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Alaska Airlines has finished repainting all of Hawaiian Airlines’ former Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner fleet, putting an end to their short-lived purple-and-orange ‘Pualani’ liveries. The four airframes have been rebranded in Alaska Airlines’ new ‘Global’ theme, which features a design inspired by the Aurora Borealis, but will retain their Hawaiian cabin interiors for the time being.
In service for less than two years, these 787 Dreamliners proudly displayed the iconic Hawaiian Airlines “Flower of the Sky” across the Pacific, but the carrier’s identity is slowly merging into the Alaska brand following their merger in September 2024. Alaska is currently flying its 787s on two Asian routes, and plans to launch 787 flights to London and Rome in the next couple of months.
Hawaiian’s 787 Dreamliners Have All Been Repainted
As reported by Gate Checked, all four of Hawaiian’s former 787-9s have now been rebranded in Alaska’s special Global livery, which was designed specially for its new Dreamliner fleet. The four airframes — bearing the registrations N780HA, N781HA, N782HA and N783HA — received their livery makeovers at Fort Worth Meacham International Airport (FTW) over the past few months. Data from Flightradar24 shows that the final aircraft, N783HA, returned to Alaska’s 
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) hub on March 11 before re-entering service two days later with a flight to Honolulu International Airport (HNL).
A fifth 787-9 (registration: N784HA) — delivered to Alaska in an all-white livery rather than sporting Hawaiian’s colors — has also received the new Global livery, entering the paint shop in December before flying into SEA to much fanfare in early January. Alaska’s new livery has generally been well-received, removing the airline’s classic “Chester” face from the tail in favor of a deep blue and green design inspired by the Northern Lights. According to the carrier, each aircraft required almost 1,000 hours of work over two weeks to achieve its impressive shimmer effect. Alaska Airlines stated,
“The exterior design draws inspiration from the natural wonder of the Aurora Borealis, featuring a palette of deep midnight blues and lush emerald greens that channel the aurora’s energy and spirit of the Alaska brand.”
Interiors Will Remain Hawaiian (For Now)
While the aircraft’s exterior carries the Alaska brand, passengers stepping onboard will still be able to enjoy a taste of Hawaii. This is because Alaska has kept the aircraft’s cabin interiors as they were under Hawaiian, albeit temporarily, ahead of a planned retrofit in the coming years.
The planes can accommodate up to 300 passengers in two cabin classes, with 34 in business and 266 in economy. This includes Hawaiian’s Leihōkū Suites, which debuted in 2024 onboard its Dreamliners, offering fully lie-flat seats with privacy doors, 18-inch in-flight entertainment (IFE) screens, and a 1-2-1 configuration for direct aisle access.
The economy cabin is impressive too, featuring 266 lightweight Collins Aerospace Aspire seats equipped with 12-inch seatback screens. In this cabin, there are also 79 Extra Comfort seats for passengers requiring extra legroom. Alaska will eventually be retrofitting these aircraft, although it has not set a firm date.
Spotted: Alaska Airlines’ 1st Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner Rolls Out In Fort Worth
The first Alaska Airlines Boeing 787 will soon enter service, complete with the new Aurora livery.
Where Is Alaska Flying Its Boeing 787s?
Alaska now has all five of its new 787s in revenue service as it cements itself on the international stage. The carrier has already laid out its plans to fly the 787 to two new European destinations from Seattle, with flights to London Heathrow (LHR) and Rome (FCO) starting this spring.
The aircraft are presently in service on two of the carrier’s key Asian routes, operating flights to Seoul (ICN) and Tokyo Narita (NRT). In the coming years, the airline’s international network out of Seattle could rise to as many as 12 destinations by 2030 as it welcomes more 787s into its fleet.
Earlier this year, Alaska placed an order for five additional 787 Dreamliners, taking its total fleet commitment to 17 aircraft. The airline will mainly be operating the larger 787-10 model, and has converted Hawaiian’s outstanding 787-9 orders to the 787-10. These widebodies offer extra seating capacity — typically around 40 more seats than the 787-9 — but at the expense of range.
