HONOLULU — Alaska Air Group, the parent company of Alaska Airlines, announced Tuesday a new Honolulu leadership team would take over at the helm of Hawaiian Airlines, following the U.S. Department of Transportation’s approval of the merger with Hawaiian Airlines earlier in the day.
The interim Honolulu leadership team will guide Hawaiian Airlines operations as the two airlines merge and create a combined airline with a single operating certificate. After the merger, the airlines will continue to operate under two separate brands, according to a release.
Alaska is still working to get a single operating certification from the Federal Aviation Administration before the merger will be completed. Until then, Alaska and Hawaiian will operate as one organization with two separate airline operations and two operating certificates.
As previously stated, Hawaiian Airlines President and CEO Peter Ingram will now step down from his role.
Alaska has named Joe Sprague, who is currently the Alaska Airlines regional president of Hawaii/Pacific, the new CEO of Hawaiian Airlines. He will lead all aspects of Hawaiian Airlines’ operations until the FAA grants Alaska a single operating certificate.
Along with Sprague, several senior executives from Hawaiian Airlines will complete the interim Honolulu leadership team.
These leaders include:
- EVP, Administration – Shannon Okinaka
- SVP, Human Resources – Robin Kobayashi
- SVP, Tech Ops (Maintenance & Engineering, Flight Ops and System Operations Control Center) – Jim Landers
- VP, Airport Operations and In-Flight – Lokesh Amaranayaka
- Managing Director, Safety – Terry Hill
- Director, Brand and Culture – Alisa Onishi
Also, the current regional VP of Hawaii for Alaska Airlines, Daniel Chun, will be part of the Honolulu leadership team, overseeing community and cultural relations, government affairs and Hawaii sales.
Michelle Broder Van Dyke covers the Hawaiian Islands for Spectrum News Hawaii. Email her at michelle.brodervandyke@charter.com.