Hawaiian Airlines branding to disappear from Alaska Airlines Boeing 787s ahead of London launch
August 5, 2025
Alaska Airlines continues its push for global expansion, following the acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines last year. The carrier has today unveiled a brand new look for the Boeing 787s it acquired from Hawaiian, and Pualani is gone.
By spring 2026, Alaska Airlines plans to repaint all its 787 Dreamliners in the new Northern Lights-inspired livery, marking its transition to a global airline. As well as reflecting the Aurora Borealis, often seen in its home state, Alaska Airlines says some details are designed to echo its classic liveries of the ’70s and ’80s, like the horizontal cheatline.
“Our new 787 exterior embodies Alaska’s transition to a global airline with beauty, grace and a nod to our heritage,” says Andrew Harrison Alaska Airlines’ Chief Commercial Officer. “As we significantly expand to new destinations around the globe, we’re eager for more and more travellers to recognise our new livery as being Alaska Airlines and appreciate the outstanding service we’ve long been known for.”
The airline isn’t planning any changes to the cabins on the Dreamliners, but given all the aircraft have been delivered to Hawaiian in the couple of years (along with a very nice interior), it’s not really necessary.
Alaska Airlines plans London flights for its newly liveried Boeing 787
Alaska has said it plans to offer daily service to London Heathrow from its hub in Seattle, calling the British Capital “one of the most sought-after international destinations and business markets.”
Also announced is a new service to Reykjavik in Iceland, using Alaska’s Boeing 737 MAX, which will not have the new livery.
The airline had already indicated that flights to Rome would commence with the arrival of its first owned Dreamliner.
At present, all its 787s were acquired as part of the Hawaiian Airlines merger, and despite operating international Alaska Airlines flights out of Seattle, all four are still in Hawaiian Airlines livery.
Since acquiring the widebody jets, Alaska Airlines has been growing the list of long-haul routes out of its Seattle home base.
Hawaiian Airlines originally ordered 12 Boeing 787 Dreamliners, of which just two had been delivered by 18 September 2024, when the takeover was concluded. Since then, Hawaiian Airlines has received a further two 787s, with the latest – Me’e – joining in June.
All Hawaiian’s seven outstanding 787s will be delivered to Alaska Airlines, but that’s not all. The group exercised options to acquire another five Dreamliners as well. In total, Alaska Airlines will operate 17 Dreamliners, fuelling a long-awaited international expansion.
Is it the beginning of the end for Hawaiian Airlines’ branding?
When the acquisition was agreed, Alaska Airlines pledged to keep ‘two brands, one airline‘. The carrier’s track record on maintaining two brands doesn’t inspire confidence; following its takeover of Virgin America in 2016, just one year and four months passed before the VA brand disappeared from the US for good.
Naturally, Alaska Airlines purists and Hawaiian Airlines fans have lamented the new livery; Alaska Airlines sought to reassure its passengers:
“The Alaska Native on Alaska narrowbody aircraft and Pualani on all Hawaiian Airlines’ aircraft flying to, from and within the Hawaiian Islands are not going away. They will remain unchanged as essential elements of our brands’ legacies and history.”
While that might be true of some of the other Hawaiian Airlines-branded aircraft, the 787s were always seen as the crown jewel in the acquisition deal, and will lose their Hawaiian identity less than 18 months after the deal was sealed.
But that doesn’t mean the end of Hawaiian’s widebody services. The airline will retain its fleet of Airbus A330s, A320 family aircraft, and Boeing 717s, providing intra-island, continental and international services.
In fact, the A330 experience on Hawaiian Airlines is about to get better. The airline had originally planned to phase out the 24 aircraft, which have an average age of over 12 years, as the 787s arrived. Now, Hawaiian’s A330-200s will stay, and get an upgrade.
“To enhance the travel experience for our guests, we are making substantial investments to the onboard experience over the next few years, including all-new interiors with updated lie-flat seats, a new premium economy cabin and upgraded main cabin seats,” Alaska Airlines says. “New premium products and amenities will match the exceptional service provided by our flight attendants. “
Eliminating the Hawaiian Airlines brand makes no sense for Alaska Airlines. The level of loyalty among both Islanders and those further afield makes a strong case for keeping Pualani and the iconic purple. Then again, Virgin America had strong brand loyalty too…
