How Alaska Airlines Is Reshaping the Future of the Hawaiian Airlines Fleet

Alaska Airlines has completed its acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines, setting off a fleet modernization process that leaves some aircraft upgraded and others facing an uncertain future. While the buyout gives Alaska control of Hawaiian’s network, it has simultaneously deprived the carrier of its planned Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner fleet without direct replacement.

For now, Alaska is concentrating on upgrading the interiors of Hawaiian’s 24 Airbus A330-200 airliners while preparing to retire its aging Boeing 717 regional jets. At the same time, the future of Hawaiian’s most modern fleet, the A321neo, remains in limbo.

Cabin Overhauls and the A330 Modernization Timeline

In September 2026, Hawaiian Airlines announced it was overhauling its A330 cabins. During an Investor Day in Seattle hosted by parent company Alaska Air Group, Hawaiian unveiled plans to reconfigure its widebody fleet with new interiors and four cabin types by 2028. The upgrade targets the airline’s 24 Airbus A330-200 airliners, which currently average 13.4 years of service.

DID ALASKA SAVE HAWAIIAN AIRLINES, OR DESTROY IT?This merger was always going to be tough for a proud state that had and needed a hometown airline. The Hawaiian brand is still here. An independent airline focused only on Hawaii isn't.Here's how it's going. pic.twitter.com/xEUKer00Tf

— https://x.com/adampnathan/status/2095210404679229470

Hawaiian Airlines CEO Diana Birkett Rakow detailed the upcoming layout during the announcement. “The front cabin will be the Leihoku Suites, full lie flat seats with a door closed suite,” Rakow explained. “The second cabin is something called premium reserve, so think of that as like domestic business class with a little bit larger seats, larger pitch, a different level of service, and then there’s premium economy and main cabin.”

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The retrofit removes four economy (main cabin) seats to replace them with 12 high-class seats. While the changes will not directly lower interisland prices, the airline stated they will indirectly help by letting the airline earn more from high-class passengers. “When you have more revenue coming from the front of the airplane, that takes the pressure off the back of the airplane,” Rakow noted.

The upgraded A330 cabins will feature:

Leihoku Suites: 22 lie-flat suites in a 1-2-1 layout with sliding doors and 19-inch 4K screens, replacing the current 18 business class seats.
Premium Reserve: A cabin offering 38 inches of seat pitch and 16-inch OLED touchscreens.
Main Cabin: Standard economy equipped with new 13-inch 4K OLED touchscreens, with a total of 204 economy class seats, of which 48 will be ‘Premium Class.’.
Amenities: Chef-designed dining with wine pairings, hotel-quality bedding, Starlink WiFi for Atmos Rewards members, and dedicated check-in and concierge service in Honolulu and Seattle.

Additionally, the airline plans to open a new lounge in Honolulu’s Terminal 1 with capacity for 200 guests in early 2028.

The Retirement of the Boeing 717 Fleet

Hawaiian’s 19-strong fleet of 717 aircraft is scheduled for retirement as maintenance costs mount. Delta Air Lines and Hawaiian stand as the sole commercial passenger carriers flying the 717 following QantasLink’s retirement of its aircraft.

Originally marketed as the McDonnell Douglas MD-95 in the early 1990s, the 717 shares lineage with the MD-80 and Douglas DC-9 families. However, rising fuel prices have exposed the type’s fuel-efficiency shortcomings. Beyond fuel costs, the aircraft suffer from mounting maintenance expenses driven by heavy maintenance checks, structural inspections, corrosion remediation, and issues maintaining its Rolls-Royce BR715 engines.

Hawaiian will replace its 717s with 737-800 aircraft transferred from Alaska starting in 2028, with one 737-800 already delivered. These jets will feature an Alaska-style premium narrowbody interior with 16 domestic ‘First Class’ seats featuring reclining leather Recaro seats.

Uncertainty Surrounding the A321neo Fleet

The future of Hawaiian’s 18 Airbus A321neo aircraft, which are the most modern and fuel-efficient in the fleet, is uncertain. While Alaska hasn’t committed to keeping them, it has also avoided announcing any plans to sell them off. Management at Alaska previously noted that the carrier’s 18 A321neos likely constitute too small a group to support as a permanent subfleet, leaving the jets in a holding pattern leading up to 2027–2028.

Alaska, Hawaiian Airlines on decade of Honolulu Pride support

Earlier statements from Alaska’s chief financial officer indicate the carrier will either expand the A321neo fleet twofold or eliminate it completely. Given these lingering doubts, Hawaiian sees little justification in giving these cabins the same overhaul treatment planned for the A330s.

Alternatively, Alaska could replace the A321neo with the stretched 737 MAX 10. That aircraft offers similar passenger capacity, although it has a shorter range. The A321XLR is another theoretical option for longer-haul thin routes, though it does not seem Hawaiian planned to purchase the variant pre-acquisition.

For now, it remains to be seen where Alaska will take Hawaiian’s future narrowbody fleet, while Alaska Air Group has around 168 firm 737 MAX orders and options for another 71.