Hawaii’s quick island hops are in for a serious shakeup. Alaska Air Group is rolling out a major overhaul of Hawaiian Airlines’ Neighbor Island operation, announcing Tuesday that it will retire the aging Boeing 717 fleet and bring in Hawaiian-branded Boeing 737-800s starting in 2028, along with four converted 737 freighters for cargo. The shift is pitched as a capacity and comfort boost: more seats, upgraded cabins and faster, free Starlink Wi‑Fi on short interisland flights, plus dedicated freighters for seafood, produce and medical shipments. There is also a preview coming this fall, when one Alaska-branded 737 will begin flying three daily round trips between Daniel K. Inouye International Airport and Kahului out of Terminal 1 beginning in October.
What the plan includes
The carrier laid out the details in a company release, saying the Hawaiian-branded 737-800s will be based in Honolulu and operated by Honolulu-based pilots and flight attendants. The aircraft will feature more First and Premium seats, reclining leather Recaro seats and power outlets at every seat. According to Alaska Airlines, the company is positioning the move as a long-term investment in service quality and the guest experience for Hawai‘i.
Industry analysts say the swap significantly boosts capacity on each flight. The planned 737-800 configuration seats about 161 passengers, compared with roughly 123 to 128 on Hawaiian’s 717s, and roughly doubles First and Premium seating, a change that could reshape how many daily flights are needed. As reported by The Points Guy, Hawaiian currently runs as many as 160 Neighbor Island legs per day across five airports, a dense schedule that residents and businesses lean on for commuting, medical appointments and freight.
Cargo expansion and timing
On the freight side, Alaska plans to lease four Boeing 737-800 Boeing Converted Freighter (BCF) aircraft, lifting its dedicated freighter fleet from five to nine. The new freighters are expected to enter service in the first half of 2027, according to Alaska Airlines. The airline says the additional cargo capacity will be focused on Alaska and Hawai‘i, used to expand international shipping opportunities and improve reliability for time-sensitive goods. Cargo leaders say the extra lift should make it easier to move local seafood, agricultural products and medicine to market on a more consistent basis.
What to watch
The upgrades for freight and cabins come with a catch. Aviation analysts caution that swapping smaller 717s for larger 737s often leads to fewer daily departures on routes with lighter demand, which could cut flight frequency for travelers who rely on multiple options each day. The Air Current has noted that Hawai‘i’s Department of Transportation and other local stakeholders have previously pushed back on schedule changes that risk leaving communities with fewer choices, so upcoming timetables are likely to get close scrutiny. For island commuters and local businesses, the bottom line of more seats but potentially fewer departures will shape whether this transition feels like a win or a step backward.
Alaska is folding these moves into its broader “Alaska Accelerate” three-year plan to build scale and generate about $1 billion in additional profit, a strategy the company says will fund reinvestment in service and infrastructure in Hawai‘i, per Alaska Air Group. Coverage from the Honolulu Star-Advertiser and other industry outlets closely tracks the company announcements; travelers are being told to look for the first Alaska-branded 737 interisland flights this October and the new freighters in 2027 as final schedules are locked in.
_(cropped).jpg){kind=link}