "'
Ohana by Hawaiian". The service is operated by
Empire Airlines using ATR 42–500 turboprop airplanes. The service began on March 11, 2014, to
Molokaʻi and
Lānaʻi. The airline expanded more "ʻOhana by Hawaiian" routes between
Kahului,
Kailua-Kona and
Hilo during the summer of 2014. On April 10, 2013, the airline announced its first destination in China, with service to
Beijing expected to start on April 16, 2014, pending government approval. At the same time, the airline announced that it would end service to Manila on July 31, 2013. On July 11, 2013, the airline signed a codeshare agreement with
China Airlines. On March 12, 2014, Hawaiian announced that it would begin daily service between
Kahului and
Los Angeles on May 2, adding a second flight from June 30 to September 8 in response to passenger demand. It would also begin nonstop summer service between Los Angeles and both
Līhuʻe, Kauaʻi, and
Kona, Hawaiʻi. On August 14, 2014, the airline announced direct service between
Kahului and
San Francisco beginning in November. On January 5, 2015, Hawaiian refiled its previously rejected application with the
U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) for the Kona-Haneda route with service, if approved, to begin in June. The request was prompted by a DOT decision in December 2014 to review the public interest in
Delta Air Lines' Seattle-Tokyo route after Delta reduced the frequency of those flights from daily to seasonal. On March 31, DOT again denied the request, opting instead to allow Delta to continue operating the route, with
American Airlines taking over if Delta's planned service continued to fail. On May 1, 2017, the airline revealed a new logo and livery for its aircraft. On March 6, 2018, the airline announced an order for 10 Boeing 787–9 Dreamliners with options for an additional ten; selecting GE GEnx engines. An order for an additional two 787-9 aircraft was announced on January 4, 2023, converted from existing options. Due to the economic effects of the
COVID-19 pandemic, Hawaiian Airlines reported a net loss of over $100 million for the Q2 of 2020. Fourteen-day travel quarantines, which were reinstated for August 2020 have also contributed to Hawaiian Airlines' plans to downsize the company by 15–25% by summer 2021. On May 27, 2021, Hawaiian announced that it would discontinue the 'Ohana by Hawaiian brand and its cargo and passenger services after the pandemic and resulting quarantine significantly impacted inter-island travel. The interruptions in service forced the airline to reconsider the viability of the operation and determine it was no longer feasible. The carrier's ATR fleet would be moved to the
mainland and be prepared for sale. On April 25, 2022, Hawaiian Airlines announced they will become the first major air carrier to offer the
SpaceX Starlink service on all transpacific flights. The service will be offered free to passengers beginning in 2023. In September 2024, Hawaiian announced it had installed Starlink on its
Airbus fleet.
Acquisition by Alaska Air Group (2023–present ) In December 2023,
Alaska Airlines announced that it
would merge with Hawaiian Airlines by purchasing it for $1.9 billion in cash along with an assumption of approximately $900 million in outstanding debt. Airline industry analysts had promoted the merger for years which would create a combined carrier focused on the western United States. The merger would provide Alaska, which is primarily a domestic carrier with
narrowbody aircraft, with Hawaiian's widebody jets, pilots, and international networks. The merger would retain both Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines as separate brands; Hawaiian Airlines would also become a
Oneworld member. The proposed merger was approved by shareholders of Hawaiian Airlines in April 2024, following earlier approval from both
Alaska Air Group and Hawaiian Holdings, Inc. Under the Biden administration, the
U.S. Department of Justice had worked to prevent further consolidation in the airline industry, so it was initially unclear whether the department would file suit against the merger, with analysts noting differences between the proposal and prior proposals opposed by the administration. The main area of regulatory concern was likely that the deal would put about 40% of the traffic between Hawaii and the mainland U.S. in one company's hands. On August 19, 2024, the
U.S. Department of Justice completed its regulatory antitrust review of the proposed acquisition and declined to attempt to block the merger in court. On September 17, 2024, the regulator from the
U.S. Department of Transportation approved the merger, with conditions including the one-to-one exchange rate for airline points, maintenance of "robust levels" of inter-island passenger and cargo flights, continued service to rural Hawaiian communities, the permission for children under the age of thirteen to sit next to accompanying adults regardless of their tickets, as well as lowered costs for military members and their families. Alaska Airlines emphasized its experience operating an intra-Alaska network including service to 16 destinations not reachable by road while pledging to maintain a robust inter-island schedule in Hawaii to neighbor islands. The
Wall Street Journal speculated that consolidation would lead to higher prices for consumers on flights to Hawaii although this was disputed by the companies. When the merger was announced, Gov.
Josh Green (HI) promised that he and the attorney general
Anne Lopez would monitor the merger "very closely" adding that both "are very high-quality companies, but ultimately, I will be watching to make sure all of our state's needs are met and all of our workers are cared for." In February 2024,
Richard Bissen (mayor of Maui County),
Rick Blangiardi (mayor of the City and County of Honolulu),
Derek Kawakami (mayor of Kauai County), and
Mitch Roth (mayor of Hawaiʻi County) published an open letter in the
Honolulu Star-Advertiser declaring their support for the merger as "good for Hawaiʻi" and enhance service to neighbor islands. On September 18, 2024, Alaska Air Group completed the acquisition of Hawaiian Holdings, Inc. The company announced in August 2025 that HawaiianMiles and Alaska's MilagePlan would be replaced by a new frequent-flyer program called
Atmos Rewards. The last day to redeem HawaiianMiles was set for September 25, with all remaining miles rolled over to Atmos Rewards by October 1. On October 29, 2025, Hawaiian Airlines adopted Alaska Airlines'
ICAO airline designator 'ASA' and
call sign 'ALASKA' upon receiving a single
air operator's certificate (AOC) from the
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The final flight using Hawaiian's ICAO designator 'HAL' and call sign 'HAWAIIAN' was flight HA866 from
Pago Pago to Honolulu. Alaska Air Group continues to use the Hawaiian Airlines brand for flights to, from, and within Hawaii; these are operated by Alaska Airlines and marketed as 'operated by Alaska as Hawaiian Airlines'. On April 22, 2026, the integration to a single
passenger service system was completed, enabling all Hawaiian-branded flights to transition from their original
IATA designator 'HA' to Alaska's 'AS'. On April 23, 2026, Hawaiian Airlines joined
oneworld. == Corporate affairs ==