Things are about to change for Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines customers. On Wednesday, Alaska Airlines acquired Hawaiian Airlines in a historic merger. The acquisition is the largest merger between U.S.

The airline’s chief executive, Ben Minicucci, said in an interview that closing its acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines would allow it to expand, including on international routes.

The vast majority of non-union jobs – plus all of Hawaiian’s 6,000 union workers — will remain untouched by Alaska’s acquisition of Hawaiian, said Joe Sprague, a former longtime Alaska executive who succeeds Peter Ingram as Hawaiian’s interim chief executive.