Alaska Hawaiian Airlines Merger: What It Means for Your Airline Loyalty Miles

Big news in the airline world: Alaska Airlines has officially received approval to acquire Hawaiian Airlines. This deal is set to shake things up, especially for frequent flyers and points and miles fanatics. As these two airlines combine their resources and loyalty programs, customers are left wondering how it will impact their miles and overall travel experience. While news of this Alaska Hawaiian Airlines merger isn’t new, some of the details surrounding it are clearer now. We’re going to take a look at the approved merger from the perspective of making the most of your miles and the impacts on loyalty status.
Making the Most of Merger Miles
Alaska Mileage Plan miles are typically sought after by anyone living on the US West Coast or looking for valuable international redemptions with their OneWorld partners. The only problem is the points aren’t easy to accumulate unless you fly frequently with the airline, hold an Alaska Airlines Visa, or have the Bilt Mastercard which is the only transfer partner. With this merger, additional opportunities exist to build up your Alaska miles without actually flying.
Transferring HawaiianMiles to Alaska Mileage Plan
Beginning in late September 2024, you’ll be able to transfer miles between each program at 1:1. This is significant because as of writing, we value HawaiianMiles at 0.9¢ each vs Mileage Plan miles at 1.5¢ each. If you already have miles with Hawaiian Airlines and want to increase their value for non-Hawaiian trips, it would be a smart move to transfer them to the Alaska Mileage Plan.
Get Alaska miles for less with a Hawaiian Airlines credit card
As of writing, you can get a 70,000 mile welcome bonus on the Hawaiian Airlines credit card after spending $2,000 on purchases in the first 90 days. Compare that with the Alaska Airlines credit card, where you get a 50,000 mile welcome bonus after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 90 days, and you can see the Hawaiian offer gives you more miles for less spend – which can then be transferred to Alaska Mileage Plan. This is a time-sensitive hack, as we don’t know when this offer may change and/or how much longer this card will exist.
Transfer Membership Rewards to non-partner Alaska Airlines
None of the major transferrable point credit card programs are a partner of Alaska Airlines, except for Bilt Rewards. However, now that Hawaiian Airlines has joined Alaska, you can transfer points to Alaska from Amex Membership Rewards. While Alaska Airlines isn’t a transfer partner, Hawaiian Airlines is. By transferring points from Membership Rewards to HawaiianMiles, you then transfer them over to Alaska because of the seamless 1:1 transfer between the combined airlines. We don’t know what this merger means for the future of Hawaiian as an Amex transfer partner, but as of now, you can turn Membership Rewards into Alaska miles.
Impact on Loyalty Programs
Single Loyalty Program
The combined airline has promised a new, single loyalty program launching later in 2025, with more details to be released as we get closer to the launch. What we know is that you will keep all the miles you have in both accounts, and they would be merged into the single program. We also know that part of the DoT approval indicated that mile values must be matched and not devalued in the process.
1:1 Miles Transfer
Any miles you have in each of the two existing frequent flyer programs will be seamlessly transferrable between each program starting in late September 2024. You’ll be able to transfer HawaiianMiles to Alaska Mileage Plan 1:1 (and vice versa). This is a great deal as we mentioned, because we value HawaiianMiles at 0.9¢ each vs Mileage Plan miles at 1.5¢ each.
Status Matching & Elite-qualifying Miles
Coming later in 2024, elite members from either of the programs can status match by linking accounts. Once your accounts are linked, they will look at your combined elite-qualifying miles (EQM’s) balance to award you with the highest available status match. Even if you haven’t reached elite status currently, your combined EQM’s give you the potential for elite status based on the combined total balance.
Hawaiian Airlines Alaska Merger: The Bottom Line
In summary, the merger of Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines represents a notable shift in the travel industry, especially for those eager to experience the West Coast, Alaska, Hawaiian Islands, or broader international destinations. As we look ahead to 2025 and beyond, we can only hope that the combined airlines and single loyalty program retain the value and customer service we’ve come to expect from Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines.
Read more articles related to the Alaska Hawaiian Merger:
- Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines: Two Beloved Brands. Taking You Further. – Alaska Airlines
- Alaska & Hawaiian Merger Officially Closes: Here’s What to Expect – One Mile at a Time
- DoT Approves Alaska-Hawaiian Merger, Miles Must Convert 1:1 – Doctor of Credit
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