Alaska Airlines has now activated its new loyalty program, Atmos Rewards, which replaces Mileage Plan and will bring HawaiianMiles to an official end on October 1. The rebrand comes with marketing fanfare about “choice” and “flexibility,” yet the practical impact for Hawaii travelers is far less clear.
The promise of more valuable miles, global partners, and a shiny new Bank of America credit card sounds good on the surface. However, for many Hawaii-centric travelers who relied on HawaiianMiles and Pualani elite status, the launch raises fresh concerns about whether this is a genuine upgrade or merely a devaluation in disguise.
Atmos Rewards: what’s new and what’s not.
On paper, the math looks clean. Every HawaiianMile is being converted one-for-one into Atmos points. That means nothing vanishes overnight. Alaska’s Mileage Plan, into which Atmos is being folded, has long been rated as far more valuable than HawaiianMiles ever was, particularly for international redemptions on partners like Japan Airlines, American Airlines, British Airways, and Fiji Airways.
Yet the devil is in the details. Interisland flyers who relied on the simple predictability of HawaiianMiles redemptions are facing a very different world. Atmos promotes “choice” with three ways to earn: by miles flown, by number of flight segments, or by dollars spent on fares.
On paper, that sounds very flexible. In practice, it is also more complicated. Previously, Alaska’s program combined these methods, rewarding distance, offering bonuses for higher fares, and guaranteeing at least 500 miles per flight.
Under Atmos, travelers must select one method each year and adhere to it, which can lead to regret if travel patterns change. Under the distance option, class-of-service bonuses and the 500-mile minimum are gone, and segment earning is a flat 500 points per flight.
A petition is already circulating among Alaska and Hawaiian flyers, urging the airline to maintain the 500-mile minimum for short flights, underscoring the strong feelings of residents in both states about the change.
On the redemption side, Atmos advertises short-haul awards from 4,500 points one way, but real-world pricing tells a different story. HawaiianMiles interisland awards were typically up to 7,500 miles one way in economy, with occasional sales as low as 3,500 miles.
Atmos pricing, based on our current checks, has ranged from 6,500 points in the low season to 12,500 points for the same economy seat on certain flights. During peak holiday periods, however, even the lowest fares can price at 15,000 points, while first class often runs double or more. For clarity, these are one-way interisland economy awards. That is why we describe it as a potential 70 percent increase.
That variability reflects Alaska’s revenue-linked model, where award prices fluctuate in line with cash fares. The setup may work well for mainland and international routes, but for short, frequent interisland flights that many residents depend on, it feels more like a downgrade than progress.
Pualani loyalty: a legacy at risk?
For years, Hawaii residents wore their Pualani elite tags as badges of honor, earned not by chasing long-haul upgrades, but by flying neighbor island segments repeatedly. Those benefits meant something tangible: waived bag fees, priority lines, upgrades, and a recognition that interisland flying was not discretionary but a lifeline.
Now, those Pualani tiers are being merged to align with Alaska’s status system. Readers have already told us how uneasy that feels. Kalani said, “I have been a happy and loyal Pualani Platinum member for over 10 years with significant interisland and domestic travel every year on HA, plus one international trip every year. If Alaska hurts the flying experience, comfort, and convenience of local frequent flyers, then don’t expect us to stay.”
Another longtime flyer, William, used a metaphor that many others echoed: “The petals of Pualani’s flowers are being plucked out one at a time until the once beautiful flower wilts and dies.”
These are not just casual sentiments. They are the voices of the exact customers Hawaiian built its brand on.
Lisa added another dimension: “With Hawaiian, if you have Pualani elite status, there is a special line and they get to you quickly. Alaska doesn’t seem to have this. I’m praying they keep it.” For many, it is these small but crucial elite perks that make loyalty worthwhile.
Interisland flyers: Will Atmos Rewards deliver?
Alaska has promised that interisland travel will remain intact. The same planes still fly, and the points still accrue. But the question is whether the new program will treat interisland travelers as core members or simply as an afterthought compared to Alaska’s bread and butter, long-haul mainland flyers.
A reader named Carole asked the pointed question: “I’m concerned about the cost and availability of the outer island flights to Oahu. Many of us have doctors there, and we use our Hawaiian mileage plan points for these flights. What is the plan?”
So far, Atmos Rewards has not provided a definitive answer to that question. Instead, the rollout has been framed around the big global possibilities, with less clarity for those whose loyalty was earned by dozens of short, Hawaiian Airlines flights between the islands.
Separate from points and perks, frustration is already spilling into action. A community petition on FlyerTalk to preserve key Hawaii routes has started gathering comments, underscoring how much more is at stake than a loyalty rebrand.
Credit cards and the confusion factor.
Perhaps the most confusing part of this transition is happening in wallets. On the same day Bank of America launched its premium Atmos Visa cards with an 80,000-point bonus and companion fare, Barclays rolled out an 80,000-mile offer on the Hawaiian Mastercard.
Both feed into Atmos Rewards, but the coexistence of two different issuers is somewhat, though not entirely, unusual, and it is definitely confusing. Some see it as an opportunity to collect bonuses from both, while others question how long Barclays and Alaska will maintain a Hawaiian-branded card now that the program itself is ending, and Alaska’s primary relationship will remain with Bank of America.
The result is mixed signals for Hawaii travelers. On one hand, Alaska wants Atmos Rewards to be seen as the future. On the other hand, Hawaiian branding continues to be pushed in card offers that may confuse even seasoned travelers.
For residents trying to decide which card to keep, downgrade, or cancel, the lack of a straight answer is only adding to the frustration. And for interisland flyers, especially, the $395 Atmos premium card’s perks, such as lounge passes or global companion fares, may feel less relevant compared to the everyday travel needs that Hawaiian’s old card once served.
Is this really more valuable for Hawaii?
Supporters of the change point out that Alaska’s Mileage Plan has long been considered one of the strongest in the industry, with sweet spots for partner awards that HawaiianMiles never matched. We know that from personal experience and concur.
As Ed C. put it, “AS miles are highly sought after by frequent flyers for their partner redemptions. You’ll be amazed at the places around the world you can go using extremely cheap partner redemptions with AS.”
But for others, value is not measured by a discounted flight to London or Rome. The question is whether a family on Kauai can travel to Oahu for medical care without paying cash. It is whether an upgrade clears on the routes they actually fly. For those travelers, the debate is not about spreadsheets but about lived experience.
Hawaii identity in the balance.
There is also the emotional side. HawaiianMiles and Pualani status were more than loyalty points. They were part of a disappearing brand that connected travelers with Hawaii from the moment they made a booking. Seeing that folded into a program called Atmos Rewards feels to many like another chapter in the slow erasure of the Hawaiian identity.
Mark M. reflected that sense when he told us, “It feels like the Hawaiian brand is slowly being erased, and these loyalty updates just add to that. Change is inevitable, but I’ll miss when things felt more Hawaii-rooted.”
The bottom line for travelers.
Atmos Rewards may prove more valuable on paper, and some flyers will thrive with its expanded network and partners. But the real test will be whether Hawaii’s most loyal travelers feel served or sidelined. For those who live here and mostly fly here, this is not a game of maximizing points for a trip to Europe. It is about the flights that are part of daily life, the benefits that made travel easier, and the recognition that loyalty in Hawaii looks very different than loyalty on the mainland.
Have you checked out how Atmos will work for you on interisland or mainland trips? How did elite benefits feel compared with HawaiianMiles and Pualani? Share your experience below so other Hawaii travelers can compare notes and strategies.
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I’m really worried that they are going to take away Pualani status. This program is really special to us and utilized by many people daily. If Alaska just erases Hawaiian programs I’m going to start flying other Airlines. I now live in Seattle and I only fly Alaska if I have to. I’ve seen a lot of rude employees on the flights I have flown. Rude to young parents, not helpful to kupuna’s, just not friendly. This whole thing is just heartbreaking. Why Alaska of ll the airlines did they have to sell too?
Unfortunately nothing stays the same. Alaska will keep anything.that doesn’t cost money or lose it. I do believe that of all the other airlines that could have bought Hawaiian, Alaska was the best of all!
I completely understand that people are disappointed with the new scheme for redeeming points for interIsland flights. But Alaska Air Group is a business, not a public agency or a charity. It’s not their fault that strong competition on interIsland flights no longer exists. Perhaps HA’s more liberal award system was part of their financial demise. In any case, if residents of Hawaii view interIsland travel as an essential right (I do), that’s an issue that needs to be taken up with the state government. There’s probably no way it would ever happen due to cost, but it would be nice to see a subsidized system like they have in the Canary Islands, where locals fly at a massively reduced price between islands. It should be noted, however, that Canadians accept a very basic level of service on those flights. In other words, no whining about surfboards stowage and seat sizes if you’re only paying $50 to fly between OGG and HNL. Oh, and you’ll probably be on a large turboprop.
Oh well, a A/H train wreck in motion. Next time I fly from Kona to Honolulu I’ll find out the damage Miles wise.
Went twice to Seoul in the past 10 months, on packed flights, and that is a route for the history books. Very sad!
The good part, I’m old and don’t really care to travel anymore. Just stay on the farm and work, then watch K-drama.
No need At-mos(t) miles for that, or A/H train wrecks.
This hit interisland segment flyers hard.
Segment flyers to achieve 20k Pualani Gold (Atmos Silver) and 40k P Platinum (A Gold) you’ll need to rack up 10 more segments (5 RT) to achieve status than before.
Under Atmos: 30 segments x 500 points per segment flown = 15k points. You need 5k more points to reach A Silver (10 more segments at 500 points each).
Old Pualani: 30 segments flown = P Gold.
There are also additional ways to get status points. For interisland flyers, it makes sense to *at least* get the $95 Atmos Rewards Ascent Visa card where you get 1 status point per $3 spend on the credit card (any spend, not just airlines spend). With the $395 Atmos Rewards Summit Visa card, it’s 1 status point per $2 spend. The Summit card gives you 10,000 status points *annually* (i.e., 1/2 of your points needed for Atmos Silver). If you pay your interisland flights via one of those credit cards, you’ll chip away at the points needed. Separately, without the credit card, you can link a Lyft account to your Atmos rewards account to earn status points.
Our 4 mayors assured us how wonderful this merger would be for Hawaii. Turns out they are liars.
HA was going to be bankrupt. Would it have been better for HA to just disappear?
This comment is directed to Jeff and Rob with a suggestion for the entire BOH comments platform. Currently BOH only off ers a “thumbs up” option for reviewing a comment. I have found many objectionable and repugnant comments, not just in this article’s comments but in many other artilcle comments. Is it possible to add a “thumbs down” function? Mahalo
I’ve often thought the same thing.
I fully support this suggestion.
I have had bad experiences with Bank of America and closed my account. Don’t feel comfortable with dealing with that bank again.
I also noticed that Atmos only gives you 1 check in bag for free. With Hawaiian we got 2 checked bags for free when the ticket was purchased with the Barclays card. Another lost perk. Very sad.
You haven’t lost that perk. You still get two checked bags as long as you purchase with the Barclays Hawaiian credit card.
I have both the Barclay Hawaiian Airlines credit card and the old Alaska Airlines credit card. With the Hawaiian Credit card you get two checked bag for the primary card holder. The ATMOS Ascent or the old Alaska Airlines credit card gives any cardholder (so it can be the additional card user) plus up to six other passengers on the same reservation a free check in baggage. So, when my wife travels with our two kids, they get at least three free check in baggage.
On the points front, seems like a mixed bag. My bigger concern is the apparent increase in interisland flight prices. My family had to make the decision to forego our typical fall interisland trip, primarily because the flight prices are so high, we’ll cut down to just a spring trip. We’re fortunate – this is discretionary travel. I feel for everyone that has to travel for medical, work, other essentials!
I have a HAL $200 gift card that I did not have a chance to use yet. I know I cannot use it to book on Alaska. Is the HAL website to book flights going to eventually end? If so, when will it end.
I call a phone number that was given to me but I could not understand the person I was talking with.
As a Hawaii business/resident that flys interisland two to four times a month the only thing I would say is/was worth purchasing was the block purchases. IIRC restricted 4,6,12, and unrestricted 30, 50 leg purchases. This way you are locked in at a 60 to 80 price per leg. Thats really the only value program Hawaiian really had (and wasnt advertised). I hope Alaskan migrates this and really is the only program to “push” for.
Point or mile value has degraded across the board on almost all airlines unless you fly A LOT. I remember all my United upgrade coupons for a couple years commuting to Asia from Chicago. For non business travelers Credit card offers are really not worth it either espeacially if they couldnt be used on deep fare sales.
Unsurprising. From cell carriers to cable providers to transport sector, corporate America can be expected to squeeze every drop of blood from each pebble. The difference is in the pitch: “Better for you !” – just stop insulting our intelligence and rip the band-aid off. (Could be worse: I had some 250k Aloha miles that flew off into the sunset with the airline, with little warning.)
I rely on Pualani Platinum status to make my interisland work trips workable. Platinum will now = Gold on AS, and my concern is that people with EQM on the new credit card are going to be ahead of commuters who need to get on the next flight, from the early morning construction workers to the doctors going to neighbor island clinics. Hawaiian is more than an airline for Hawaii, it’s actual transportation. We’ll see.
We have been using our Hawaiian miles to upgrade to first class from the west coast. This option is no longer available with Atmos. We will be looking at other airlines going forward. For us, this is a big loss. And Atmos refers to an audio experience. How does that apply to flying with an airline? A weird name…
Same here Nancy. I’d say that is a majority of what I used my HawaiianMiles for and it was generally a good deal. That will be a big loss.
Thanks Terry. I’m glad to know someone else feels that this is a big loss, and it’s not just me.
Atmos is an abbreviated reference to “atmosphere.” Dolby Atmos is a branded audio technology. Not the same thing.
8/25. I decided to transfer HA miles to Alaska yesterday. It worked, But, only allowed me to transfer half of my HA miles. Will the balance really be moved in the coming months?
“Gutted?” I think not. If you look at the revamped Atmos Rewards versus any other airline frequent flyer program, it’s a very positive and more lucrative program compared to United, American, Delta, Southwest, or you pick the airline program. It is a the only program that lets you choose between (a) 500 points fixed (think “I only fly interisland”), (b) points based upon distance [very rare these days], or (c) one point per $5 spent on cash fare. The traveler gets to pick which option is best for them. Also, I’ve seen people here on BOH complain about “no pooling,” yet Atmos will allow pooling of folks points. Atmos is so much better than any other airline frequent flyer program. Hawaiian Airlines was going bankrupt so I would not compare Atmos to the old Hawaiian Miles program that was unsustainable. Yes, it will be a bit more difficult to earn the highest elite status, but overall, Atmos Rewards is pretty good.
If you fly interisland only, you’ll need 10 more segments than before to achieve status. Individual segments flown no longer qualify, its only the 500 points/miles flown.
Under Atmos: 30 segments x 500 points per segment flown = 15k points. You need 5k more points to reach A Silver (P Gold).
Old Pualani: 30 segments flown = Gold.
Are you saying changes that point towards a return to profitability (survival) are bad news? I’m sure the former Hawaiian employees are greatful that new management is staying away from bankruptcy and maintaining employment.
Maybe there’s a lesson in here: perhaps Alaska could merge with Hawai`i and form a single functional & diverse 49th state.
My wife and I have been going to Maui twice a year to or the last 10 years . We are retired & because of extra fees like the Green fees beach fees, Airlines & Hotels devaluations of points, miles, and perks which all add to costs and you add 47’s idiotic tariffs which add to the costs on countless items. We are cutting back on travel to Hawaiian islands. The lack of understanding the consequences to consumers by all parties and greed is killing the desire to go
The so-called “idiotic” 47 tariffs are returning good jobs to the USA.
As a retiree, you may only care about your vacation costs, however, young Americans cannot afford to own a home or start a family because politicians have sold out the middle class.
47 is about abolishing slave labor in America and worldwide.
Deal with it.
I admire BOH’s effort to try to make clear Alaska’s plans for Hawaiian Air miles and credit cards but it’s hard to be definitive when Alaska keeps shifting the board game on them and flyers. Alaska’s pronouncements with miles and credit cards appear to be deliberately confusing and oftentimes misleading. It seems to me after this time, Alaska’s plan, if that, is to make Hawaiian Air an ‘”in-name” only brand eviscerating all Hawaiian services and perks.. To paraphrase Wiliams comment; the petals are already dying and it’s only a matter of time before they fall off the already dead stem.
What is confusing about Alaska advertising and marketing? I have always found them to be very direct and transparent.
Atmos Airlines has by and large made partner award redemptions either incredibly overpriced or falsely advertised and completely unbookable. They’re ok with flooding loyal customers accounts with points, because they are making it impossible to redeem those points. They seem to have adopted a scam and defraud attitude towards loyal customers.
And elites can forget about upgrades. They will hold out until the last minute trying to get customers to pay for cash upgrades, the upgrade windows for elites are not honored, and then when those seats are not sold they simply fly them empty by claiming there’s no time to upgrade elites.
Its seems that the Atmos Airlines business model is firmly focused on bait-and-switch marketing towards elites. They openly refuse to follow their own published rules.
Respectfully, Quartet, I disagree. I have found both a 15K award from HNL to Portland and at 17.5K award from Seattle to HNL in October. No bait and switch from what I see.
I have always found Alaska points redemptions to be a great value. It looks to me like that value is getting even better under Atmos rewards program. In fact, just recently I transferred a significant amount of Hawaiian miles to Alaska miles as they were offering a better redemption deal for international travel to Japan.
Aloha and thanks for another great article BOH. Under the HawaiianMiles system, there is an elite status bonus in addition to a class of service bonus. Pualani Platinums get a 100% bonus on miles while Pualani Golds get a 50% bonus. Do you know if the same is offered by Atmos?
I totally understand the frustration about losing the 500 miles if you fly inter-island but as someone pointed out, those that are not Pualani Gold or Platinum members accrue miles based on distance (honolulu to maui, 101 miles) currently therefore Alaska is not changing anything.
Those are the changes and unfortunately, we are stuck with it. As a Gold member, I need to figure out which option is best for me. At least we have a year to figure that out. Those that fly inter-sland frequently, segment is probably better as they would accrue status faster. For those like myself that do a mix of inter-island and mainland travel, distance is probably still best although I now have account for the change in miles inter-island which means I probably will have to make one extra trip to the mainland to retain status if I do miles based.
In looking at the choices for the new Atmos charge cards, unlike the Barclay’s’ cards which had no annual fee, every BofA card shown on their Website had an annual fee, no free cards anymore! How many millions$ will that generate? Enough to buy another Dreamliner?
The Barclays cards all have annual fees, unless you possibly have an older grandfathered account.
My Barclays Hawaiian credit card does have a yearly fee of $99 I believe. However, when I called to cancel, they waived the fee.
Welcome to a profitable airline. And not a bankrupt one.
If Hawaii residents want free interisland flights, why don’t they ask the Hawaii Tourism Authority to fund them? It would be the first time in history the HTA brings actual, tangible value to Hawaiians.
My biggest heartburn is Alaska miles program does not allowing miles or points sharing without significant costs that make it very unfavorable!☹️ unlike very customer friendly Hawaiian miles allows at no fee.
Points sharing is free with the Atmosphere Summit Card (by far the better value for earning points). Per their website:
Free Points Sharing lets Atmos™ Rewards Summit Visa Infinite® primary cardholders create a sharing network with up to 10 other Atmos™ Rewards members — including friends, family, or other cardholders — to transfer redeemable points back and forth, with no transfer fees.
Sharing was part of the $95 Hawaiian credit card. It will now cost four times more for the same feature on Alaska. Not a good deal by any measure.
Hawaiian miles allowed sharing only if one cardholder had a Barclays card. Alaska allows sharing amongst ten members, albeit only under one meter having the Summit card.
Aloha Guys. thanks again for the info. my question is what to do with my Hawaiian miles. we have to different credit cards/accounts. will Atmos charge us to combine them the way Alaska does? I thought to combine all our miles into one Hawaiian account before the change over. then maybe the other one of us start using the alaska card exclusively? not sure what to do here. Thoughts????
thanks
Ane T
You link your Hawaiian Miles account number to your Alaska Mileage Plan account number. The miles will automatically be accumulated in the new Atmos Rewards. It’s pretty easy.