This post is going to be a mixed bag, as there are several topics I want to cover. The top of these, of course, is the Hawaiian A330 update, along with an important reminders about Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, and my thoughts on the Air India 171 tragedy.
We recently learned that, unfortunately, the Boeing 787-9 is not for long in Hawaiian’s fleet. This is saddening to me, as these are truly gorgeous birds – in my opinion, most Airbuses look a bit frumpy – and the hard product looks truly fantastic. That said, there is a silver lining to this all, and it’s that a Hawaiian A330 update is on the way.
Hawaiian A330 Update
Buried at the end of an announcement on Alaska Air’s Boeing 737 interior standardization program is a small blurb about a Hawaiian A330 update. Not much in the way of details were provided in that announcement, but the speed in which we got it is a bit surprising. As you might remember, a Hawaiian A330 update was mentioned by Alaska Air Group officials during the merger discussions. And, it seems, they aren’t wasting any time on this plan. Though getting long in the tooth, these jets could conceivably chug on for a bit more as is. But, the Hawaiian A330 update will be revealed next year.
Yes, we’ll get to see what the Hawaiian A330 update is next year – it won’t begin installations just yet. However, to me, this process is going surprisingly quick.
So, what do I think the new interiors will be? I sincerely hope that they take inspiration from the gorgeous A330 interiors. However, though the Adient Ascent seats used in business class are available for Airbus Aircraft now, I doubt the Hawaiian A330 update will include these, as they’ll massively reduce business class capacity. After all, the A330-200 is a smaller aircraft, and I’m sure Alaska won’t want to cut capacity. As such, I expect the same seats to remain up front, but with a refresh.
The same story is likely true in the back, though they could adopt the same seats as the 787 here, too.
What won’t change with the Hawaiian A330 update, though, is the layout. The A330’s fuselage limits Main Cabin configurations to 2x4x2, which is certainly good news and why I’d probably prefer Hawaiian’s A330s most of the time, too.
HawaiianMiles Partner Change
While we’re on the topic of Hawaiian and the upcoming Hawaiian A330 update, let’s go over an imminent change to HawaiianMiles. Ok, so not really HawaiianMiles, but to a partner program – Delta SkyMiles.
Since January 1, 2024, SkyMiles members could earn and redeem miles, as well as earn credits for MQMs and MQDs for flights on Hawaiian wholly within the State of Hawai’i. But, in no surprise to anyone, this relationship is ending as Hawaiian continues its integration with Alaska Air Group. Specifically, the last day for this partnership will be June 30, 2025.
HNL Reminder
As mentioned during the intro of this post, there’s an upcoming change at HNL that it’s worth reminding about. You see, back in 2023, Hawai’i DOT began gradually increasing parking rates at HNL. So, as of July 1, 2025, another rate hike is going into affect again. This time, here’s what’s change:
- Maximum Daily Rate: increasing to $27
- 1-2 Hours: increasing $1 to $6
- The following levels are increasing by $2 each to:
- 2-3 Hours: $9
- 3-4 Hours: $12
- 4-5 Hours: $17
- 5-6 Hours: $21
- 6-7 Hours: $23
- 7-8 Hours: $25
While no one likes paying more, these increases are funding quality of life upgrades at HNL, including in the parking structures themselves.
Air India 171 Tragedy
If you haven’t already heard, on June 12, Air India flight 171 operating from Ahmedabad Airport to London Gatwick crashed shortly after takeoff, killing over 260 people onboard and on the ground. It’s one of the worst airline disasters in years, and also represents the first hull loss for the Boeing 787. And therein lies the issue. The news media is having a field day with this incident, especially because of the dead whistleblower who said he would never fly on this exact type of aircraft.
While Boeing does deserve a lot of blame for their shortcomings and coverups, this tragedy doesn’t need to be tainted by that. While we don’t know what caused this crash, most in the industry are pointing to pilot error (retracting flaps instead of gear) or catastrophic engine failure. That said, only a thorough investigation will truly tell us what happened, and preliminary results should take long, as the black box have already been recovered.
Hawaiian A330 Update, Final Thoughts
So, what do you all think of the upcoming Hawaiian A330 update? Do you agree with my prediction? Now, I forgot to mention another option, which is to adopt another 2+2+2 business class product, such as the Safran Aura Enhanced. And that could very well end up being the case. Especially since almost no one else uses the peculiar seats currently found on Hawaiian’s A330s, which could be a longevity concern.
Regardless, we’ll see what these new interiors are soon (but not soon enough)!
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