The zone takes its name from the two areas it includes: Hawaii and the portion of Alaska's Aleutian Islands west of 169° 30′ W longitude.

Hawaii has not observed daylight saving time since September 1945.

On June 8 of that year, a new territorial law moved Hawaiian Standard Time 30 minutes ahead.

[4] Hawaii–Aleutian Standard Time[5] was established to maintain consistency in the scheduling of business and government activities across Hawaii and the Aleutian Islands.

"Hawaii–Aleutian Time Zone" is a U.S. term and for that reason the Polynesian areas are not considered to be a part of the Hawaii–Aleutian Time Zone.