New leadership announced for Hawaiian Airlines

A new leader is taking the controls at Hawaiian Airlines. Alaska Air Group announced Wednesday that Diana Birkett Rakow, a senior vice president of public affairs at Alaska Airlines, will become chief executive officer of Hawaiian Airlines on Oct. 29. She will succeed Joe Sprague, who is retiring after a long career in aviation.

Sprague was appointed chief executive officer to guide Hawaiian Airlines through the process of obtaining a single operating certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration with Alaska Airlines. With that key milestone on track to be completed next month, Birkett Rakow will now take the helm.

Birkett Rakow will be the first woman to hold the CEO position at Hawaiian Airlines. She will be based in Honolulu and will be responsible for the long-term performance and advancement of the Hawaiian brand.

She will report to Ben Minicucci, chief executive officer of Alaska Air Group, and remain on the company’s Executive Committee. Her role will also continue to include oversight of sustainability and venture investment strategies for the group.

In a statement, Minicucci thanked Sprague for his steady leadership and said Birkett Rakow brings a “proven record of building strong teams, delivering results, and caring deeply about people and culture.”

Sprague, who has worked for Alaska for more than 25 years, will remain a member of the Hawaiian Airlines board after his CEO role concludes. He expressed his honor at serving the airline’s team and said Birkett Rakow’s “leadership and long-standing partnership with our Hawai‘i team make her the right person to guide Hawaiian Airlines into its next chapter.”

Birkett Rakow, who has a long history of engaging with the Hawai‘i community, praised Hawaiian Airlines as a “special airline, with incredible employees guided by a deep sense of place and culture.”

She said Hawaiian Airlines is “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.”

Kūhiō Lewis, chief executive officer of the Hawaiian Council and a member of the Alaska/Hawaiian’s Hawaiʻi Community Advisory Board, welcomed the appointment. He said that Birkett Rakow’s “attentiveness and solution-oriented approach will enable Hawaiian Airlines to soar to new heights.”

Since merging last September, Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines have worked together to become a single operating carrier. The company has already expanded its network to offer more than 200 daily flights in Hawai‘i. And, it has taken steps to integrate operations, including launching a new combined loyalty program and making investments in the guest experience.