The Associated Press reported today that a proposed merger of Alaska Air and Hawaiian Airlines has taken a step forward. The U.S. Department of Justice has decided not to challenge the $1 billion deal, and the DOJ review period expired at midnight last night following a number of extensions. Both carriers say the merger “will create a company better able to serve travelers.”
Flown with both of them and think it might be a good merger as they are both west coast/Pacific based. Alaska based folks often fly through Hawaii on their way to the lower 48 so this makes sense.
It is curious that people would fly via Hawai’i between Alaska and the Lower 48. Just looking at a map, it seems like it would make the trip a factor of six longer: see great circle map of ANC-HLU-LAX vs ANC-LAX. Maybe it no more expensive, due to some strange factor of ticket pricing, but it sure seems longer.