Alaska Airlines has received a single operating certificate (SOC) from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to operate alongside Hawaiian Airlines as two separate brands. This milestone — an FAA regulatory requirement achieved just over a year after Alaska and Hawaiian combined — marks the successful integration of training, policies, procedures and manuals across both airlines, according to an announcement.

Ben Minicucci, CEO of Alaska Air Group, said the process was “a yearlong, multiphase effort involving multiple departments and thousands of hours of work.” He said the certification was “an important step in our journey as a combined organization, and I’m excited about our future together.”

While the two carriers are now operating under a single call sign (AS), said an announcement, customers will continue to get distinct Alaska and Hawaiian brand experiences. There will be one visible change, said the announcement: While Hawaiian Airlines flights will show the HA designator, new flight numbers may be assigned to avoid duplication between the two brands.

The certification, said the announcement, paves the way for other, ongoing integration initiatives, including combining scheduling and passenger service systems to improve the experience of guests traveling across both brands; and integrating flight crew, airport and maintenance teams under joint collective bargaining agreements.

Next spring, said the announcement, Alaska and Hawaiian will move to a single passenger service system, or PSS. A PSS is the main technology powering the systems that travelers — on Alaska and Hawaiian — will interact with when planning their trips, booking tickets and on the day of travel. Once this transition is made, all flights will carry the AS code, but travelers will continue to be able to view and book Hawaiian Airlines flights and experience the Hawaiian Airlines brand throughout their journey. Hawaiian flights will be clearly branded across digital channels with an image of the carrier’s Pualani aircraft tail.