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LAS VEGAS, Jan. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Today at CES® 2026,…
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Hawaiian Airlines announces Kahu’ewai Hawai’i Investment Plan of more than $600M over five years to modernize infrastructure and guest experience, and deepen its commitment to the community and sustainability
- Major airport renovations include improved lobbies, gates, and amenities at Honolulu, Līhu’e, Kahului, Kona, and Hilo, plus a new premium lounge in Honolulu.
- The airline will update its app and website, offering better travel planning and self-service features, and invest in new technology for employees.
- The carrier is investing in a refreshed onboard experience with upgraded widebody Airbus A330 interiors, while offering enhanced rewards and exclusive benefits to loyal Hawai’i residents.
HONOLULU, Jan. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Hawaiian Airlines today unveiled an investment plan of more than $600 million over five years to comprehensively enhance the experience for guests traveling to, from and within the islands by modernizing airport spaces, upgrading technology and retrofitting aircraft interiors, while expanding community and sustainability work across Hawai’i.
Hawaiian Airlines’ Kahuʻewai Hawai’i Investment Plan will improve the guest experience from booking to the day of travel and provide airport and in-flight teams with modern tools and spaces to welcome travelers with their award-winning Hawaiian hospitality. Investments will also help Hawaiian advance lower emission technologies and programs promoting regenerative tourism, culture and conservation.
“Hawaiian Airlines is proud to call Hawai’i home, to reflect the spirit of the islands, to take care of our local guests and welcome visitors, and support our communities,” said Hawaiian Airlines CEO Diana Birkett Rakow. “Our Kahu’ewai Hawai’i Investment Plan represents one of Hawaiian Airlines’ largest single investments in our infrastructure, products and services in Hawai’i. It reflects our kuleana to our people and guests in the islands and reinforces our commitment to deliver safe and remarkable service that enables Hawai’i and Hawaiian Airlines to thrive.”
Kahuʻewai signifies fresh water bursting forth as a metaphor for vital resources. Much like water that flows and nurtures, the investments will deliver benefits across Hawaiian Airlines and communities in Hawai’i today and for a long time to come.
They include:
- Airports: Starting this year through 2029, Hawaiian Airlines will renovate lobbies and gates in Honolulu, Līhu’e, Kahului, Kona and Hilo to improve passenger flow and comfort, with bright, elegant open spaces and better seating and amenities like increased power charging. In Honolulu, Hawaiian’s busiest hub, the airline will build a spacious 10,600-square-foot premium lounge at the entrance of the Mauka Concourse in Terminal 1 – setting a new standard of preflight comfort.
- Technology: This spring, Hawaiian Airlines will launch an updated, modern app and website with improved functionality to simplify travel planning, booking and trip management with self-service features like changing flights and redeeming award travel on global partners. The airline is also investing in new technology to support employees in their critical roles across the operation. Full functionality of these tools – and a significantly smoother guest experience – will be possible once Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines share the same passenger service system and Hawaiian Airlines joins the oneworld alliance, both scheduled for late April.
- Aircraft: Hawaiian Airlines’ fleet of widebody Airbus A330s, based in Honolulu, will undergo a full interior upgrade, starting in 2028, with new seats, carpets, lighting, first class suites, and a premium economy cabin. Guests will also enjoy a Bluetooth-enabled in-flight entertainment system with high-definition seatback screens and an extensive movie and music library, along with fast and free Starlink Wi-Fi. The airline is also acquiring three of its A330 aircraft off lease to support the future of this fleet in its service across the Pacific.
- Loyalty: Later this year, Hawaiian Airlines will reward Hawai’i residents who are members of its popular Huaka’i by Hawaiian loyalty program with a 50% bonus on Atmos Rewards points and status points earned on Neighbor Island flights, adding to exclusive kama’āina benefits that include a free checked bag, 10% or 20% quarterly discounts when flying within the state, and monthly systemwide deals.
- Community Impact: Hawaiian Airlines remains deeply engaged in the community, with expanded partnerships in education and workforce development initiatives, new grant-making opportunities, regenerative tourism efforts through its Travel Pono program, and new investments to preserve Hawai’i’s natural resources and to advance new technologies for a more sustainable future.
“Hawaiian Airlines’ investment is exactly the kind of long-term commitment Hawaiʻi needs,” said Hawai’i Gov. Josh Green. “Modern, welcoming airports improve the experience for residents and visitors alike, strengthen our economy and keep Hawaiʻi competitive as a global destination. We appreciate Hawaiian Airlines’ partnership in advancing workforce development, regenerative tourism, clean energy, and community programs that reflect the values of our islands.”
As part of its community and sustainability initiatives, Hawaiian is expanding a partnership with business accelerator Mana Up through an investment in its Mana Up Capital II fund to help more local companies scale for the global market. Hawaiian has featured more than a dozen local retailers in the food, fashion, beauty and home and art sectors in its onboard service since becoming Mana Up’s official airline sponsor in 2017.
Hawaiian last month announced it is investing in locally produced sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to reduce flight emissions and support agriculture in partnership with Pono Pacific and Par Hawaii, and that it would be the first airline to take deliveries of Hawai’i-made SAF later this year. The airline is also working to advance innovative lower-emission options for short-haul air service with an investment in hybrid-electric propulsion developer Ampaire and increasing use of electric ground service vehicles at Honolulu airport.
Finally, the airline will be providing grants to nonprofit organizations promoting cultural programs, environmental preservation, and perpetuation of native Hawaiian art and language through the Alaska Airlines | Hawaiian Airlines Foundation, a newly-integrated 501(c)(3) foundation dedicated to these efforts in their two namesake states.
The Hawaiian Airlines’ Kahuʻewai Hawai’i Investment Plan is part of Alaska Air Group’s Alaska Accelerate strategic plan to deliver on the combined airline’s vision of connecting guests to the world with a remarkable travel experience rooted in safety, care and performance.
For images, visit: https://news.alaskaair.com/images-videos/hawaii-investment-plan
About Alaska Air Group
Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines and Horizon Air are subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group, and McGee Air Services is a subsidiary of Alaska Airlines. We are a global airline with hubs in Seattle, Honolulu, Portland, Anchorage, Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco. We deliver remarkable care as we fly our guests to more than 140 destinations throughout North America, Latin America, Asia and the Pacific. We’ll serve Europe beginning in spring 2026. Guests can book travel at alaskaair.com and hawaiianairlines.com. Alaska is a member of the oneworld alliance, with Hawaiian scheduled to join oneworld in spring 2026. With oneworld and our additional global partners, guests can earn and redeem points for travel to over 1,000 worldwide destinations with Atmos Rewards. Learn more about what’s happening at Alaska and Hawaiian at news.alaskaair.com. Alaska Air Group is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) as “ALK.”SOURCE Hawaiian Airlines
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‘Working in a chippy at 14 made me more confident’
Emma Clifford BellBBC Scotland
BBCCaelen, Kenzie and Erin all started working as young teenagers and say it has helped with their confidence At the age of 14, Caelan started working part-time in a chip shop in Aberdeen.
He thinks getting a job at such a young age made him more responsible and confident.
“When I joined I was very shy,” he says. “But now I can speak to people easily.”
The laws governing when and where children under 16 can work were introduced in the 1930s to crack down on child labour and safeguard their wellbeing.
Children over 14 could be employed in ‘light work’ but many Scottish council areas require employers to also apply for a permit to take on a child.
Now, plans to change the law could make it easier for under-16s to work part-time.
The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill is currently making its way through the House of Lords with Royal Assent expected in the coming months.
The Scottish Parliament has given legislative consent for the provisions on child employment.
If passed, it would allow teenagers under 16 more flexibility on when they can work.
Caelan is positive about the benefits he gets from being a young worker.
Within a year of getting his job serving fish suppers at the Ashvale in Aberdeen, he says he was able to treat his mum to a holiday in Dubai.
Erin, 16, and Kenzie, 18, have worked at Ashvale chip shop in Aberdeen since they were both 15 His co-workers Kenzie and Erin both joined the takeaway and restaurant aged 15 and say they have had a similar experience.
Working around school hours gave Kenzie, now 18, the opportunity to save up for a car.
Erin said that although she was “really nervous” when she joined, she now doesn’t “get scared talking to new people” because of her experience dealing with customers.
More flexibility
The new bill looks at all aspects of child protection and safeguarding as well as rules on school attendance.
The section on employment will give young people more opportunity to take on work.
Plans include lifting the two-hour working limit on a Sunday, and allowing work for up to one hour before school and until 20:00 – extending the current limit from 19:00.
Although there is more flexibility on when children can work, the maximum number of hours will remain the same – up to 12 hours on a school week.
Kenzie prepared the potatoes to make chips at The Ashvale The new law will update the rules, which were further complicated by dated local bylaws.
These vary across the UK, with some older than others.
In Dundee, the bylaws from 1973 prohibit working in a ‘coal yard’ or ‘collecting rags’.
In some areas such as Angus and Edinburgh, children as young as 10 can still be employed on an occasional basis in light agricultural or horticultural work under parental supervision.
Others, including Falkirk, had no requirement for permits.
BBC Scotland also found a variation in the number of child employment permits granted by councils.
Freedom of Information responses showed none were issued in 2025 by Clackmannanshire or Inverclyde Councils – while Aberdeen City Council had issued 98.
Most local authority bylaws allow 13-year-olds to be employed in specified types of light work, which could continue.
Young worker advice
Dawn Robertson is an employment law specialist at BTO Solicitors in Glasgow. She stressed the importance of safeguarding.
“Children should not be employed in any work that could be harmful to them,” she said.
“I think the most important thing from my perspective is just that the law is not changing on that.
“Children still need to be treated as children, and we have to be very thoughtful and careful about what we do allow them to do in the workplace.”
Dawn said varying council bylaws have make it more difficult for employers to keep track of the law.
“Hopefully after the bill is passed, we’ll be in a position where it’ll actually be a lot easier to give advice across the country to employers about this type of thing,” she said.
“I think that employers generally comply with the rules, as far as they’re aware of them.
“It sounds to me like a very positive approach and a positive development to the employment of children.”
Stuart Devine, owner of the Ashvale, started working when he was 15 Children under school leaving age are not entitled to the National Minimum Wage, paid holidays or to sick pay. This wouldn’t change.
Stuart Devine is the owner of The Ashvale.
He has employed “hundreds, if not thousands” of children across a 40-year period – and started at the business aged just 15 himself.
He welcomes a potential tweak to the rules.
“It needs looking at because times have moved on,” he said.
“I think it’s important from a business point of view, because obviously there are jobs that young people can fill the gaps. They actually come in generations of families.
“They’re now schoolteachers, nurses, doctors, engineers offshore. I think the employment part has played a vital part in getting them to the next stage.”
Harry, 15 has a paper round and a job in a local takeaway A few miles along the road, 15-year-old Harry is starting his evening paper round.
He delivers a few papers before school, more after school – and also works part-time in a chip shop at the weekend.
He says he has no idea what the rules are around when children can and can’t work.
For him, it’s about impressing future universities and employers.
“I think it looks good on CVs and stuff like that and when you’re older and you need to get a proper job,” he told BBC Scotland News.
“In the future, I want to be either a lawyer or work in the stock market.”
Harry would encourage other young people to find work if they can.
“I think if you put yourself out there and you go and constantly speak to any employer at 14, if they’re hiring other 14-year-olds, I think you’ve got a pretty good shot at getting a job there if you’re confident.”
Skills development
Nicola Killean, Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland, was mostly positive about the changes.
She said older children could gain valuable experience, develop their skills, knowledge and sense of independence through employment.
She added: “While we support a change to the law that offers children greater flexibility in employment, we are clear that they must continue to have their rights protected.
“The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), which is incorporated into Scots law, emphasises that children must be protected from being exploited and from doing work that is dangerous or could harm their development.
“The UNCRC is also clear that work must not interfere with children’s learning while they are still in education.”
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