Diana Birkett Rakow has been at the helm of Hawaiian Airlines for just over two months.
Formerly the senior vice president of public affairs and sustainability at Alaska Airlines, she was named CEO of Hawaiian in September and stepped into the role in late October.
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.
Joe Sprague, who is now retired, was named CEO of Hawaiian Airlines at that time, part of an interim Honolulu leadership team that would help guide the airlines through the process of obtaining a single operating certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration.
Birkett Rakow became CEO on Oct. 29, the same day that Alaska Airlines received that single operating certificate from the FAA, a major milestone in the efforts to integrate the operations of the two airlines. Both airlines, though, will maintain their individual brands.
During a Jan. 5 press conference at the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, she announced the Kahu‘ewai Hawai‘i Investment Plan, Hawaiian Airline’s new five-year, $600 million investment that she said aims to modernize its airport spaces, aircraft cabins and technology; expand loyalty benefits for Hawai‘i residents; and support community and sustainability efforts statewide.
Aloha State Daily caught up with Birkett Rakow briefly after Monday’s press conference.
How are things going two months on the job?
“Great,” she says. “The people are incredible. The team members are amazing and I’ve had the great opportunity to get out and work with some of them in maintenance, on the ramp and at the gate, and will continue to do that. It’s a great way to learn. And we’ve got a lot of change going on. We pushed a lot of change through the system with guests and employees and our technology all at the same time. It's not all easy, but I think we’re heading into a place where we can stabilize, we can work on these investments, we can bring our ticketing systems together, which is going to make life better for everybody.”
When asked about her goals in this role, Birkett Rakow says she’s been working on "this combination since the beginning." She was responsible for Alaska’s business in Hawai‘i, “so I’ve cared a lot about this going well,” she told ASD. “My goal is that we successfully bring this combination together and do it in a way that is positive for Hawai‘i.”
As for the newly announced Kahu‘ewai plan, Birkett Rakow says it’s been in the works for nearly a year.
“We started to build the idea as we’ve been getting feedback from employees and guests, and then started to put a more structured plan together over the last probably six, nine months.”
These investments, she says, are good for both the business and the state.
“We rely so much on transportation here, we want to make sure that our guests have a great experience, local guests as well as visitors, and that we’re continuing to invest in a sustainable business.”
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, and had been with Alaska for eight years.
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.
In 2025, Alaska and Hawaiian carried more than 55 million passengers on more than 486,000 flights across their combined global network, and carried more than 40,000 tons of cargo to and from communities across Alaska, Hawai‘i and the Pacific.
Also in 2025:
- Hawaiian and Alaska launched a joint loyalty program called Atmos Rewards.
- The last Hawaiian Airlines flight to use the HA call signal arrived in Honolulu from American Samoa on Oct. 29, the day that Alaska Airlines received a single operating certificate. That milestone marks the "successful integration of training, policies, procedures and manuals across both airlines." The distinct Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines brands remain, but the airlines are now operating under a single call sign, AS, which pilots and dispatchers use to communicate with air traffic control, Alaska Airlines explained in an announcement at that time.
- Hawaiian Airlines and Honolulu Community College expanded their workforce development partnership to help train the next generation of aircraft mechanics with the launch of the Maintenance Technician Development Program.
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Stephanie Salmons can be reached at stephanie@alohastatedaily.com.
