Alaska Airlines acquires tour company
Staff and wire reports
Alaska Airlines is acquiring the assets, but not the employees, of an Alaskan company that sells Hawaii tours, in anticipation of the airline's new service to the islands beginning in December.
The Seattle-based airline said in a statement it will acquire assets including current bookings, brand and Web presence of Hawaiian Vacations Inc., a travel company based in Anchorage.
Hawaiian Vacations' 19 employees will not automatically get jobs at Alaska Airlines, but airline spokeswoman Amanda Tobin Bielawski said the carrier was working to provide Hawaiian Vacations employees information about job opportunities at the airline.
The sale is expected to close this month with the transition of operations to be completed in February, the company said. A sale price wasn't disclosed.
Hawaiian Vacations has agreed to stop marketing Hawaii vacation packages and charter flights as of Jan. 13.
"Hawaiian Vacations has served Alaskan customers well for 25 years, and we're looking forward to continuing that tradition," said Bill MacKay, Alaska Airlines' senior vice president.
Meanwhile, Alaska Airlines Vacations, a division of the airline, said it would increase its Alaska-Hawaii vacation packages in conjunction with its daily Anchorage-Honolulu service beginning Dec. 9.
Hawaiian Vacations will contact customers with reservations for travel starting Jan. 13 to arrange flights on Alaska Airlines. Customers with reservations before that date will not be affected.