Negotiations to Come, but at Least the Announcement Seems Positive

Hawaiian Airlines pilots in the ALPA Master Executive Committee likewise commented on the impending merge with Alaska Airlines, stating they were looking forward to a "bright and productive future as a single, unified pilot group."

Hawaiian Airlines is a bit different from the norm among carriers, being a homegrown interisland operator from the outset. Locals are understandably wary about "big city folk" coming in to start shuffling routes for a vital form of transportation in such an expensive market. It's easy for those accustomed to mainland operations to see the apparent money sink that far-flung aircraft operations are, but Alaska should be the closest thing to a kindred spirit Hawaiian has. They too know what it's like being on the 'frontier' of the country, reliant upon air transport for all their vital goods and urgent travel situations.

Those in the company, and the islands themselves, sound somewhat optimistic online, stating that word around the water cooler appears to paint a merger that will retain the old Hawaiian company culture and routing as it brings new members into the fold. The ALPA Council for HAL, representing more than 1,100 pilots, sounds fairly optimistic, too.

"We are hopeful that this new merger agreement will provide benefits to our guests as well as the pilots of both Hawaiian and Alaska Airlines. While we await further details on this agreement, Hawaiian Airlines’ pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), remain focused on providing safe, responsible transportation service to our passengers throughout the islands and across the Pacific."

FMI: www.alpa.org