Hawaiian is struggling to remain solvent and is seemingly relying on its merger with Alaska Air to stay out of bankruptcy. Yet that very merger looks like it’ll cause more pain as Delta targets Hawaiian with expanded service to utilize excess capacity and, presumably, to inflict pain on arch nemesis Alaska.
It’s no secret that Hawaii’s hometown carrier has been facing gargantuan financial headwinds for the past four years. What’s also not a secret is the fact that Hawaiian has relied on domestic routes with little to no competition to drive revenue. The absence of Japanese travelers combined with Southwest’s systematic targeting of these routes, along with soaring costs, is how Hawaiian has found itself in its current mess. Unfortunately, things may get worse as Delta targets Hawaiian with expanded service on a route it has a monopoly on, along with a couple of others.
Delta Targets Hawaiian with Expanded Service
In April 2019, Hawaiian Airlines inaugurated the longest domestic flight in the U.S.: Honolulu-Boston. At over 5,200 miles, HA89/90 takes an average of 10 to 12 hours, though flight times can be up to 14 hours in adverse wind conditions. That’s a long time to be stuck in Hawaiian’s awful Main Cabin seats, though the route seems to be performing well. Unfortunately for Hawaiian, it looks as if they’ll soon have to share the distinction of operating the longest domestic flight with Delta.
Beginning November 21, 2024, Delta Air Lines will begin operating its own Boston-Honolulu service, utilizing a Boeing 767-300ER. These relatively premium-heavy aircraft will feature 26 Delta One suites, 18 Premium Select seats, 21 Delta+ seats, and 151 Main Cabin seats. For the time being, this flight is scheduled to operate seasonally and will run through April 30, 2025.
Years ago, Hawaiian noted that its New York service (and, by association, its Boston service) was only possible because of its then-new Airbus A330-200s, which has better range than the 767. However, it’s worth noting that Delta’s 767 configuration is considerably less dense than Hawaiian’s. The above aircraft has just 216 seats, whereas Hawaiian’s 767 configuration featured 264 seats, including 18 recliners in First Class.
But enough about Boston, as this isn’t the only instance in which Delta targets Hawaiian with expanded service. You see, Hawaiian is set to begin flying between Honolulu and Salt Lake City this May. This flight directly competes with an existing Delta flight, though Hawaiian is handicapping itself here by using an A321neo on the route, whereas Delta uses 767s and A330s.
Welp, it seems like Delta is looking to maintain its hold on this route and is going to bump its daily frequency to twice daily. This bump, like the Boston service, will be seasonal, running from November 6, 2024, to March 29, 2025. So, Hawaiian will have a little time to gain a foothold, though I don’t have high hopes for this route.
Delta is also boosting its Seattle-Honolulu service to three times daily this winter, facing off against both Alaska and Hawaiian on this route. This seasonal flight commences on December 21, 2024, and ends on March 29, 2025.
Finally, Delta will re-establish the longest non-Honolulu Hawaii flight when it brings back its Kahului-Atlanta service, though this will be a seasonal route, running from November 21, 2024, to March 29, 2205.
Final Thoughts
It may seem odd that Delta targets Hawaiian with expanded service on routes that Hawaiian has a monopoly on or is just launching, but I do think that this is to make the merger deal with Alaska more difficult for Alaska. After all, Alaska knew it was offering to buy a struggling airline, but Delta’s actions will likely increase the competitive and financial pressures on Hawaiian, decreasing the value of the airline and increasing the work Alaska will have to put into righting the ship. Ultimately, that’ll make it harder for Alaska to put competitive pressure on Delta post-merger.
How things ultimately play out, though, remains to be seen. I’m not surprised Delta is turning up the heat on its HNL-SLC service, and I thought Hawaiian succeeding there – especially with the A321neo – was a long shot, anyway. But HNL-BOS? I wasn’t expecting that one. There’s no doubt that Delta offers a superior product compared to Hawaiian’s A330, so we’ll see what impacts, if any, their presence has.