Pre-merger, I was team Alaska Air and was genuinely excited for the prospect of them and Hawaiian becoming one. They talked a good game in the beginning, but I have to say, I think AAG is failing at PR around the merger, and it’s making me second-guess my original stance of the combination.
Honestly, I think things haven’t been going well since the unveiling of the new Boeing 787 livery. That livery seemed so half-baked. If you were going to create a unique livery for the international fleet, why not create a whole new brand? Moreover, why not honor BOTH brands that make up your airline group in that new livery or brand? That’s aside from the fact that, in my opinion, the new livery is incredibly bland. FAIL.
Of course, things haven’t got any better since then. Atmos Rewards was yet another branding AND communication fail, that also introduced a mix of both positive and negative changes. Then, we have merger milestones.
AAG is Failing at PR
If the issues that transpired previously didn’t highlight that AAG is failing at PR, the issuance of their highly anticipated single operating certificate really sealed the deal. This singular event, which didn’t seem like a big deal to Alaska Air fans on the continent (and, apparently, executives), was a HUGE deal here in the islands. This milestone represents the end of Hawaiian Airlines as a corporate entity, ending 95 years of history. Yes, the Hawaiian brand will continue to persist, but the airline is now gone.
Why does this matter? Well, local people are very loyal to and proud of our homegrown companies. Love the airline or hate it, Hawaiian was an integral part of local culture. Even me, not a fan of the airline, still appreciated it. Heck, seeing Pualani at an airport elsewhere after a long time a way from home, even if not flying Hawaiian, often represented a sort of “coming home” for me.
Yet, on the eve of the single operating certificate’s issuance, AAG did NOTHING to celebrate and honor the history of Hawaiian Air, nor did it do anything to commemorate the final flight operating under the Hawaiian callsign. This rattled the nerves and angered MANY here in the islands, as this felt like a slight. Even those of us who knew that the “Hawaiian” callsign would go away under the SOC were surprised, angered, and saddened by how this was handled.
Now, more than ever before, folks in the islands are concerned that Pualani is not long for this world. While I think AAG is smart enough to keep the branding around, their actions around the SOC milestone does give me pause about how serious they are about this commitment. Rumors that Hawaiian employees will have to transition to Alaska Air uniforms definitely does not help.
Of course, Alaska Air could have mitigated at least some of these concerns and outcries by holding events for and having media coverage of the SOC issuance and the retirement of the Hawaiian callsign. The fact that they didn’t shows how badly AAG is failing at PR, and how little they actually understand Hawai’i and our culture.
Final Thoughts
I really don’t understand why AAG is failing at PR so badly. They started off good, but it seems like everything that has happened over the past six months wasn’t properly planned out or even given enough thought. Plus, things like the Atmos Rewards Summit Visa seem like, to me, a downgrade of what we had before. This was always a concern for me with this merger, and it sees like many of my fears are being confirmed.
These changes, their awful communication around them, the apparent lack of strategy around most of the new developments, and this latest slight, all have me wondering if I should continue to remain loyal to AAG. And I’m sure I’m not alone in this. But, you know, at least some of this could have been prevented. Somehow, though, AAG is failing at PR in a big way, which now means they need to do damage control. That is, if they care to do so, which it doesn’t seem like they do.
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