Hawaiian Airlines just confirmed via email that its longtime loyalty program, HawaiianMiles, will shut down for five full days ahead of its replacement by the new Atmos Rewards program. Members received this email notice today confirming that from September 26 through September 30, members will not be able to log in to their HawaiianMiles accounts, redeem miles, or make any changes to their loyalty profiles. On October 1, Atmos Rewards officially takes over.
This freeze marks a significant milestone in the ongoing integration following acquisition of Hawaiian by Alaska Airlines. While the final transfer to Atmos was already set, this gave frequent flyers and other Hawaiian Miles members exactly when and how HawaiianMiles will be eliminated. For travelers, the message is clear: if you have miles to use, upgrades to apply, or profile changes to make, now is the time to act.
What to expect if you need to call HawaiianMiles during the freeze.
The blackout from September 26 to 30 will entirely suspend access to the HawaiianMiles system. That means no logging in to your account, no redemptions, no award bookings, and no ability to check or manage your mileage balance. You will also be unable to update traveler profiles, use stored payment methods, or view your Pualani Elite status.
Additionally, members will be blocked from transferring miles, donating or purchasing miles, and even requesting password reset emails. Those holding upgrade certificates or promotional codes linked to Hawaiian’s co-branded credit cards will find those options unavailable online as well.
What you can still do, but only by calling.
Some benefits, including Pualani Platinum upgrade certificate redemptions and discount codes tied to the Huakaʻi program or the Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard, will remain accessible, but only by calling Hawaiian Reservations. During the September 26 to 30 freeze, no online redemptions or loyalty actions will be possible.
While call volumes may spike, Hawaiian’s Philippine-based phone support has proven surprisingly efficient in our own recent experience. As we shared in Hawaiian Or Alaska? One Airline Surprised Us On Service, a Hawaiian Airlines agent picked up in just ten seconds and resolved our issue in under five minutes.
That contrasts sharply with what we’ve repeatedly encountered when calling Alaska. On multiple occasions, we’ve experienced multi-hour waits to reach a US-based agent. In most of those cases, the option to receive a callback was offered, which helps. But overall, the experience has been inconsistent and time-consuming.
If the same patterns hold, travelers needing support during the account freeze may be better off contacting Hawaiian than Alaska, although we expect both to face increased pressure as the loyalty switchover nears.
The final day to use HawaiianMiles online is September 25.
After that, the program enters a complete deep freeze. If you have outstanding award travel to book, it should be finalized before that date. If you have miles you want to transfer to family members or use for seat upgrades, those moves should happen right away.
It may also be wise to take a screenshot of your current account details, including mileage balance, elite status, and any stored traveler information. Hawaiian has not clarified what data saved in traveler profiles or preferred payment methods will automatically carry over to the new system.
Travelers who have not yet booked fall or holiday travel using miles may want to do so now, especially if they are concerned about potential upcoming changes once Atmos Rewards takes over.
Atmos Rewards launches October 1, but key questions remain.
On that date, HawaiianMiles will officially be gone. In its place, Atmos Rewards will become the unified loyalty program for Hawaiian and Alaska Airlines. The two airlines have promised a seamless transition, though whether that will actually happen remains to be seen. And BOH visitors are continuing to ask questions.
Readers sound off: Is this the end of Hawaiian loyalty?
Beat of Hawaii readers have been vocal from the moment Atmos Rewards was announced. In our recent article, Atmos Rewards Just Gutted Hawaii Flyers, the comment section exploded with concern, especially from those who rely on interisland travel, value Pualani status, or have deep ties to the outgoing HawaiianMiles program.
Susan, a longtime Hawaiian Platinum member, put it bluntly: “This program is really special to us… If Alaska just erases Hawaiian programs I’m going to start flying other airlines. This whole thing is just heartbreaking.”
Others flagged how the new segment requirements under Atmos punish Hawaii-based flyers. Kenneth wrote, “This hit interisland segment flyers hard,” pointing out that Atmos now requires ten more segments to achieve the same status level as before.
Cueball, who flies interisland multiple times a month, said that Hawaiian’s old block purchase system was “the only value program” and worries it will not survive the transition. Another commenter, Jim, summarized the overall tone: “Alaska’s plan is to make Hawaiian Air an ‘in-name only’ brand, eviscerating all Hawaiian services and perks.”
There is also confusion and frustration about Atmos credit cards, redemption rules, and the shift in tone from a locally grounded loyalty program to a more corporate, mainland-driven model. As one commenter put it, “They are making it impossible to redeem those points. They seem to have adopted a scam-and-defraud attitude towards loyal customers.”
Not everyone is critical. Some readers confirm that the new Atmos program is the very best U.S. airline program among mainland carriers. However, for many, especially those in Hawaii who used HawaiianMiles daily, the emotional and practical fallout is clear. This is more than a program sunset. It is a loss of something personal.
Is Hawaiian Airlines still Hawaii’s airline?
This moment represents more than just a technical update. HawaiianMiles has been part of the travel experience for Hawaii residents and repeat visitors for decades. It rewarded loyalty with upgrades, free flights, and recognition that felt personal. Now, all of that is being handed over to a system created by the new owner, Alaska Airlines.
For Jim, a longtime Pualani Platinum member we spoke with today, the change feels final. He’s flown between Hawaii and Las Vegas for many years and has held elite status since the program’s inception. He values the perks and perhaps the mileage upgrades most, remembers when this felt meaningful, and sees this transition as the likely end of his loyalty to an airline. We reminded him that September 25 is the last day for online HawaiianMiles access, and September 30 is the final day to call the Hawaiian call center. After that, it’s all Atmos.
Whether this change will bring new opportunities or new frustrations remains to be seen. Some travelers may welcome a larger partner network, including oneworld and a far broader reach. Others may miss the intimacy and familiarity of the old program, especially those who built routines and relationships around it.
The deeper question is whether Hawaii’s airline still feels like Hawaii’s airline. The Alaska Airlines acquisition reshapes Hawaiian’s brand, fleet, and now loyalty structure; many are wondering what will be left of the identity they once trusted. For some, that trust is already gone.
What to expect next.
Hawaiian has promised more updates as the October 1 launch approaches. But if the current email is any indication, news about those updates may come later than many travelers would like.
For now, the best course of action is to treat September 25 as your last chance to act. After that, the system will shut down, and your miles and status will be moved into a new ecosystem with more details still to be revealed.
We will continue to monitor Atmos Rewards developments and share them as soon as they are announced.
Do you think Atmos Rewards can live up to what HawaiianMiles meant to you, or is this the end of Hawaii’s airline loyalty as we knew it? Will you stay with this or any airline loyalty program going forward, or is this your breaking point? Let us know below.
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What will happen with the Hawaiian Airlines CC holders. Will they still work?. Will we get miles using them?
Will we still get 2 free checked bags when we purchase tickets with the cards or will we have to scrap them and apply for an Alaskan Card. I haven’t seen anyone ask these questions
I have noticed that Hawaiian Airlines has changed the way the sale prices are offered. They make the sale price(ie$49) available only on the earliest and latest flights. This makes it difficult for families trying to get together. Also, all school breaks, have increased costs and don’t get sale prices. The holidays are the highest cost and do not get sale prices. We can’t afford to bring my son and his family of 5 home for Thanksgiving or Christmas. Where is the “Ohana” in those policies. To keep our loyalty, Hawaiian Airlines should make it financially possible for our families to get together. We do not have highways our boats as options. Southwest is our only other option. Please treat us as Ohana and make interisland flights more affordable. At least let us have the sale prices on all your flights. That’s what Southwest does. I prefer Hawaiian and will use them over Southwest if prices are equatable. Please fix your sale to include all flights, so Ohana can be together.
We got the credit card because we were promised 70,000 points- enough for two roundtrip tickets, but now it’s not even enough for one ticket. And the help lines avoid questions about the companion fare I earned also.
I think I will go back to American Airlines.
But oh how I will miss my Hawaiian Airlines. You were in vacation mode as soon as you got on the plane. The flowers and leis, drinking POG, the meals, the shortbread cookie on arrival, Hawaiian movies, Hawaiian amenities in the bathroom- the entire experience was top notch.
BOH/Barclays just put out a big splash today about why you should keep their card. In it they mention HawaiianMiles over and over again but it’s my understanding that there will be no Alaska or Hawaiian miles programs – only the combined Atmos Rewards.
If HA’s close partners don’t know what’s happening how is anyone else suppose to? Just going to have wait and see but what choice do we have. No use complaining and there are others options if Atmos doesn’t work for you. As a former holder of a significant amount of Aloha Airline miles I’m looking forward to using my Atmos miles for something . . .
I have been flying with Hawaiian since it started coming to Australia and an a Pualani Gold member. As soon as you step up to the check in counter your experience with Hawaiian started. Always making you feel special. The cabin crew wonderful.
So What is next for us international flyers from down under.
This endless handwringing is not productive. Take a step back and remember that were it not for Alaska, Hawaiian Airlines and Hawaiian Miles might not exist at all. So just be thankful that the airline is still flying and there will be a loyalty reward program of some type going forward.
Will it be the same? No. But then again, at least the new program is better than nothing at all. So everyone needs to take a deep breath and just settle down.
Thank you Alaska for saving & restructuring a product that was circling the drain. If some benefits were lost, those may have been benefits that were losing money. If an individual can balance their bank accounts and avoid debt, then they understand the need for change at the former Hawaiian brand.
After completing a thorough investigation of the upcoming status of Hawaii Air and Alaska Air, the situation should not be alarming to us frequent travelers to the islands. I contacted many sources, including the corporate headquarters of both airlines, Hawaiian Tourist Information, various articles regarding this merger, etc. Should you do the same research, you will find that it will indeed remain as it exists in flight status, with additional flights for international travel through Alaska Air The loyalty programs will be combined and our Hawaiian benefits will continue under this new merger. Each airline will maintain their current route schedules, especially Hawaiian Air inter-island travel. We sure have further information around October 1. So, relax everyone!
If you believe what the airlines are telling you, I’d suggest you’re in for some big surprises. Airline loyalty is over for good reasons. Just shop the best deal and move on.
I am a platinum level Hawaiian miles for more than two decades and a very disappointed at how inefficient this transition has been so far. Alaska will not answer the phone, there is no straightforward way to transfer Hawaiian miles to. Atmos, and for as long as I’ve been flying Hawaiian, sometimes to Asia 4+ times per year along with enter island and mainland flights, I’ve banked over 2,000,000 miles to use for retirement travel.
We should all know that creditors review flight miles on any airline as potential debt because they represent non-revenue travel. So it’s pretty safe to assume that Alaska will do everything they can to minimize the benefit of spending a lot of money and many years being loyal to Hawaiian Airlines. Unfortunate but true and nothing to do.
I would ask BOH editors to spend a little time focusing on what happens to us Hawaiian people as a result of this unfortunate change in addition to your focus on people on the mainland the tourists. Thanks very much.
I made a couple of attempts to combine my Hawaiian miles account with my newly created Alaska account and have been unsuccessful. That said based on my experience with Alaska’s phone support it will be a very cold day before I phone Alaska again for help. I’ll wait it out until 2026. In fact Southwest is re-entering the Hawaiian experience and that may cure my 2+ decade Hawaii Airline mile travel experience.
I am not understanding. Are Hawaiian miles NOT going to be transferred to the new program? And if so, how does it help for me to transfer my miles to my daughter if she can’t use immediately & her miles will be gone as well?
If you have both Hawaiian and Alaska you need to link the accounts.. Then the Hawaiian miles and Alaska miles will automatically be combined to Atmos.
You will not lose miles on either program.. they will be combined if you have both.
I will not be loyal to Alaska and am very disappointed in the way my decades long HAL account will be discarded. Having looked at flights on both sites recently, it appears that Alaska requires much higher miles levels for the exact same itineraries. No bueno!
With all respect, Hawaiian Miles are not being “discarded.” They are being converted to Atmos Rewards on a 1:1 basis. From all analysis (just search the internet for “reasonable redemption values for airline miles”), Atmos Rewards points are more valuable than the old Hawaiian Miles program. As others have noted, Hawaiian Airlines was well on the way to bankruptcy. Alaska acquiring them was much, much better than if United, American, Delta, or Southwest bought them. Be thankful, not sad.
Atmos seems like it will be a pretty good change. I have been using Alaska partner awards for years, and while the value of these has definitely gotten more challenging to achieve over they years, they are still useful. Not sure where this is all heading other than to say airline loyalty is mostly hype now, and it doesn’t matter which brand. Sign of the times.
We’ve been Hawaiian Air loyalists for years. But our travels are mainly limited to flying from the west coast and then interisland. We have used upgrades for the west coast parts and those have been super helpful and good value. Those are going away. So I think we are in that group that won’t get much benefit from the new program unfortunately. Ugg.