Hawaiian Airlines Would Join Oneworld Alliance If Alaska Airlines Merger Is Successful

14.05.2024 - 19:41 / travelpulse.com / Spirit Airlines / Hawaiian Airlines / Peter Ingram / Rich Thomaselli

Either Hawaiian Airlines knows something that we don’t, or it is just being prudent and making plans ahead of time.

With a possible merger with Alaska Airlines still in the balance, Hawaiian said that if it is successful it will join the Oneworld Alliance.

CEO Peter Ingram made the proclamation.

That is predicated, of course, upon Justice Department approval of the merger.

The Alliance is a group of 13 global airlines that have banded together to steer international traffic to their respective carriers. Currently, Hawaiian Airlines does have individual partnerships with other airlines, but is not a member of one large, specific group.

"We feel very good about the combination because it is pro-consumer and pro-competition. There are not a lot of overlapping routes between Alaska and Hawaiian, but where there are, there are other carriers also flying the same city pairs," Ingram told Forbes magazine.

"Both Alaska and Hawaiian have fiercely loyal followings in their home markets. This was evident in Hawaii when the merger was announced, with many locals worried about their home-grown airline losing its uniquely Hawaiian touch," he said.

"While the airline won't be locally owned anymore, both brands will operate separately, meaning the Hawaiian touches will stay the same. Both Hawaiian and Alaska are almost a century old, and each brand is very important to the community in its home markets."

The DOJ has until August 5 to decide on the merger. Earlier this year, a judge blocked a merger attempt between JetBlue and Spirit Airlines.

"As a smaller airline, we have to be creative and scrappy to stay competitive," Ingram said. "This challenge is what keeps me up at night, but also what gets me up in the morning."

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