On Tuesday, Hawaiian Airlines was named the new jersey patch sponsor for the University of Hawai‘i football team, with Hawai‘i Athletic director Matt Elliott and Hawaiian Airlines CEO Diana Birkett Rakow making the official announcement at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex.
It wasn't until January that the NCAA approved jersey sponsorship patches for teams, effective Aug. 1. The deal between Hawai‘i football and Hawaiian Airlines is good for only the 2026 season, which kicks off on Saturday for the Rainbow Warriors when they hit the road against Stanford. Financial terms were not disclosed.
For both parties, continuing a partnership that began over three decades ago in a new chapter of collegiate athletics was paramount. The jersey patch deal becomes the first between a collegiate team and an airline.
"We are continuing that relationship and continuing to represent Hawai‘i here at home, around the nation, and frankly, around the globe in partnership with one another as we go forward in this new phase of our relationship," Birkett Rakow said. "It's a privilege to represent Hawai‘i. That's a responsibility that we take very seriously, and I know our friends at UH do the same. It's also very personal. There are so many employees, family members that are UH alumni, that are students, that are fans — not just here in Hawai‘i, but now extended around the country and beyond, and so it's something that we take very personally to support these teams."
Elliott previously told Aloha State Daily he preferred separate jersey patch deals for teams across campus rather than a department-wide deal. While football was the first team announced, he said new deals for teams will be announced as early as this week.
Hawai‘i is routinely the most well-traveled college football team in the country. In 2026, conference games alone will take the 'Bows as far as El Paso, Texas and DeKalb, Ill. As part of the deal, Hawaiian Airlines will continue to serve as the charter plane for the Rainbow Warriors for all six of their regular season road games in 2026, transporting the team in its Airbus A321neo, which Hawaiian Airlines describes as "the quietest and most fuel efficient aircraft in its class."
Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.
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