WEEKLY NEWS
ALASKA’S BIG PACIFIC PLAY: HAWAIIAN MERGER CLEARS RUNWAY FOR GROWTH AND CAPACITY
BY Oscar SARDINAS
THE Alaska–Hawaiian merger is a power play with global implications. By acquiring Hawaiian Airlines in a US$1.9 billion deal finalised in September 2024, Alaska Air Group has quietly gained more than a transpacific passenger network. It has secured long-haul lift, diversified their fleet, and tapped into dedicated freighter operations, elements that position the combined carrier as a serious player in the U.S. and Asia-Pacific supply chain. While both airlines were historically passenger-focused, this merger gives Alaska Airlines the
tools, and the strategic mandate, to expand in a freight sector where flexibility, aircraft type, and international reach have never been more valuable. “It’s just a few more arrows in our quiver on how we deploy airplanes across our entire network,” said Alaska Air CEO Ben Minicucci, referencing the new fleet range post-merger.
Fleet flexibility Alaska Airlines has long relied on a narrow-body fleet of more than 230 Boeing 737s and nearly 90 Embraer 175s (Alaska Airlines Fleet), ideal for domestic passenger routes and light cargo in belly holds. Hawaiian, in contrast, brings the long haul muscle: 24 Airbus A330-200s, 18 A321neos, 19 Boeing
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717s for inter-island operations, and four delivered Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners, with eight more on order through 2027.
Their game-changer freightside is Hawaiian’s fleet of up to 10 A330-300 freighter conversions, operated under a CMI agreement with Amazon. These aircraft began service in late 2023 and are now fully operational despite earlier delivery delays.
New cargo corridors Hawaiian’s long-haul aircraft are already bringing Alaska’s international ambitions to life. In May 2025, Alaska launched nonstop widebody service from Seattle to Tokyo, soon to be followed by Seoul in October. These routes are officially sold as passenger flights, but offer significant belly cargo potential.
By 2026–2027, Alaska aims to launch routes to Europe using Hawaiian’s refreshed A330s and incoming Dreamliners. Its Seattle hub is being repositioned as a “Global Gateway,” with a goal of serving over a dozen international destinations by 2030.
For forwarders and shippers, this opens new corridors, particularly into underserved secondary markets.
More resilience, more redeployment Beyond international access, the merger introduces much-needed operational resilience. Carriers that rely too heavily on a single aircraft type are more vulnerable to disruption, from fleet groundings to supply chain bottlenecks. A diversified fleet allows Alaska to redeploy assets quickly, allocate aircraft based on freight demand, and tap into widebody belly or main-deck freighter lift.
This flexibility is especially valuable as cross-border e-commerce expands, pharma, and perishables require temperature control, and capacity, and geopolitical shifts create volatility.
Enterprise cargo strategy In September 2024, Alaska elevated cargo to the executive level, appointing Jason Berry, an experienced cargo leader, as EVP of Operations with direct oversight of enterprise cargo strategy, while naming Ian Morgan as VP of Cargo. Morgan now leads the day-to-day cargo operation across the Alaska–Hawaiian network. This move mirrors steps taken by other U.S. carriers to bring cargo out of the shadow of passenger ops and into boardroom-level strategy.
Financial runway and infrastructure upgrades The integration is projected to generate over US$500 million in synergies by 2027, with much of that savings coming from network and fleet optimisation. Alaska’s broader roadmap targets US$1 billion in incremental profit and US$10 EPS by 2027, goals tied in part to maximising cargo earnings potential. Company filings project cargo to deliver at least US$150 million of that total. Hawaiian’s A330s will receive cabin and operational upgrades through 2026, while Alaska begins
phasing in Dreamliners to handle longer international routes with higher cargo payloads and better fuel economics. Meanwhile, ground operations at key cargo nodes—Seattle (SEA), Honolulu (HNL), and Ontario (ONT)—
are being evaluated for expanded handling capability and integrated digital tracking across freight lanes. (Travel PR News)
What it means for freight stakeholders This merger signals more than just an expanded passenger map. It creates a multi-aircraft, transpacific- capable cargo platform that can serve traditional shippers, integrators, and the e-commerce sector with greater optionality, reliability, and reach.
Alaska Air Group now offers:
• Narrow-body lift for high-frequency domestic and regional cargo routes • Widebody belly capacity across the Pacific—and soon, into Europe • Dedicated freighter operations via Hawaiian’s Amazon partnership • Executive-level cargo leadership focused on strategy and growth
As global capacity tightens, yields remain volatile, and customers demand speed and flexibility, Alaska’s pivot marks more than a network expansion. It reflects a broader evolution: cargo is no longer a byproduct of passenger ops—it’s a core growth engine, purpose-built for the next era of air logistics.
ACW11 AUGUST 2025
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