A new leader will take the helm of Hawaiian Airlines this fall.
Alaska Air Group on Wednesday announced that Diana Birkett Rakow, senior vice president of public affairs and sustainability at Alaska Airlines, will become CEO of Hawaiian Airlines effective Oct. 29.
The first woman to hold that position, she'll succeed current CEO Joe Sprague, who's set to retire.
Alaska Air Group, Inc. and Hawaiian Holdings, Inc. announced in December 2023 that Alaska Airlines would acquire Hawaiian Airlines in a deal that was valued at approximately $1.9 billion, including $900 million of Hawaiian’s net debt, according to an announcement at that time. The acquisition was completed in September 2024.
Sprague was named CEO of Hawaiian Airlines at that time, to help guide the airlines through the process of obtaining a single operating certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration. Alaska Air Group said in an announcement Wednesday that milestone is set to be achieved next month.
Birkett Rakow — who'll report to Alaska Air Group CEO Ben Minicucci — will be based in Honolulu, the company's second largest hub after Seattle. She'll responsible for the "long-term performance and advancement of the Hawaiian Airlines brand and Alaska Air Group’s business in Hawai‘i, supporting the company’s guests and over 6,600 employees across the Islands," the announcement noted. Her role also will continue to include oversight of company-wide sustainability and venture investment strategies.
“Hawaiian truly is a special airline, with incredible employees guided by a deep sense of place and culture and driven by a critical purpose to connect the islands and Hawai‘i to the world through safe and reliable air service for residents and visitors, while transporting cargo and enabling economic development,” Birket Rakow said in the announcement. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to help lead Hawaiian at such a momentous time in its long and rich history, and thankful for Joe’s thoughtful leadership bringing our people and operations closer together over the past year. I look forward to joining the Honolulu leadership team and our more than 6,600 team members to build on Hawaiian’s legacy of service to people and communities and continue to unlock more and exciting benefits of our combination with Alaska Airlines.”
Birkett Rakow has a bachelor's degree in chemistry from Harvard University and master's degree in public health and public administration from the University of Washington.
She’s been with Alaska for eight years and during that time has led the company's "sustainability and corporate impact efforts, government affairs, communications, community and cultural relations, sales and customer engagement in Hawai‘i and Alaska, and the airline's venture investment arm, Alaska Star Ventures," the announcement said. She previously held senior executive roles at Group Health and Kaiser Permanente, and was a health policy adviser for the U.S. Senate Finance Committee.
For his part, Sprague, who started with Alaska more than 25 years ago and became president of regional subsidiary Horizon Air in 2019, will remain a member of the Hawaiian Airlines board after he steps away from the CEO role.
Aloha State Daily spoke with Sprague earlier this year about his work, the merger and future plans.
Sprague, who studied flight at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida, and flew commercially for a few years after college, was on the pathway to become a pilot, he told ASD in March, "but then when you actually get into the business, you realize there's all sorts of other cool positions that somebody can do. After a few years of flying, I decided to take a chance on a management job. I tell people I got lost on the way to the airport one day and ended up in management."
As CEO, Birkett Rakow will head the Honolulu leadership team. Jim Landers, who has worked for Hawaiian for more than a decade, was tapped as head of Hawai‘i operations. Other members of the team include Shelly Parker, head of Hawai‘i guest operations; Alisa Onishi, managing director of marketing for Hawai‘i; Daniel Chun, managing director of Hawai‘i public affairs and sales; Jonathan Goo, safety director; and Melodi Pieper, human resources regional director.
Although the distinct Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines brands will be maintained amid the merger, a singular loyalty program, Atmos Rewards, launched last month.
Hawaiian Airlines and Honolulu Community College also recently announced the organizations would team up to train the next generation of aircraft mechanics, expanding their workforce development partnership with the launch of the Maintenance Technician Development Program. Read more about that program here.
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Stephanie Salmons can be reached at stephanie@alohastatedaily.com.
