{"id":239491,"date":"2026-08-25T10:45:18","date_gmt":"2026-08-25T20:45:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=239491"},"modified":"2026-08-25T15:39:16","modified_gmt":"2026-08-26T01:39:16","slug":"football-jersey-patches-debut","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2026\/08\/25\/football-jersey-patches-debut\/","title":{"rendered":"Football jersey patches debut in historic UH<\/abbr> Athletics, Hawaiian Airlines partnership"},"content":{"rendered":"
Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>

\"jerseys<\/p>\n

The University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at Mānoa<\/span> football team<\/a> will take the field this season with a new look as Hawaiian Airlines<\/a> becomes the first UH<\/abbr> Athletics partner to have its logo featured on Rainbow Warrior football jerseys.<\/p>\n[vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/shorts\/1HM5oK3W-gg” el_aspect=”916″ align=”right” el_id=”wrap-video-right”][vc_column_text]\n

The Hawaiian Airlines iconic Pualani jersey patch will make its on-field debut August 29 when the Warriors open the 2026 season at Stanford. The historic collaboration builds on a deep partnership between UH<\/abbr> Athletics and Hawaiian Airlines that spans more than three decades.<\/p>\n

Extending air service partnership<\/h2>\n

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 partnership coincides with UH<\/abbr> Athletics\u2019 first season as a full member of the Mountain West Conference.<\/p>\n

“Hawaiian Airlines has been an incredible partner of UH<\/abbr> Athletics for decades, and we\u2019re excited to celebrate that partnership in a new way,” Athletics Director Matt Elliott said. “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 Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>. We’re grateful for Hawaiian Airlines\u2019 continued investment in Our Team, Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>\u2019s Team.”<\/p>\n

Hawaiian Airlines, part of Alaska Air Group, has served as the “Official Airline of UH<\/abbr> Athletics” for more than 30 years, supporting travel for the university\u2019s 21 varsity athletic programs and helping connect student-athletes, coaches and staff to competitions across the country.<\/p>\n

\"closeup<\/p>\n

“UH<\/abbr> Athletics and Hawaiian Airlines share the privilege of representing Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> wherever we go, and seeing Pualani on the Rainbow Warriors jersey reflects the deep pride we share in Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>\u2019s team,” said Hawaiian Airlines CEO<\/abbr> Diana Birkett Rakow. “We fly for Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> and have been proud to support generations of UH<\/abbr> student-athletes. Our employees love taking care of these incredible teams with our hoʻokipa<\/span> (hospitality) throughout their journey so they arrive rested and ready for game time.”<\/p>\n

Supporting the Rainbow Warriors onboard as they hit the road<\/h2>\n

Hawaiian Airlines will bring the Rainbow Warriors to conference and nonconference games at Stanford, Wyoming, Arizona State, Northern Illinois, UTEP<\/abbr> and Nevada. UH<\/abbr> fans across Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> 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.<\/p>\n

\"graphic<\/p>\n

Hawaiian Airlines 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\u2019s schedule and travel needs, providing consistent support for players, coaches and staff throughout the season.<\/p>\n

“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.”<\/p>\n

Hawaiian Airlines will also engage with fans through game-day activations, promotions and digital content featuring UH<\/abbr> student-athletes.<\/p>\n

The UH<\/abbr> Athletics and Hawaiian Airlines marketing sponsorship is managed by Hawaii Sports Properties<\/a>, the university\u2019s athletics multimedia rightsholder and Honolulu-based Learfield team.<\/p>\n

“Coming off an outstanding year for Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Athletics, with tremendous success across our programs and growing excitement and engagement among fans, this partnership builds on that momentum in a big way,” said Deana Barnes, executive vice president of Learfield. “Hawaiian Airlines and Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Athletics are the perfect match for this groundbreaking jersey patch partnership.”<\/p>\n

\"people<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The collaboration builds on a deep partnership between UH<\/abbr> Athletics and Hawaiian Airlines that spans more than three decades.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":239495,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1362],"tags":[58,83,714,9,550],"class_list":["post-239491","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-athletics","tag-athletics","tag-football","tag-student-athlete","tag-uh-manoa","tag-manoa-athletics","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t