Hawaiian Airlines Airbus A330s Will Get Premium Economy & More First Class Seats

Hawaiian Airways can be rolling out a brand new premium economy cabin as a part of a revamp of its Airbus A330 fleet. Mum or dad firm Alaska Airlines has stated this can be a correct premium financial system product with “premium worldwide” seats to enrich the provider’s lie-flat first cabin up prime.

In actual fact, all the plane can be getting a top-to-bottom revamp, from new first seats to refreshed interiors in financial system. These retrofits will happen in a phased method over the subsequent few years, with the primary jet slated to debut subsequent summer time.

Hawaiian A330 Premium Financial system Cabin

The Hawaiian provider, which was acquired by Alaska Air Group last year, can be rolling out a real premium financial system product with a retrofit of its Airbus A330-200 fleet. In Alaska Air Group’s Q2 2025 earnings name, Andrew Harrison, Government Vice President and Chief Business Officer of Alaska Airways, confirmed the airline can be placing premium worldwide seats in a brand new premium financial system cabin on the A330.

Hawaiian’s A330s at the moment function a enterprise cabin on the entrance and an ‘Additional Consolation’ part in financial system that would not qualify as a real premium financial system product. Additional Consolation seats are on the entrance of the financial system cabin, the place the brand new premium cabin can be positioned. It’s going to function reclining chairs with extra legroom and width, in addition to an enhanced in-flight eating menu, plus the same old precedence perks of a premium financial system fare.

Whereas the cabin format has not been confirmed but, premium financial system cabins on an A330 are usually in a 2-3-2 configuration. With Hawaiian anticipated to have 4 rows, this might quantity to twenty-eight whole seats. Harrison additionally confirmed the airline’s plans to revamp the entrance cabin with new seats, stating,

“We will be reconfiguring the A330 and growing the first-class cabin, the J cabin. We will be placing premium worldwide premium financial system seats on that. So these over the subsequent few years will generate considerably extra income than they do right this moment.”

Nostril To Tail Revamp

Alaska hinted it was engaged on a refresh of Hawaiian’s A330s a few months in the past, however did not actually give something away. Now we all know all the plane can be getting a revamp, together with a predominant cabin refresh with enhancements like new upholstery and temper lighting.

The primary renovated A330 may enter service as early because the summer time of 2026. Hawaiian flies its A330s on routes from the mainland US to Hawaii, in addition to worldwide routes additional afield, like Australia, Asia and New Zealand.

Hawaiian took supply of its first A330-200 in 2010, with its remaining airframe being delivered in 2017. Its oldest A330s at the moment are over 15 years outdated, in order that they nonetheless have decade or extra of service life earlier than being thought-about for retirement. The airline is not any stranger to preserving older jets in service, as it still operates an extensive fleet of Boeing 717s, a lot of that are over 25 years outdated.

Premium Seat Push

There was a surge in demand for premium journey within the post-pandemic years, and airways are working swiftly to capitalize on this. Premium economy is the fastest-growing cabin worldwide, giving common vacationers a style of the excessive life with out breaking the financial institution. With enterprise and firstclass merchandise turning into more and more luxurious (and thus, costlier), premium financial system is usually the one reasonably priced strategy to take pleasure in an enhanced journey expertise.

Alaska Airways is one such airline to bolster its premium capability. It’s embarking on an enormous retrofit program throughout its Boeing 737 fleet, which is able to add roughly 1.3 million further premium seats per 12 months, and recently completed its first premium-heavy 737 renovation.

With all 218 Boeing 737 retrofits anticipated to be accomplished by subsequent summer time, Harrison says the provider is on observe to fulfill its 29% premium seating goal, up from 26% earlier than the retrofits.

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Peter Ingram