To commemorate 15 years of serving the Hawaiian Islands, US legacy carrier Alaska Airlines has announced a new partnership with Hawaiian illustrator Punky Aloha Studio to commission an exciting new livery to feature on one of its Boeing 737 jets.

A new design

Designed by Shar Tui’asoa, the artwork will reflect Alaska Airlines and the Island of Hawai’i’s “Pledge To Our Keiki” and is set to be unveiled later this year. Tui’asoa’s colorful, bold artwork, inspired by her Polynesian heritage, has been featured by a range of companies, including Apple, Facebook, Disney, and Pixar, as well as in two of her own children’s books published by Harper Kids.

Tui’asoa’s work came to the carrier’s attention thanks to the support of Alaska Airlines’ Pacific Islander Alliance, who advocated for her work to be featured by the airline; it is unclear which aircraft the new artwork will adorn. In celebration of her latest collaboration with Alaska Airlines, Tui’asoa noted,

“I’m excited to partner with Alaska Airlines to design a powerful message in a unique way to a global audience. I’m honored to draw inspiration from our keiki (children) who have pledged their commitment to mālama ‘āina (care for the land) and hope that the end result will motivate others to do the same.”

Pledge To Our Keiki

Over the past several years, Alaska Airlines has committed itself to working closely with the Hawaiian community. In 2022, the carrier partnered with the non-profit Kanu Hawai’i to sign “the Pledge To Our Keiki,” allowing tourists to give back to the community after visiting the Pacific archipelago. The airline joined up with Kanu Hawai’i and its governor, Josh Green, along with other community figures to launch the pledge across the state’s public school system.

Photo: Ingrid Barrentine / Alaska Airlines

Alaska Airlines’ director of sales, community, and public relations in Hawai’i, David Chun, added,

“With the recent retirement of our first Hawaiʻi-themed livery, we are thrilled to work with another local artist to honor our connection to the Islands. We love Shar’s work, and we share many of the same values and commitment to Hawaiʻi. It’s our goal to not just paint an airplane, but to carry the message about being a mindful traveler and invite our guests to join us in caring for Hawai‘i and the many places we live and fly.”

Alaska Airlines liveries

In 2013, the airline unveiled its famous “Spirit of the Islands” livery, designed by 17-year-old student Aaron Nee, who won the Alaska Airlines’ 2013 Paint-the-Plane contest. Nee’s design was selected from over 2,700 submissions from Hawaiian school students and spent over ten years decorating the side of N560AS, a Boeing 737-800, before eventually being retired by Alaska Airlines.

Photo: EQRoy / Shutterstock

Earlier this month, the carrier announced another new livery in support of the San Francisco Giants for the upcoming baseball season following a nearly six-year-long partnership between the two companies. The design, featuring the team’s logo and mascot, Lou Seal, will be displayed on the side of one of Alaska Airlines’ new Boeing 737 MAX jets, N936AK, through the remainder of 2023.

Have you flown on Alaska Airlines’ “Spirit of the Islands” jet? What artwork would you like to see featured on the new aircraft? Let us know in the comments.