Over 6,500 miles from the West Coast in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, New Zealand is for many a dream holiday destination due to both its striking natural beauty and the cost and time commitment that those who live in North America need to put into visiting it.
Along with flag carrier Air New Zealand, United, American Airlines and Delta all offer flights taking 12-plus hours from cities such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle and Houston.
Following its $1.9 billion acquisition of the airline at the end of 2024, Seattle-based Alaska Airlines continued to run a seasonal nine-hour Hawaiian Airlines route between Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) in Honolulu and Auckland Airport (AKL) in New Zealand that was first launched in 2013 for one more year.
Alaska Airlines drops seasonal Hawaiian Airlines flight to New Zealand from Honolulu
While the route on a 278-passenger Airbus A330 was initially slated to resume for the winter season in November 2026, Alaska now confirms that the flight has been cut. Due to the different markets and marketing value of travelers seeing the name of the place they’re going to on the plane, Alaska and Hawaiian continue to operate under their own brands under the wider Alaska parent company post-merger.
Alaska representatives cited high fuel costs and “evolving global travel trends” as the reasons behind the decision to cut a route that represented what began as a regional airline’s international reach and ambitions.
Related: American airline brings back very long flight to New Zealand
As this was the only route Hawaiian ran to Auckland from the U.S., cutting the flight means exiting the New Zealand market entirely and leaving national carrier Air New Zealand as the only airline running the direct flight between Auckland and Honolulu.
The route between Auckland and Honolulu was at one point an important seasonal flight for Hawaiian Airlines.
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“We must carefully allocate our limited capacity to markets where demand is strongest”: Alaska on Hawaiian Airlines Auckland flight
“New Zealand is deeply important to us as part of our Pacific island ohana,” Andrew Stanbury, regional manager for the South Pacific for Alaska Airlines, said in a statement. “However, we must carefully allocate our limited capacity to markets where demand is strongest, and these changes ensure we are well-positioned for the future, delivering the exceptional travel experience Hawaiian Airlines is known for while adapting to conditions across our combined network.”
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As part of the continued route network shake-ups undertaken following the acquisition, Hawaiian Airlines will also start running a new daily route to Honolulu from Boise Airport (BOI) in Idaho and a weekly flight from Spokane International Airport (GEG) in Washington State during the winter sun-seeking season.
The Airbus A330 plane freed up from the cut Auckland flight will also be put toward increasing the frequencies of the flight to Honolulu from Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) in Las Vegas from three to four times a day during the peak period in the winter and early spring.
Alaska is classifying these routes as tapping into “the Islands’ strategic value and enduring strength of U.S. domestic travel.”
Related: Another airline cuts U.S. flights due to low demand