Football jersey patches debut in historic University of Hawaiʻi Athletics, Hawaiian Airlines collaboration
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Summary
Hawaiian Airlines will become the first UH Athletics partner to have its logo featured on Rainbow Warrior football jerseys, with the iconic Pualani patch debuting during the team’s season opener at Stanford.
The jersey patch expands a partnership spanning more than 30 years, with Hawaiian continuing as the Warriors’ exclusive charter airline and supporting the team through travel, fan engagement and season-long activations.
The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa football team will take the field this season with a new look as Hawaiian Airlines becomes the first UH Athletics partner to have its logo featured on Rainbow Warrior football jerseys.
The Hawaiian Airlines iconic Pualani jersey patch will make its on-field debut Saturday when the Warriors open the 2026 season at Stanford. The historic collaboration builds on a deep partnership between UH Athletics and Hawaiian that spans more than three decades.
Hawaiian will also continue serving as the Warriors exclusive charter airline for the season, welcoming athletes, coaches and staff with warm hospitality and remarkable service as they travel to six road games across the U.S. continent. The expanded relationship coincides with UH Athletics’ first season as a full member of the Mountain West Conference.
Hawaiian Airlines has been an incredible supporter of UH Athletics for decades, and we’re excited to celebrate that partnership in a new way. Having the Hawaiian Airlines logo on our football jerseys is a visible symbol of our shared commitment to student-athletes and to the people of Hawaiʻi. We’re grateful for Hawaiian Airlines’ continued investment in Our Team, Hawaiʻi’s Team.”
Hawaiian Airlines, part of Alaska Air Group, has served as the “Official Airline of UH Athletics” for more than 30 years, supporting travel for the university’s 21 varsity athletic programs and helping connect student-athletes, coaches and staff to competitions across the country.
UH Athletics and Hawaiian Airlines share the privilege of representing Hawaiʻi wherever we go, and seeing Pualani on the Rainbow Warriors jersey reflects the deep pride we share in Hawai‘i’s team. We fly for Hawai‘i, and have been proud to support generations of UH student-athletes. Our employees love taking care of these incredible teams with our ho‘okipa throughout their journey so they arrive rested and ready for game time.”
Supporting the Rainbow Warriors onboard as they hit the road
Hawaiian Airlines will bring the Rainbow Warriors to conference and nonconference games at Stanford, Wyoming, Arizona State, Northern Illinois, UTEP and Nevada. UH fans across Hawai‘i and the U.S. continent can travel to all of these schools to cheer on the Warriors thanks to the expanded, combined Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines network.
Hawaiian will welcome teams onboard its Airbus A321neo – among the most fuel-efficient and quietest aircraft of its type – on dedicated charter flights planned around the team’s schedule and travel needs, providing consistent support for players, coaches and staff throughout the season.
“The charter flights are an important investment in the success and well-being of our student-athletes,” Elliott said. “Hawaiian Airlines provides an unmatched travel experience that helps our team prepare, recover and compete at the highest level. Their support extends far beyond game day and makes a meaningful difference throughout the season.”
Hawaiian will also engage with fans through game-day activations, promotions and digital content featuring UH student-athletes.
The UH Athletics and Hawaiian Airlines marketing sponsorship is managed by Hawaii Sports Properties, the university’s athletics multimedia rightsholder and Honolulu-based LEARFIELD team.
Coming off an outstanding year for Hawaiʻi Athletics, with tremendous success across our programs and growing excitement and engagement among fans, this partnership builds on that momentum in a big way. Hawaiian Airlines and Hawaiʻi Athletics are the perfect match for this groundbreaking jersey patch partnership.”
About Alaska, Hawaiian and Horizon
Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines and Horizon Air are subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group, and McGee Air Services is a subsidiary of Alaska Airlines. We are a global airline with hubs in Seattle, Honolulu, Portland, Anchorage, Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco. We deliver remarkable care as we fly our guests to more than 140 destinations throughout North America, Latin America, Asia, the Pacific and Europe. Guests can book travel at alaskaair.com and hawaiianairlines.com. Alaska and Hawaiian are members of the oneworld alliance. Members of our Atmos Rewards loyalty program can earn and redeem points with oneworld airlines and our additional global partners that serve over 1,000 worldwide destinations. Learn more about what’s happening at Alaska and Hawaiian at news.alaskaair.com. Alaska Air Group is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) as “ALK.”
About UH-Mānoa Athletics
The University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa is the only NCAA Division I institution in the state of Hawai‘i. UH Athletics consists of 21 men’s, women’s, and coed teams and compete primarily in the Mountain West Conference, although several teams still compete in the Big West Conference. UH’s men’s teams are referred to as the Rainbow Warriors and compete in baseball, basketball, football, golf, swimming and diving, tennis, and volleyball while the women’s teams are referred to as the Rainbow Wahine and consist of basketball, beach volleyball, cross country, golf, sailing, softball, soccer, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field, volleyball and water polo. Coed teams are sailing and cheerleading. UH became a member of the NCAA in 1946 and joined its first major intercollegiate conference in 1979. UH boasts nine team national championships and 11 individual national champions. For more information about UH Athletics, visit HawaiiAthletics.com. Follow UH Athletics on Instagram, Facebook, X and YouTube pages.
About Learfield
Learfield is the leading media and technology company powering college athletics. Through its digital and physical platforms, Learfield owns and leverages a deep data set and relationships in the industry to drive revenue, growth, brand awareness, and fan engagement for brands, sports, and entertainment properties. With ties to over 1,200 collegiate institutions and over 12,000 local and national brand partners, Learfield’s presence in college sports and live events delivers influence and maximizes reach to target audiences. With solutions for a 365-day, 24/7 fan experience, Learfield enables schools and brands to connect with fans through licensed merchandise, game ticketing, donor identification for athletic programs, exclusive custom content, innovative marketing initiatives, NIL solutions, and advanced digital platforms. Since 2008, it has served as title sponsor for the acclaimed Learfield Directors’ Cup, supporting athletic departments across all divisions.
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