The Alaska-Hawaiian acquisition is complete. What does it mean for Alaskans?

Alaska Airlines planes shuffle astir and parkland astatine various Seattle-Tacoma International Airport gates connected Jan. 5, 2022. (Jeff Chen/Alaska Public Media)

Alaska Airlines completed its $1.9 billion acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines connected Sept. 18. Alaska Airlines is promising customers nan expertise to acquisition flights connected some websites, and much options for redeeming miles connected world routes. The U.S. Transportation Department is requiring nan airlines support work to Alaska and Hawaii’s agrarian communities. 

Alaska Airlines did not respond to a petition for comment.

But what do we cognize astir what nan woody intends for travelers successful Hawaii and Alaska? Scott McMurren, who writes nan Alaska Travelgram newsletter, said nan woody has benefits for Alaskans.

Scott McMurren: I deliberation that nan large use for Alaskans is entree to Hawaiian’s world routes. Pago Pago successful American Samoa, they besides spell to Tahiti, Auckland and Sydney. And past also, Hawaiian flies to 4 airports successful Japan, and besides to Seoul, South Korea. Those are, to me, nan nuggets of this Hawaiian woody for Alaskans.

Ava White: Do you person immoderate penetration connected what nan imaginable downsides for Alaskans mightiness be?

SM: I deliberation that there’s a anticipation of immoderate dilution of that reward pool. And this goes moreover without nan Hawaiian purchase. Frequent flier miles successful general, and Alaska Airlines miles and Hawaiian miles successful particular, are a depreciating asset. It’s for illustration driving a caller car disconnected nan lot. I deliberation that this whitethorn service Alaska’s firm ambitions nicely, but it goes towards diluting nan rewards going forward, successful a wide way.

AW: How mightiness this effect tourism successful Alaska?

SM: Just arsenic it offers much options for america to spell south, it besides offers much options for Pacific Islanders and those successful nan South Pacific to travel north. If you talk astir tourism successful Alaska, you gotta talk astir nan cruise numbers, and nan airlift goes chiefly to support those large numbers. You’re really talking about, you know, moving cruise passengers successful and moving cruise passengers out.

AW: In Hawaii, nan stakes of nan woody are overmuch higher. Residents are worried astir perchance higher summons costs and losing inter-island routes erstwhile nan proscription section protections expire successful 2030. 

Hawaiian’s CEO, Joe Sprague, told Hawaii Public Radio nan woody will sphere thousands of national jobs, and nan mostly of non-union workers will “receive immoderate shape of connection to proceed guardant pinch nan company.”

I said pinch Hawaii Public Radio newsman Catherine Cruz, who’s been covering this rumor and met pinch Hawaiian’s CEO earlier this week. She said Hawaiians are apprehensive astir nan acquisition.

Catherine Cruz: We person seen galore airlines spell retired of business. And it’s not pretty, you know, from nan nonaccomplishment of jobs pinch pilots and formation attendants and crushed unit aliases cargo, you know, telephone centers, it’s tough. And arsenic an land state, we dangle connected our harbors and our airports. There are, they are our lifelines. So whenever immoderate of our airlines are successful problem financially, you know, we get worried.

Many of our workers caput to nan neighbour islands for building jobs. So immoderate nonaccomplishment of work is simply a large one. There’s besides interest astir folks [who] often alert to Honolulu for aesculapian reasons, for doctor’s appointments, that benignant of thing. So we really are nan lifeline. 

AW: Alaska Airlines has said it will support nan Hawaiian brand, what’s holding Alaska Airlines to this commitment?

CC: The regulators person weighed in, our politician has weighed in. A batch of folks person expressed nan desire to support our brand, conscionable because it reflects a batch of nan civilization present successful Hawaii. But we are tense because we do person extracurricular companies swoop in, and they do make changes. We conscionable person to clasp them, clasp their feet to nan fire.

AW: Honolulu is already bustling pinch tourism. Do you deliberation that this could strain resources more?

CC: Obviously nan hoteliers want to spot their hotels filled, possibly residents don’t want to spot 10 cardinal visitors, for illustration what we saw conscionable earlier nan pandemic. So, yeah, location needs to beryllium a balance. There is an effort to effort and negociate nan visitant numbers. So you know, you person to onslaught a equilibrium betwixt providing nan proscription of work betwixt nan different islands and keeping our system pumping.