Alaska Airlines has closed its $1 billion purchase of Hawaiian Airline, shortly after the US federal government removed the last major regulatory obstacle to the deal. Alaska says it will keep Hawaiian as a separate brand, eliminating the need to repaint planes.

The deal solidifies Alaska’s position as the fifth-largest U.S. airline by revenue, now with a fleet of 350 aircraft.

“This is a historic day for Alaska Airlines as we officially join with Hawaiian Airlines,” said Ben Minicucci, CEO of Alaska Air Group. “Alaska and Hawaiian share tremendous pride in connecting communities with award-winning service, and we look forward to inviting more guests on board to experience what makes both brands unique. Among Alaska, Hawaiian and Horizon Air, we have more than 230 years of history flying guests and serving communities. I know we will build on that legacy and become stronger together…”

To win approval from the Transportation Department, the airlines agreed to maintain current levels of service on key routes within Hawaii and between the island state and the US mainland where they don’t face much competition.

The Justice Department, which had opposed previous deals between large airlines, including JetBlue’s attempt to buy Spirit Airlines, has not challenged the Alaska-Hawaiian deal on antitrust grounds.

Alaska and Hawaiian also agreed to a handful of consumer protections, including not lowering value of frequent-flyer rewards as they combine their loyalty programs, and promising to compensate passengers for cancellations and significant delays that are the carriers’ fault.

Seattle-based Alaska Airlines said those conditions were similar to its plans from the time it announced the deal in December.

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