A day after receiving the final regulatory approval from the US Department of Transportation (DOT), Alaska Airlines completed its $1.9bn acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines on September 18, 2024.
"This is a historic day for Alaska Airlines as we officially join with Hawaiian Airlines," said Alaska Air Group CEO Ben Minicucci. "Alaska and Hawaiian share tremendous pride in connecting communities with award-winning service, and we look forward to inviting more guests on board to experience what makes both brands unique."
Minicucci continued: "Among Alaska, Hawaiian and Horizon Air, we have more than 230 years of history flying guests and serving communities. I know we will build on that legacy and become stronger together."
Passengers will be able to buy tickets for most Hawaiian flights through Alaska's website and vice versa starting this month. It will also soon offer the option to purchase Hawaiian international flights to destinations such as Japan, South Korea, and Australia through its website.
Alaska added that later this month, passengers can transfer miles between its own Mileage Plan and HawaiianMiles at "a 1:1 ratio".
The completion of the acquisition also enables passengers to reach 141 destinations directly - including 29 international markets - and over 1,200 destinations globally through the oneworld Alliance and global partners.
The airline company now operates a fleet of 350 aircraft, which includes two 787s, 24 A330s, 18 A321neos, 235 737s, 19 717s, 44 E175s, and eight dedicated freighters.
Alaska said Hawaiian Airlines will maintain its brand with Honolulu established as the Washington-based airline's second largest hub.
The DOT approval marked the final hurdle for the airlines after the US Department of Justice's (DOJ) review period expired on August 19, 2024, and launched no investigation into the merger. This was a significant step in the merger, particularly after investors grew concerned after the DOJ had blocked JetBlue's $3.8bn acquisition of Spirit in January this year before being terminated in March.