Alaska Air Group will eliminate 48 Hawaii positions in a companywide reduction of about 200 management jobs, a move it tied to fuel prices and financial pressure. The cuts hit management rather than front-line employees, and affected workers received 60-day notices on October 30, 2026.
48 Hawaii positions, 125 in Washington state
48 Hawaii positions are part of the reduction, including 40 jobs eliminated and eight employees offered other roles within the company, according to Hawaiian Airlines CEO Diana Birkett Rakow. Another 125 employees were laid off in Washington state, showing that the reduction is spread across the combined airline’s management structure rather than concentrated in one location.
32,500 employees work across the network, so the cut is small relative to the company’s total headcount but still large enough to reach multiple operating hubs. The notices also give affected employees a set pay runway through December 31, 2026, after the layoffs take effect on November 13, 2026.
Ben Minicucci flags $700 million risk
$700 million is the amount Ben Minicucci said the company could lose this year if current conditions persist. In an email to employees on October 30, 2026, the Alaska Air Group President and CEO said, “Despite having the right strategy and strong momentum, fuel prices and geopolitical challenges are putting significant financial pressure on our business” and added, “If current conditions persist, we could lose as much as $700 million this year, which would be our first adjusted pretax loss outside of the pandemic since 2003.”
2003 is the last year Minicucci said the company would post an adjusted pretax loss outside the pandemic if the pressure continues. That sets the layoffs in a wider cost-cutting push: the company is not trimming front-line flying jobs, but it is cutting management overhead while it tries to absorb higher fuel costs.
Hawaiian Holdings in September
$1.9 billion is what Alaska Air Group paid for Hawaiian Holdings in September 2024, and Rakow said the layoffs are not tied to that transaction. She wrote that the combined carrier remains “much stronger and better equipped to face financial headwinds” and said the airline must still be “clear-eyed about challenges and thoughtful stewards of our company, so we can be here – serving our communities, flying for Hawaii and beyond – for a long time to come.”
How the rest of about 200 management cuts are split outside Hawaii and Washington state is the unresolved piece. For employees, the immediate facts are the 60-day notice, the Nov. 13 start date for the layoffs, and pay continuing through Dec. 31 while severance and transition support are provided.
