Alaska Airlines just dropped a long anticipated major update on how its merger with Hawaiian Airlines is hugely reshaping the HawaiianMiles loyalty program. The changes, including status match, reciprocal mileage earning, and new elite perks, are concrete steps toward an eventual single loyalty program coming soon. But while some details are now official, big questions remain about the future of HawaiianMiles and what this means for frequent Hawaii travelers.
Status match is now live.
One of the most significant developments is that HawaiianMiles elite members can now match their status to Alaska’s Mileage Plan. This means that if you hold Pualani Gold or Platinum, you can gain equivalent elite status in Alaska’s program and with it, access to the vast Oneworld alliance.
For travelers who earned miles in both programs in 2024, Alaska offers an enhanced status match that considers combined mileage totals for the first time. That could mean an automatic boost to higher-tier perks, including priority services and better award availability. Many of you who fly both airlines have asked for that.
However, HawaiianMiles members who don’t hold elite status won’t see much immediate benefit here unless they flew Alaska last year and combine miles. And there’s still no exact word on how long this status match will last before a single loyalty program takes over.
You can now book Hawaiian Air flights using Alaska Mileage Plan miles.
Another long-expected change is that Alaska Mileage Plan members can now use their miles to book Hawaiian Airlines flights. This expands the flexibility of Alaska’s program, which already included redemption on partner airlines plus the Oneworld airlines.
However, the biggest unknown is how this will affect award availability. Anytime a new redemption option launches, demand spikes. Whether Alaska’s award chart brings better value or, conversely, makes it harder to book seats using HawaiianMiles is something we travelers will all be watching closely.
Alaska elite members gain perks on Hawaiian Airlines.
Alaska Mileage Plan elites now receive select benefits when flying Hawaiian Airlines. These include priority check-in and boarding, complimentary baggage, preferred seating at booking, and access to Extra Comfort seats at check-in when available.
If you hold status with Alaska, you won’t need a separate HawaiianMiles account to enjoy perks when flying on Hawaiian Airlines. However, unlike the status match program, which also unlocks Oneworld perks, these benefits only apply when flying Hawaiian Airlines.
Reciprocal mileage earning is now active.
Travelers can now earn miles in either Mileage Plan or HawaiianMiles, regardless of which airline they fly. The key detail is that you must enter your desired frequent flyer number into the reservation to ensure miles are credited to the airline program of your choice.
What remains unclear is whether this will impact mileage accrual rates over time. Alaska Mileage Plan is highly rated and known for its generous earning structure compared to many other airline programs. If HawaiianMiles fully merges into it later this year, some members could see earning potential shift—either positively or negatively, as will be revealed later.
Credit card benefits are coming next.
One of the last details revealed in this announcement is that Alaska Airlines Visa Signature and Business cardholders will soon receive a free checked bag when flying on Hawaiian Airlines. This will apply to the cardholder and up to six guests on the same reservation, but only when that card is used to book the flight.
This benefit won’t take effect until later this spring, and it raises another unanswered question we have. Hawaiian Airlines currently partners with Barclays for its credit card, while Alaska works with Bank of America. Whether this baggage perk signals the eventual phase-out of the Hawaiian Airlines Barclays card remains to be seen. The Bank of America relationship is definitely continuing, whereas the Barclays relationship going forward will subsequently be revealed.
What’s still missing from this announcement.
Alaska made it clear that these are just some of the first steps toward a single loyalty program, but there are still significant gaps in the details. The biggest unknown is what will happen to HawaiianMiles in the long run. While status match and mileage reciprocity are now in place, there’s no confirmation of how redemptions may change once the programs are fully combined.
Award pricing is another potential concern. Whenever two airline programs merge, changes to redemption values follow by necessity. Alaska’s program has historically been considered more rewarding for customers than HawaiianMiles, but whether that will hold true once the transition is complete is uncertain. Also, the simplicity of Hawaiian Air upgrades has been a big plus, wherein there were just two values, essentially based on high and low demand.
Hawaiian Airlines is also set to finally join the Oneworld alliance in 2026, aligning its partnerships with Alaska’s existing network. Alaska had hoped that would happen sooner, as we were told. But today’s announcement confirmed that Oneworld benefits do not apply when flying Hawaiian Airlines—at least for now. That will change.
Some confusion and challenges still exists for Hawaii travelers.
For example, commenter Deborah just wrote to us, saying, “I booked a flight through Hawaiian traveling from Honolulu to Ontario. Unfortunately due to the flight now being operated by Alaska I was unable to book an assigned seat. Prior to booking I called Hawaiian to inquire as to how I get a seat assignment. I was told after booking I would need to call Alaska to get my seat assignment. What Hawaiian failed to tell me is that when booking through Hawaiian the purchase of a seat upgrade to extra comfort is not available. I was very disappointed when told by Alaska I could not purchase an upgraded seat. The reason I booked through Hawaiian was to use my Hawaiian credit card to receive a free checked bag. I hope I am not charged for a checked bag because the flight is operated by Alaska.”
Clearly Alaska is on the path of clearing all of this up as quickly as possible while remaining focused on getting to the end goal of having just one loyalty program for both airlines. The two companies will begin to run as one, with a single certificate of operation coming later this year.
What to do now.
For HawaiianMiles members, linking accounts and taking advantage of status matching now is a smart move, especially for those looking to maximize Oneworld perks. Mileage Plan members should use their Alaska number when booking Hawaiian Airlines flights to start earning and redeeming miles across both programs.
With more changes expected to be ongoing throughout this year, this is just the beginning of what could be the biggest overhaul to HawaiianMiles yet.
How do you feel about the latest loyalty program changes?
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I am so close to earning my million mile platinum status. I’m hoping that Alaska will have something similar and that our lifetime miles carries over.
Aloha, Hawaiian Airlines does not give EQM when you use points to book a flight. However, Alaska Airlines does as of January 2025. I am booking a flight from HNL to LAS and flying HA. Since Alaska gives EQM for award flights, I transferred my HA points to Alaska and booked the flight on the Alaska website. My hope is I will get EQM for the flight even though I used points to book (the point amounts were the same whether I booked on the HA or Alaska website). If this works, this is a great way to maintain status.
I was just told I could not upgrade because Hawaiian booked the flight. Now I am stuck way back in coach and will never fly or book via Hawaiian Airlines ever again.
I thought I’d be able to transfer my Hawaiian miles from the Barclay card, but no.
If you mean transfer Hawaiian Miles to Alaska Mileage Plan, you most certainly can. It makes no difference how you earned the miles. I personally have transferred almost half of a million miles from my Hawaiian Miles account to my Alaska Mileage Plan account since they made it possible last fall that were earned with 3 different Hawaiian Barclays cards.
I thought that the Hawaiian Miles card was issued by Bank of Hawai’i, who advertises such a card. Is that Barclay’s underneath, or are there 2 Hawaiian Miles cards?
Only one personal Hawaiian Miles card. Issued by Barclays.
One is Barclays.
If you were to actually click on the link for the card that is on the HA website it will take you to Barclays even though the picture of the card in the ad says Bank of Hawaii.
Glad that you mentioned the website.
Just another example of how slow, clunky, and outdated the HA website is. The app is even worse. So frustrating for HA customers. In this area the AS take over is most welcome.
This doesn’t seem to actually be working. I checked in for a Hawaiian flight today. My Alaska MVP Gold account number is on the reservation and it’s still charging for baggage.
Lets just cut to the chase.
Alaska will Never be Hawaiian.
They bought for profits. They will not give you the same amazing service.
And I don’t want to go on other smaller planes. A330 or dreamliner.. I saw what they fly to California etc. Do not like those cattle planes.
And also I am just waiting to see them screw me on my miles .
I have well over 200,000 miles and watch it be worth less on Alaskan eventually.
Hawaiian is easy to use and to upgrade seats etc. Free luggage etc.
Never good for the original airline
when bought out..
Will see ?
It’s Alaska not Alaskan.
Have you actually flown Alaska?
Aloha Rob+Jeff My only question is how long are my HA miles going to be valid on Hawaiian? I do not like Alaska and will not fly on their planes. So am I going to be grounded anytime soon? Thanks as always for your great updates.
Hi Debra.
Sometime, probably in the third quarter of this year, the miles will all be in one big joint loyalty “pot.” You can use them on either airline’s flights of course.
Aloha.
I’m curios what is so bad about Alaska?
If they are transferred to alaska , you might be able to use the miles in the one world alliance group.
It seems my days flying Hawaiian will soon be numbered. I’ve always had Pualani Gold as it’s easy to get, 2 roundtrips from Boston, but if the requirement is upped I’ll be loosing out Big Time.
Agree with what many and BOH editors have indicated. Link your frequent flyer accounts ASAP. I would move all Hawaiian miles into Mileage Plan too. Those of us who are holding both AS and HA credit cards should prepare for a Barclay’s exit and a transition to B of A. Personally, I think by the end of 2026 the only thing left of Hawaiian Airlines will be the name and livery on the plane. Alaska is in the “pilot’s seat” and will mold everything into the Alaska Airlines way of doing business. Whether you like it or not it’s going to happen.
I have miles in both programs, so I tried to combine them this morning and the system would not recognize my Hawaiian Miles password, so it wouldn’t let me log into their system to complete the task. I contacted the Alaska Mileage Plan, and was told that they had received several complaints about the same problem and I should try again later. No luck merging my miles into the Alaska Mileage Plan program yet.
Bob, I had the same exact problem. I tried yesterday to link the two mileage programs and Alaska’s website would not take my Hawaiian Air login information.
The linking problem has been fixed, and I have been able to link my HA account with my Alaska account. All is good and I can book flights on Hawaiian using my Alaska account.
I have mileage points with both Hawaiian and Alaska. I recently booked a round trip points flight from LA to Kona on Hawaiian Airlines via the Alaska Airlines website. The reason being is that the same exact Hawaiian Air flight itinerary was about 80% more Hawaiian Airline points to book it on the Hawaiian Airlines site. However, I did need to use the Hawaiian Air site to reserve my seats which was no big deal. The confirmation numbers for each airline were different but I was still able to add the HA flight to my app with their confirmation number. A couple of extra half steps but the points savings were worth it.
Rather confused. I am not a member of Alaska’s frequent flyer program but I do have a HawaiianMiles program and alot of unused miles at this point. Is it advised to become a member of Alaska’s program before they are officially “merged”? Not clear on how the merge will work as far as their mileage programs. Any advice? I own property on Maui and travel back and forth to visit family.
At this point I don’t see any reason to keep your miles in the Hawaiian Airlines program. Just transfer your Hawaiian Miles to Alaska Mileage Plan and there’s no need to worry about what will happen to your Hawaiian Miles. Easy peasy.
Will we be able to use Alaska’s companion pass on Hawaiian flights? That would be a nice bonus
I booked a companion fare Alaska flight from San Diego to Honolulu last fall. I was recently told the flight is now on Hawaiian Airlines. They switched it and gave me a code to book a seat on the Hawaiian Airlines website. I haven’t done that yet but hopefully it won’t be an issue.
As you note the Barclay’s card future is still uncertain. I’d love it if they’d let us keep it.
Also unclear: What if we booked Hawaiian on the Hawaiian card? I would presume we get the old baggage benefit, but who knows? What if they kill the Barclays card?
Let’s be real—this is just the start. By next year, HawaiianMiles will be fully gone, and we’ll all be using Mileage Plan. The only question is how painful that transition will be and what will it look like when it is finished.
Everyone needs to understand, this is no longer Hawaiian Airlines. This is Alaska policy and procedures. This is Alaska Airlines with the Hawaiian logo painted on the aircraft. These are the first of many changes for Customers and employees alike. Fasten your seat belts, it’s going to be a bumpy ride.
Yes Craig. Exactly why I will not ever fly Alaska.
I really hope they keep Hawaiian’s upgrade system. It was so straightforward, and I could actually get a good deal to be in first class. Alaska’s feels way more complicated and harder to navigate at least for me.
Alaska’s Mileage Plan is way better than HawaiianMiles, so this could actually be an upgrade for me and for a lot of people. The big unknown is award availability—if it suddenly becomes impossible to book flights, that’s where I’ll be annoyed and realize this wasn’t great.
I’ve been flying Hawaiian for years, and honestly, I don’t know and can’t figure out if this is good or bad for me yet. Alaska has a solid program, but HawaiianMiles had its own charm and was easy for me to use. Hope we don’t get stuck with more hoops to jump through in the bigger system.
Okay great. I just linked my accounts and got my status match. So far, so good! The real question is whether this will be worth it once the programs fully merge.
This is exactly what I am worried about. Every time airlines merge, it feels like loyalty programs take a hit. I hope HawaiianMiles members don’t lose out in the long run but while limited, it has been very easy to use for flights and upgrades.
It’s nice that Hawaiian Air is offering bonus miles on new credit cards but they seem a little confused. Flight attendants on HA flights have been handing out credit card applications offering “Earn 70,000 Hawaiian Miles after your first purchase” but the application webpage says that this bonus is only available after at least $1000 in purchases, and the material sent with new cards doesn’t mention any bonus at all. Which is it, Hawaiian, or is it all a scam?
In flight credit card offers are almost always different than what you find on the website.
Got the email to link my accounts. When through the process but Alaska can’t connect to my Hawaiian account even though I can log into it separately. Seems like the kinks aren’t worked out of it yet.
One clarification, I don’t have status on either airline so maybe that’s the problem. Do you need status to link accounts at this point in time?
You don’t need status to link accounts. I ran into trouble on Alaska’s side as well. Messaging with them on FB cleared it up in 24 hours and I was then able to link accounts. Give that a try.
I don’t have status in either mileage program also. This morning when I attempted to link mileage plans, I received this message: “The accounts are linked but your status cannot be matched right now. Before you try again, please check your EQM balance or if your status has already been matched.”
At least they confirmed that the mileage plans are now linked.