Business
Alaska Air Group Announces Leadership Transition at Hawaiian Airlines and Executive Promotion at Alaska Airlines
Alaska Air Group today announced that Diana Birkett Rakow, senior vice president of public affairs and sustainability at Alaska Airlines, will become CEO of Hawaiian Airlines effective Oct. 29, succeeding Joe Sprague who will retire after a long career at Alaska Airlines, Horizon Air and Hawaiian Airlines.
About this update from Alaska Air Group, Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"• Diana Birkett Rakow to be named CEO of Hawaiian Airlines, succeeding Joe Sprague who will retire this Fall after a distinguished career in aviation.","length":150,"tagName":"p","attribs":{}},{"type":"text","content":"• Kyle Levine to be promoted to Executive Vice President, Corporate & Public Affairs, Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary and assume responsibility for Public and Government Affairs.","length":194,"tagName":"p","attribs":{}},{"type":"text","content":"SEATTLE and HONOLULU, Sept. 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Alaska Air Group today announced that Diana Birkett Rakow, senior vice president of public affairs and sustainability at Alaska Airlines, will become CEO of Hawaiian Airlines effective Oct. 29, succeeding Joe Sprague who will retire after a long career at Alaska Airlines, Horizon Air and Hawaiian Airlines.","length":360,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"image","alt":"Diana Birkett Rakow","displaySize":"","headline":null,"caption":"Diana Birkett Rakow","className":"","disableSlideshowImg":false,"size":{"original":{"width":255,"height":400,"url":"https://media.zenfs.com/en/prnewswire.com/883623e17659d12560e3277192eb8b5e"},"resized":{"url":"https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/bCpy_HVTtsrZbL9YLNVibQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTQyMDtoPTY1OTtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/prnewswire.com/883623e17659d12560e3277192eb8b5e","width":255,"height":400}},"href":"https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2770507/Alaska_Airlines_Hawaiian_Airlines_Diana_Birkett_Rakow.html","hrefExternal":true,"rel":"nofollow"},{"type":"text","content":"Birkett Rakow will be based in Honolulu, the company's second largest hub after Seattle, and will be responsible for the long-term performance and advancement of the Hawaiian Airlines brand and Alaska Air Group's business in Hawai'i, supporting the company's guests and over 6,600 employees across the Islands. She will continue to report to Ben Minicucci, CEO of Alaska Air Group, and remain on the company's Executive Committee. Birkett Rakow's role will also continue to include oversight of company-wide sustainability and venture investment strategies.","length":581,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":""Hawai'i and the Hawaiian Airlines brand are critical to Alaska Air Group's future and key to our vision of connecting the world to a remarkable travel experience ro...