More than 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 required for those visiting from North America.
Along with flag carrier Air New Zealand, United Airlines, American Airlines and Delta Air Lines 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, for one more year, a seasonal New Zealand flight first launched in 2013. The nine-hour Hawaiian Airlines route connected Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) and Auckland Airport (AKL).
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 the marketing value of travelers seeing the name of the place they’re heading on the plane, Alaska and Hawaiian continue to operate under their own brands as part of the wider Alaska parent company post-merger.
Related: American airline brings back very long flight to New Zealand
Alaska representatives cited high fuel costs and “evolving global travel trends” as the reasons behind the decision to cut a route that represented a regional airline’s international reach ambitions.
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.
“We must carefully allocate our limited capacity… where demand is strongest”
“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, according to Hawaii News Now.
“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.”
More Travel News:
- Airline to launch unusual new flight to Cayman Islands from the U.S.
- There is a very cool Irish version of swimming pigs in the Bahamas
- Unexpected country is most luxurious travel destination for 2026
- Low-cost airline launches easier way to get to Sri Lanka
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
