Hawaiian Airlines To Make Seattle A Hub

Hawaiian Airlines recently received approval for Alaska Airlines to take over its business in consolidation efforts and announced fresh plans.

Labelled Alaska Accelerate, the combined vision for the airlines has been unveiled to offer remarkable travel experience to people around the world while underpinning key qualities that have been present for some time.

One of the big announcements from the Alaska Accelerate press release is that Seattle will become a new global gateway, and long-haul widebody planes will be featured from the popular city moving forward.

Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian already operate over 1,400 daily flights, which feature across 140 cities and 1,200 destinations, when factoring in all the global airlines that act as core partners highlighted through the membership to the oneworld alliance.

With Hawaiian Airlines ‘ first nonstop routes, Seattle’s gateway will be launched, connecting guests through various markets.

Daily nonstop flights between Seattle and Tokyo Narita will commence on 12 May 2025, with enhanced travel now possible to the popular city on Airbus A330-200 aircraft. Furthermore, thanks to partner Japan Airlines, great opportunities have presented themselves for onward connectivity through Asia.

Meanwhile, Hawaiian Airlines will offer nonstop service between Seattle and Seoul Incheon, which is scheduled to begin in October 2025. These flights are all now available for booking on the website.

While the services above are considered fresh, Seattle’s usage isn’t expected to stop here. Moving forward, including Tokyo Narita and Seoul Incheon, the vision will see Hawaiian Airlines operate to at least 12 nonstop destinations with long-haul widebody aircraft from what is being called the Seattle gateway.

The newly combined domestic network will also see strategic changes where required, including what aircraft are flown and when services are to be operated. The Group focuses primarily on improving overall performance, expanding growth, and more.

Hawaiian Airlines will see 20% more seats between Seattle and Honolulu, with three of the six daily nonstop flights operated on widebody aircraft instead of narrowbodies. The aircraft enhancement will enable greater passenger and cargo capacity.

Portland will also see three daily flights to Honolulu, with a 25% increase in available seats. San Diego will form an important pillar of the West Coast gateway, with adjusted departure times to maximize other services.

Continuous enhancements will occur, such as the optimal usage of Hawaiian’s larger A330 aircraft on markets during periods of the year that require the capacity. Continued shifts and studying trends will be pivotal in optimising the usage of these widebody jets.

New nonstop services will continue to be added to the airline, while next-generation aircraft such as the 787-9 and A321, which already fly daily, will see their total numbers in the air increase moving forward. For example, the A321s will fly 25% more daily, mitigating the impact of 737 MAX delays.

Lastly, the pair have said they expect the process to secure a single operating certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to begin no later than October 2025.