Either
Hawaiian Airlines knows something that we don’t, or it is just being prudent
and making plans ahead of time.
With a
possible merger with Alaska Airlines still in the balance, Hawaiian said that
if it is successful it will
join the Oneworld Alliance.
CEO Peter Ingram made the
proclamation.
That is predicated, of
course, upon Justice Department approval of the merger.
The Alliance
is a group of 13 global airlines that have banded together to steer
international traffic to their respective carriers. Currently, Hawaiian
Airlines does have individual partnerships with other airlines, but is not a
member of one large, specific group.
‘We Feel Very Good’
"We feel very good
about the combination because it is pro-consumer and pro-competition. There are
not a lot of overlapping routes between Alaska and Hawaiian, but where there
are, there are other carriers also flying the same city pairs," Ingram
told Forbes magazine.
"Both Alaska and Hawaiian have fiercely loyal
followings in their home markets. This was evident in Hawaii when the merger
was announced, with many locals worried about their home-grown airline losing
its uniquely Hawaiian touch," he said.
"While the airline won't be locally owned anymore,
both brands will operate separately, meaning the Hawaiian touches will stay the
same. Both Hawaiian and Alaska are almost a century old, and each brand is very
important to the community in its home markets."
The DOJ has until August 5
to decide on the merger. Earlier this year, a
judge blocked a merger attempt between JetBlue and Spirit Airlines.
"As a smaller airline,
we have to be creative and scrappy to stay competitive," Ingram said.
"This challenge is what keeps me up at night, but also what gets me up in
the morning."
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