Hawaiian Airlines brandmate, Alaska, may be getting the big fleet additions, but Hawaiian has some good news for its loyalists as well, including access to a wider raft of partner airline flights when it joins the OneWorld alliance in April.
In addition, the company has announced a $600 million program to upgrade facilities at five airports it serves in the islands and to upgrade and refresh cabins in its long-haul fleet of A330s—and there’s also a new loyalty-program special perk for Hawaii residents.
The airport renovations at Honolulu, Lihue on Kauai, Kahului on Maui and at Kona and Hilo on the Big Island will offer better seating, more open space and more charging ports. The upgrades for the A330s will include adding Premium Economy sections. The A330s were Hawaiian’s oldest long-haul planes; its newer 787s have transferred to Alaska to start its Europe routes from Seattle.
Hawaiian will also build a huge new lounge (above) at Honolulu for its premium passengers; the plan reflects Honolulu’s planned role as a transfer hub for trans-Pacific passengers on routes operated by both Alaska and Hawaiian.
