Alaska Air Group to cut about 200 management jobs over fuel costs

Alaska Air Group, the parent of Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines and Horizon Air, is to lay off about 200 mainly management employees, citing higher jet fuel prices and geopolitical pressures. CEO Ben Minicucci announced the cuts in a memo to staff on Friday 30 October 2026, and the company says no frontline roles are affected.

What the airline has said

According to AirlineGeeks, which cites an email obtained by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Minicucci wrote that fuel prices and geopolitical challenges are putting "significant financial pressure" on the business. He warned that, if current conditions persist, the group could lose as much as $700 million this year, which would be its first adjusted pretax loss outside the pandemic since 2003.

The Star-Advertiser reportedly counted 125 affected workers in Washington state and 48 in Hawaii. AirlineGeeks says those affected will leave on 13 November but will continue to be paid through the end of the year.

Impact in Hawaii

Simple Flying puts the Hawaii figure at 46 positions, while AirlineGeeks reports 48, so the sources differ slightly. Both agree that eight of the Hawaii-based employees are being offered other roles. AirlineGeeks says Hawaiian Airlines CEO Diana Birkett Rakow told staff that 40 roles will be eliminated outright.

Two senior Hawaii leaders, Jim Landers, head of Hawaii operations, and Shelly Parker, head of guest operations, will retire at the end of the year, and their positions will be eliminated. Simple Flying reports that Alaska has said the cuts are not linked to its 2024 merger with Hawaiian Airlines, citing Hawaii News Now.

Fuel costs and context

Simple Flying says the cuts target non-union back-office and management roles and amount to less than 1% of the workforce. It reports that Alaska's 2026 strategy assumed fuel at about $2.50 a gallon, whereas fourth-quarter prices are expected at $4.65 to $4.85, according to Investing.com. Simple Flying links the price rise to the 2026 Iran crisis and describes this as the sixth round of management layoffs since the merger. It also cites the Honolulu Star-Advertiser as reporting 479 WARN notices issued to non-union staff over that period. These figures come from a single source and were not confirmed in the AirlineGeeks report.

Simple Flying says it contacted Alaska Airlines for comment but had not received a response at the time of publication.

What this means for travellers

• Pilots, flight attendants, mechanics and airport staff are not included, so day-to-day flying and airport service should not be directly affected by these cuts.
• The reductions are in corporate and management functions. Neither source says routes, schedules or fares will change as a result.
• Simple Flying notes the airline's long-haul expansion, including routes to Asia and Europe, has continued since the merger. Neither source says whether fuel costs will alter those plans.
• Higher fuel costs are the stated pressure on the business. Whether they will feed into fares or capacity has not been addressed by the company in the reporting so far.

Sources: Simple Flying; AirlineGeeks.