The short answer
Alaska Air Group eliminated about 200 non-contract positions on October 30, 2026, which a company spokesperson told Reuters is less than 1% of its roughly 32,500 employees. The cuts are job losses in management and other non-union roles, with 125 in Washington state and 48 in Hawaii, per Reuters. No frontline, non-management jobs are affected, per a memo from CEO Ben Minicucci that Reuters saw.
What happened
Minicucci told employees about the cuts in an email on Friday, October 30, 2026, per Reuters and the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. The layoffs cover non-contract staff at Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines and Horizon Air, per KIRO 7. Alaska Air Group also filed a notice with the Washington State Employment Security Department dated October 30 under the state's WARN Act, per KOMO News. A WARN notice is a filing an employer makes with a state when it plans a large layoff. The cuts came about a week after the company's October 21 third-quarter earnings call, where executives warned about fuel costs, per the Star-Advertiser.
Who is affected
Reuters reported 125 positions in Washington and 48 in Hawaii, which leaves about 27 of the roughly 200 unaccounted for, and the Star-Advertiser did not name any other locations. Of the 48 Hawaii positions, 40 jobs are being eliminated and eight people are being offered other roles, per an email from Hawaiian Airlines CEO Diana Birkett Rakow reported by the Star-Advertiser. Two Hawaii leaders, Jim Landers, head of Hawaii operations, and Shelly Parker, head of Hawaii guest operations, are retiring at year end and their positions will be eliminated, per the Star-Advertiser.
The Washington notice lists 10 sites: one in Renton, eight in SeaTac including the corporate headquarters at 19300 International Boulevard, and one in Spokane, per KOMO News. Pilots, flight attendants, guest services employees, and maintenance and engineering staff are not affected, per KIRO 7.
When it takes effect
Affected employees received 60-day WARN notices on October 30, per the Star-Advertiser. Their last working day is November 13, 2026, and they keep receiving pay through December 31, 2026, per the Minicucci memo as reported by Reuters. The Washington notice says the first employment separations are scheduled on or about December 31, per KOMO News, which matches the end of the paid period, and that the cuts are expected to be permanent.
What the company said
Minicucci wrote that fuel prices and geopolitical challenges are putting significant financial pressure on the business, and that the company could lose as much as $700 million in 2026 if current conditions persist, which would be its first adjusted pretax loss outside the pandemic since 2003, per Reuters and the Star-Advertiser. He wrote that overhead had grown at a disproportionate rate to revenue over the past few years, per Reuters. In the memo, Minicucci said the company must "return to the financial discipline that has long been a key competitive advantage," per Reuters. The company told FOX 13 Seattle that it faces a challenging operating environment with unpredictable fuel costs and broader geopolitical pressures. Executives said the cuts are not tied to the $1.9 billion Hawaiian Holdings acquisition completed in September 2024, per the Star-Advertiser.
Severance and support
Affected employees are paid through December 31, 2026 and receive severance and transition support, per the Minicucci memo as reported by Reuters and per the company as reported by the Star-Advertiser. No severance amounts were published.
Earlier cuts at Alaska Air Group
The Star-Advertiser reported on October 31, 2026 that this is the sixth round of management layoffs at Hawaiian Airlines since the September 2024 merger, with 479 WARN notices to non-union employees in total, and that about 383 of those people had left the company before the latest round.
| Round | Non-union employees notified |
|---|---|
| October 2024 | 57 |
| January 2025 | 61 |
| July 2025 | 252 |
| February 2026 | 48 |
| October 2026 (earlier notice) | 13 |
| October 30, 2026 | 48 |
Questions people ask
How many jobs did Alaska Air Group cut?
About 200 non-contract positions, less than 1% of roughly 32,500 employees, per a company spokesperson quoted by Reuters. Reuters reported 125 in Washington and 48 in Hawaii.
Are pilots or flight attendants affected?
No. The cuts are limited to management and other non-contract roles, and pilots, flight attendants, guest services, and maintenance and engineering staff are not affected, per KIRO 7 and the Minicucci memo reported by Reuters.
When is the last day for affected Alaska Air employees?
The last working day is November 13, 2026, with pay continuing through December 31, 2026, per the Minicucci memo as reported by Reuters. The Washington WARN notice lists separations beginning on or about December 31, per KOMO News.
What reason did Alaska Air Group give?
CEO Ben Minicucci wrote that fuel prices and geopolitical challenges could push the company to a loss of as much as $700 million in 2026 and that overhead had grown faster than revenue, per Reuters and the Star-Advertiser. Executives said the cuts are not tied to the Hawaiian acquisition, per the Star-Advertiser.