Waikīkī came alive this past weekend with a harmony of vibrant music, color and aloha as thousands gathered to celebrate Honolulu Pride. Held annually in October, the weekend-long celebration is a festive mainstay for LGBTQIA+ / MVPFAFF communities across the Hawaiian Islands, promoting the spirit of equality for all people of Hawaiʻi.
For years, Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines have sponsored the Honolulu Pride Parade and Festival separately. Each festival season, both carriers have gathered hundreds of their employees to spread aloha and inclusivity in the heart of Hawaiʻi’s most popular destination while supporting the local nonprofit that organizes Honolulu Pride: the Hawaiʻi LGBT Legacy Foundation.
However, the 2024 Honolulu Pride Parade and Festival set a new precedent, marking the first-ever large-scale community showing for Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines as a combined company.
“I feel really privileged that in our shared history, it’s going to go down that the first thing we ever did together was Honolulu Pride,” said Manakō Tanaka, community and cultural relations manager at Hawaiian Airlines and a Hawaiʻi LGBT Legacy Foundation board member. “Pride is about the love that we have for each other and advocating for safety for everybody in all spaces.”
When the two companies officially combined last month, employees from the Pride Crew, Alaska's LGBTQ+ business resource group, and Haʻaheo, Hawaiian’s employee resource group, sprung to action in planning a celebration that demonstrated lōkahi (unity) between the two brands.
“Supporting Honolulu Pride gives us the chance to show the same warmth and welcome to the LGBTQ+ community that Honolulu consistently extends to all guests that visit,” said Jeremy Naz, co-chair of the Pride Crew. “We’ve always marched next to Hawaiian Airlines and have admired how they celebrated Pride with an extra level of care and culture unique to the islands.”
From glitter bars and face painting to dance parties and live performances, the combined companies’ brilliant display of aloha did not disappoint. The Alaska Airlines x Hawaiian Airlines Rainbow Runway float, awash with tropical flowers and colorful clouds, was flanked by over 230 employees across both brands. The float showcased hula and music by the Hawaiian Airlines Serenaders, along with appearances by Queens Paju Munro and Hawaiʻi’s own Jada Slayy, both of whom are also airline employees—Munro as a flight attendant for Alaska Airlines and Slayy as a guest service agent for Hawaiian Airlines.
“There was a sense of serendipity in the fact that this was our first major event unified as two distinct brands,” said Christopher Ayres, executive creative director for Alaska and Hawaiian and a member of Ha‘aheo. “It felt like a natural time to celebrate in a bold and colorful way, because Pride is about coming together as one, regardless of our differences, to celebrate love and inclusion. What a beautiful moment to do so as a combined organization.”
For J’Keren Sears, a Pride Crew member who has participated in Honolulu Pride for five years, the 2024 events were also a time to celebrate diversity.
“Pride is ultimately an expression of love, so this felt like the perfect spot to show love to our community and employees as one company,” Sears shared. “I hope people see that Hawaiian Airlines is here to stay, and we are partnering together to be even stronger. While we share a ton, our differences make us stronger and are what I’m most excited about.”
Beyond October’s festivities, Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines support the Hawai‘i LGBT Legacy Foundation’s Pride365 initiative, which plans year-round programming and awareness initiatives. Both Haʻaheo and the Pride Crew are deeply involved in community partnerships to create positive impacts and foster a world where everyone is free to love, live and fly with pride.
Sears added, “It’s not always easy to be an out queer person, just look at social media. By showing up and celebrating diversity, we are fulfilling our responsibility to ensure that everyone who sees us, flies with us and works for us feels safe."
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