Alaska Airlines 737s Are About to Start Flying Between the Hawaiian Islands – Airport Spotting
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The familiar sight of Hawaiian Airlines Boeing 717s hopping between the Hawaiian Islands is about to be joined by something rather different.
From 3 October 2026, Alaska Airlines will begin using one of its own Boeing 737-800s on regular inter-island flights between Honolulu and Kahului on Maui.
It is the latest – and perhaps most visible – sign yet of the changes taking place following the merger of Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines. It also gives us an early glimpse of what life after Hawaiian’s much-loved Boeing 717 fleet will look like.
Alaska 737s Flying Between Honolulu and Maui
DB Aviation, CC BY 4.0
From 3 October, an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-800 will operate three daily return flights between Honolulu (HNL) and Kahului Airport (OGG).
That should make the Alaska-liveried 737 a regular and very noticeable presence for spotters at both airports.
The aircraft is being introduced to provide extra passenger and cargo capacity on what is one of Hawaii’s busiest inter-island routes.
At Honolulu, passengers using these flights will check in at Terminal 1 – traditionally associated with Hawaiian Airlines’ operations – rather than following the normal Alaska Airlines arrangements.
The Beginning of the End for Hawaiian’s Boeing 717s?
For aviation enthusiasts, the bigger story is inevitably what this means for the Boeing 717.
Hawaiian Airlines has become synonymous with the type. Its fleet of 19 Boeing 717-200s spends its days performing intensive short sectors between Honolulu and destinations including Kahului, Kona, Hilo and Lihue.
These aircraft can perform multiple take-offs and landings every day, and the 717 has proven particularly well suited to this kind of high-cycle flying.
But the aircraft are getting old.
Alaska Air Group currently lists 19 examples in the fleet, with an average age of more than 24 years. Along with Delta Air Lines, Hawaiian is now one of only two airlines still operating the Boeing 717 anywhere in the world.
That rarity has made Hawaiian’s aircraft especially popular with enthusiasts who travel to the islands.
For many, a short 717 flight between the islands has become almost as important as the destination itself. Sadly, that opportunity now has an expiry date.
Boeing 737-800 Will Replace the 717
Earlier this year, Alaska Air Group finally answered the question of what will replace Hawaiian’s 717s.
The answer is the Boeing 737-800.
The transition is expected to begin during 2028, with the 717s progressively retired and replaced by a dedicated fleet of 737-800s.
There is, however, one important difference between those future aircraft and the 737 arriving this October.
The eventual replacements will wear Hawaiian Airlines colours.
Alaska has confirmed that the future inter-island fleet will consist of Hawaiian-branded Boeing 737-800s, based in Honolulu and ultimately flown by Honolulu-based pilots and cabin crew.
So the Alaska-liveried aircraft appearing in October should be viewed as something of a stop-gap rather than necessarily signalling the disappearance of the Hawaiian identity from the islands.
Nevertheless, it will create an interesting transitional period.
For the first time, passengers and spotters will regularly see aircraft carrying Alaska Airlines’ distinctive Eskimo tail operating the short hops that have traditionally been the domain of Hawaiian.
Why the 737-800?
At first glance, replacing a Boeing 717 with a much larger Boeing 737-800 might seem an unusual choice.
Inter-island flying in Hawaii is demanding. Flights are short, aircraft accumulate take-off and landing cycles rapidly, and the salty marine environment adds another challenge for aircraft and engines.
Yet Alaska believes the 737-800 is robust enough for the job. The airline describes it as a proven aircraft capable of coping with the high-cycle nature of the operation, while also providing significantly more passenger and cargo capacity.
Hawaiian’s 717s seat up to 128 passengers, including eight First Class seats.
Alaska’s 737-800s accommodate 161 passengers, including 16 First Class seats and more than 30 Premium Class seats. The future Hawaiian examples will also offer reclining Recaro seats, power and USB charging, device holders and free Starlink Wi-Fi.
There’s also more room underneath for baggage and cargo – including, appropriately enough, surfboards.
What Will a Hawaiian Airlines 737 Look Like?
This is where things become particularly interesting for spotters. The 737 operating from October will remain unmistakably an Alaska Airlines aircraft.
But from 2028 we should start seeing 737-800s wearing full Hawaiian Airlines branding.
Alaska has already released renderings showing what the combination will look like, with Hawaiian’s familiar Pualani tail design applied to the Boeing narrowbody.
The decision to retain Hawaiian branding for the permanent fleet is significant. When Alaska’s takeover of Hawaiian was announced, one of the obvious questions was how much of Hawaiian’s identity would survive under its new ownership.
The company has repeatedly emphasised its dual-brand strategy, and putting Hawaiian colours onto the replacement inter-island fleet is perhaps one of the clearest demonstrations yet that the brand is intended to remain.
Catch the Hawaiian 717 While You Can
Hawaiian Boeing 717 at Lihue Airport. Robert Linsdell, CC BY 2.0
For enthusiasts, the message is becoming increasingly clear. If flying on or photographing a Hawaiian Airlines Boeing 717 is on your aviation bucket list, the next couple of years may be the time to do it.
The airline’s aircraft remain among the easiest 717s in the world to see, with constant departures and arrivals at Honolulu throughout the day. But their retirement is no longer some distant possibility.
We now know the replacement type, we know the transition is planned to begin in 2028 – and from October 2026 the first 737 will already be flying alongside them. It should make Honolulu an interesting airport for enthusiasts over the next couple of years.
You’ll still have the distinctive Hawaiian 717s roaring between the islands – but increasingly they’ll be sharing the ramps and runways with the aircraft that represents their future.
Are you sad to see the Hawaiian Boeing 717 era coming to an end? And what do you think of the 737-800 as its replacement? Let us know in the comments below.
