HONOLULU — Alaska Air Group announced that Diana Birkett Rakow, senior vice president of public affairs and sustainability at Alaska Airlines, will become CEO of Hawaiian Airlines effective Oct. 29. Birkett Rakow succeeds Joe Sprague, who will retire after a distinguished career in aviation. Sprague was named CEO to guide Hawaiian Airlines through the process of obtaining a single operating certificate (SOC) from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) with Alaska Airlines, and with that milestone on track to be completed next month, Birkett Rakow will take the helm.
Birkett Rakow will be based in Honolulu, the company’s second largest hub after Seattle, and will be responsible for the long-term performance and advancement of the Hawaiian Airlines brand and Alaska Air Group’s business in Hawai‘i, supporting the company’s guests and over 6,600 employees across the islands. She will be the first woman CEO for Hawaiian Airlines and will head the company’s Honolulu leadership team, which includes many long-time Hawaiian Airlines leaders. She will continue to report to Ben Minicucci, CEO of Alaska Air Group, and remain on the company’s Executive Committee. Birkett Rakow’s role will also continue to include oversight of company-wide sustainability and venture investment strategies.
“I want to thank Joe Sprague for his steady leadership in guiding Hawaiian Airlines through a period of significant change,” said Minicucci. “As Diana steps into this role, she brings a proven record of building strong teams, delivering results, and caring deeply about people and culture. I know she will be a tireless advocate for the Hawaiian Airlines brand and people, and I’m confident she will lead with authenticity, purpose, and vision.”
Sprague started with Alaska over 25 years ago and held several executive positions at the airline before becoming president of regional subsidiary Horizon Air in 2019. He became CEO of Hawaiian Airlines when the combination with Alaska was made official in September 2024. Sprague will remain a member of the Hawaiian Airlines board once his CEO role concludes.
“It has been an honor to serve Hawaiian Airlines and its incredible team,” said Sprague. “The Hawaiian Airlines brand is deeply rooted in Hawai‘i and the people who bring it to life are truly committed to connecting people with aloha. We will best serve Hawai‘i, its people, its communities, and our employees, if we, too, stay deeply connected to this place. Diana’s leadership and long-standing partnership with our Hawai‘i team make her the right person to guide Hawaiian Airlines into its next chapter.”
“Hawaiian truly is a special airline, with incredible employees guided by a deep sense of place and culture, and 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,” Birket Rakow said. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to help lead Hawaiian at such a momentous time in its long and rich history, and thankful for Joe’s thoughtful leadership bringing our people and operations closer together over the past year. I look forward to joining the Honolulu leadership team and our more than 6,600 team members to build on Hawaiian’s legacy of service to people and communities, and continue to unlock more and exciting benefits of our combination with Alaska Airlines.”
Over the last eight years, Birkett Rakow has engaged with the Hawai‘i community to ensure that Alaska Airlines served and supported its people. Throughout the regulatory approval process and the combination of the airlines’ operations, she has been a champion of Hawai‘i’s interests and for Hawaiian Airlines’ people and brand.
“We are excited to continue working with Diana,” said Kūhiō Lewis, CEO of the Hawaiian Council and member of Alaska/Hawaiian’s Hawaiʻi Community Advisory Board (HICAB). “Diana’s attentiveness and solution-oriented approach will enable Hawaiian Airlines to soar to new heights, paving the way for dynamic growth and exceptional service to our islands—strengthening the beloved Hawaiian Airlines brand that we cherish.”
Birkett Rakow will head the company’s Honolulu leadership team, which includes Jim Landers, head of Hawai‘i operations; Shelly Parker, head of Hawai‘i guest operations; Alisa Onishi, managing director of marketing for Hawai‘i; Daniel Chun, managing director of Hawai‘i public affairs and sales; Jonathan Goo, safety director; and Melodi Pieper, human resources regional director.
During her tenure at Alaska, Birkett Rakow has led the company’s sustainability and corporate impact efforts, government affairs, communications, community and cultural relations, sales and customer engagement in Hawai‘i and Alaska, and the airline’s venture investment arm, Alaska Star Ventures. Over the last year, she has also served on the board of Hawaiian Airlines. Prior to joining Alaska, she held senior executive roles at Group Health and Kaiser Permanente, and earlier in her career was a health policy advisor for the U.S. Senate Finance Committee. Birkett Rakow holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Harvard University and master’s degrees in public health and public administration from the University of Washington. She is actively engaged in her community as a board director for Puget Sound Energy and serves on several international councils to advance sustainability and clean energy.
Since the close of the combination last September, Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines teams have worked together to build and execute the plan to become a single mainline operating carrier under a SOC from the FAA, which is anticipated later this fall. Today, Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines have expanded its network to offer over 200 daily f lights in Hawai‘i – the most of any carrier – providing vital connectivity within the islands and nonstop access between Hawai‘i and 22 domestic and international destinations and connections to 131 cities in North and Central America through Alaska’s network. As the company moves forward as one operation with two beloved brands, we have also taken big steps to deliver on our vision – including launching a new combined loyalty program, Atmos™ Rewards, with enhanced benefits, and making investments in the guest experience across our fleet and airport spaces.
About Alaska Air Group
Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines and Horizon Air are subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group, with McGee Air Services 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 new destinations in Europe beginning in spring 2026: Rome, London and Reykjavík, Iceland. Alaska is a member of the oneworld alliance with Hawaiian Airlines scheduled to join in 2026. With oneworld and our additional global partners, guests can earn and redeem points for travel to over 1,000 worldwide destinations. Guests can book travel at alaskaair.com and hawaiianairlines.com. Learn more about what’s happening at Alaska and Hawaiian. Alaska Air Group is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) as “ALK.”
-Horizontal-P301-w1920.png){kind=logo}
