Hawaiian Airlines Ceo Joe Sprague To Retire: Diana Birkett Rakow Takes The Helm Amid Major Fleet Expansion And New Partnerships

Published on September 11, 2025

Hawaiian Airlines has announced that Joe Sprague, nan airline’s existent CEO, will discontinue connected October 29, 2025, aft starring nan institution done a play of important maturation and description . Diana Birkett Rakow, who has been pinch Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines’ genitor company, for complete 8 years, will win him arsenic nan caller CEO. This activity modulation comes aft Alaska Air Group completed its $1.9 cardinal acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines successful September 2024.

A Seamless Transition pinch Experienced Leadership

Diana Birkett Rakow has held nan position of senior vice president of nationalist affairs and sustainability astatine Alaska Airlines and has extended acquisition successful managing high-level operations wrong nan hose industry. Following nan transition, she will proceed to study to Ben Minicucci, nan CEO of Alaska Air Group. Birkett Rakow’s assignment is seen arsenic a earthy progression, arsenic she brings a wealthiness of acquisition and activity to her caller domiciled astatine Hawaiian Airlines.

Joe Sprague, who worked astatine Alaska Airlines for 25 years, became nan CEO of Hawaiian Airlines aft nan acquisition. Upon his retirement, he will stay progressive pinch nan institution arsenic a personnel of nan board. Sprague’s activity has been integral to nan airline’s growth, peculiarly aft nan acquisition by Alaska Air Group, positioning nan hose for greater occurrence successful nan years ahead.

Operational Developments: Streamlining Routes for Growth

Under Sprague’s leadership, Hawaiian Airlines has taken strategical steps to streamline its route network, focusing connected high-demand markets to guarantee nan hose remains competitive. In August 2025, Hawaiian Airlines announced nan suspension of 3 underperforming routes to Boston, Seoul, and Fukuoka, reallocating resources to much profitable destinations. This determination was portion of a broader effort to optimize nan airline’s services and meet nan evolving needs of its customers.

Additionally, Hawaiian Airlines accrued nan wave of flights to respective cardinal markets, including:

• A 5th regular formation betwixt Honolulu and Los Angeles during highest seasons.
• A 4th regular formation betwixt Honolulu and Seattle from late November to mid-April.
• Daily flights betwixt Honolulu and Sydney from December 18 to January 31.
• Two play flights betwixt Honolulu and Papeete, opening successful March 2026.

These adjustments not only bespeak Hawaiian Airlines’ expertise to accommodate to marketplace conditions but besides show nan airline’s committedness to providing customers pinch much elastic and predominant formation options to immoderate of nan astir celebrated recreation destinations.

Fleet Expansion: Modernization for Future Success

In statement pinch its operational goals, Hawaiian Airlines has continued to modernize its fleet nether nan activity of Joe Sprague. This modernization inaugural has been a cardinal portion of nan airline’s efforts to amended ratio and heighten nan wide recreation acquisition for passengers.

As of 2025, nan hose operates a divers and modern fleet that includes:

• 18 Airbus A321neo aircraft.
• 24 Airbus A330-200 aircraft.
• 19 Boeing 717-200 aircraft.
• 4 Boeing 787-9 aircraft.

These craft support some domestic and international operations, allowing Hawaiian Airlines to service a wide web of destinations pinch reliability and efficiency. The fleet description is portion of Hawaiian Airlines’ strategy to support its position arsenic a leader successful nan competitory hose industry, ensuring that it tin proceed to meet nan increasing demands of some leisure and business travelers.

Partnerships: Strengthening Global Connectivity

During Joe Sprague’s tenure arsenic CEO, Hawaiian Airlines has developed and solidified respective cardinal partnerships that person expanded nan airline’s scope and enhanced its work offerings. These partnerships person played a captious domiciled successful improving connectivity for Hawaiian Airlines passengers and enabling nan hose to grow its world presence.

One of nan astir important developments was nan completion of Alaska Air Group’s acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines successful 2024. This acquisition allowed some airlines to amended align their operations, stock resources, and merge their loyalty programs, thereby offering customers much benefits and convenience. Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines are moving together to optimize their mixed web and supply passengers pinch greater elasticity erstwhile walking to some home and world destinations.

In summation to nan Alaska Airlines acquisition, Hawaiian Airlines besides formed a strategical codeshare partnership pinch Qantas successful May 2025. This business allowed Hawaiian Airlines to grow its web to see caller destinations successful Australia, offering travelers much options and improved entree to world flights. The codeshare statement not only accrued Hawaiian Airlines’ beingness successful nan Pacific region but besides positioned nan hose for further maturation successful nan competitory world aviation market.

Strategic Leadership: Preparing Hawaiian Airlines for Future Growth

As Diana Birkett Rakow prepares to return nan helm astatine Hawaiian Airlines, she inherits a institution that has made important strides successful expanding its services, modernizing its fleet, and forming valuable partnerships. Under nan activity of Joe Sprague, nan hose was capable to found a beardown instauration for growth, positioning it good to look nan challenges and opportunities successful nan evolving hose industry.

Birkett Rakow’s acquisition successful nationalist affairs and sustainability astatine Alaska Airlines will besides beryllium valuable arsenic Hawaiian Airlines continues to create its firm work initiatives. As sustainability becomes an progressively important facet successful nan hose industry, Birkett Rakow’s inheritance successful this area will apt play a cardinal domiciled successful driving Hawaiian Airlines’ efforts to trim its biology effect and amended its sustainability practices.

Conclusion: A Bright Future for Hawaiian Airlines

Hawaiian Airlines is entering a caller shape of maturation and invention arsenic it transitions to caller leadership. Joe Sprague’s activity has guided nan hose done a play of important transformation, including its acquisition by Alaska Air Group and its efforts to modernize its fleet and grow its way network. With Diana Birkett Rakow group to return complete arsenic CEO, nan hose is poised to proceed its maturation trajectory while maintaining its committedness to providing high-quality work to passengers.

The early of Hawaiian Airlines looks bright, pinch a strengthened business pinch Alaska Airlines, an expanded fleet, and a attraction connected customer restitution and operational efficiency. As nan hose moves guardant nether caller leadership, it will undoubtedly proceed to build connected nan coagulated instauration laid by Sprague, ensuring a agleam early for nan hose and its passengers.

[Image Credit: Hawaiian Airlines]