Alaska Airlines Appoints Monica Kobayashi as Managing Director of Airport Ops and Customer Service

Alaska Airlines has named Hawaiʻi-based Leader, Monica Kobayashi, as Managing Director of Airport Operations and Customer Service for Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines.

Alaska Airlines’ New Managing Director of Airport Operations and Customer Service for Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines, Monica Kobayashi – Courtesy Alaska Airlines

On Wednesday (July 2, 2025), Alaska Airlines announced the appointment of Hawaiʻi-Based Leader, Monica Kobayashi, as Managing Director of Airport Operations and Customer Service for Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines.  In her new Honolulu-based role, Ms. Kobayashi will lead airport operations for Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines in Hawaiʻi and the North and South Pacific, once the carriers obtain a single AOC later this year.  She will oversee more than 1,500 airport employees across the Hawaiian Islands in addition to teams in Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, the Cook Islands, Tahiti and American Samoa.

In Wednesday’s announcement, Alaska Airlines’ VP – Airport Operations and Customer Service, Celley Buchanan, said,

“We are delighted to have Monica lead our combined airport operations throughout Hawaiʻi, including Honolulu – our second largest hub – and at airports in Asia and Oceania as we fly our guests across our expanding network while delivering the best airport experience.”

Monica Kobayashi has 20 years of experience with Hawaiian Airlines, most recently serving as Managing Director of Airport Operations Planning, where she drove operational, financial and commercial performance at 30 airport locations.  Prior to that, she held leadership roles in financial planning and analysis, general accounting, and corporate reporting.  A resident of Mililani on the island of Oʻahu, Ms. Kobayashi earned her Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from Chaminade University in Honolulu.

Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines and Horizon Air are subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group, with McGee Air Services a subsidiary of Alaska Airlines. With hubs in Seattle, Honolulu, Portland, Anchorage, Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco, the carrier delivers exceptional care as they fly their guests to over 140 destinations across North America, Latin America, Asia and the Pacific.  Alaska Airlines is a member of the oneworld Alliance with Hawaiian scheduled to join in 2026. With oneworld and our additional global partners, guests can earn and redeem miles for travel to over 1,000 worldwide destinations. Alaska Air Group is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the symbol ‘ALK.’

Source: Alaska Airlines