What's happening with Hawaiian Airlines' loyalty program

A combined loyalty program for Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines will launch next month. Here's what you should know.

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Stephanie Salmons

July 24, 20253 min read

A Hawaiian Airlines plane.
A Hawaiian Airlines plane (Hawaiian Airlines)

Frequent fliers take note.

A combined loyalty program for Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines will debut next month, a move that comes as the airlines continue to integrate operations.

Alaska Air Group, Inc. and Hawaiian Holdings, Inc. announced in December 2023 that Alaska Airlines would acquire Hawaiian Airlines in a deal that was valued at approximately $1.9 billion, including $900 million of Hawaiian’s net debt, according to an announcement at that time. The acquisition was completed last September.

The distinct Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines brands will be maintained but the loyalty programs from both will be combined into a singular program.

A Hawaiian Airlines spokesperson told Aloha State Daily in an email Thursday that the combined loyalty program will be unveiled in August, with Alaska's Mileage Plan transitioning to the new program at that time.

The HawaiianMiles program will remain through Sept. 30, but on Oct. 1 "will fully transition into the new combined loyalty program of Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines," they noted.

"We're making great progress and look forward to unveiling a new combined loyalty program that will deliver the most generous and exciting benefits in the industry," the spokesperson said.

They did not share the name of the program or the date it will be unveiled but said the transition will be "seamless for members of both programs."

Do members need to do anything to ensure their miles transfer?

Not necessarily.

The spokesperson told ASD that if members do nothing, miles will automatically transfer to the new program on Oct. 1.

"That said, we do encourage HawaiianMiles members to sign up for an Alaska Mileage Plan account and link their Alaska and HawaiianMiles accounts to start taking advantage of Mileage Plan’s current benefits, including traveling on more than 30 oneworld air partners," they noted. "We will track their elite-qualifying miles, or EQMs, in both programs and award elite status in both programs, based on their combined EQM balance. Linking accounts now will also ensure the most seamless transition to the new program.

"HawaiianMiles members are welcome to covert their miles into Mileage Plan miles at any point. When the combined loyalty program is launched, any miles that haven’t converted will be moved over automatically."

But the spokesperson said the most important things HawaiianMiles members should keep in mind is that everyone's miles are safe and there are no changes to the credit card benefits.

Additionally, Huaka‘i by Hawaiian — a new free program announced last year for residents of Hawai‘i that offers monthly deals, travel perks and a free checked bag when traveling interisland — will also continue with the new loyalty program, they said.

"In preparation for HawaiianMiles to transition to the new loyalty program, HawaiianMiles member actions will be limited several days prior to Oct. 1," the spokesperson noted. "We will share more information with members in August. For now, members may continue to access their HawaiianMiles account as normal."

You can find more information about the combined loyalty program here. Hawaiian Airlines also shared a blog post about it here.

Joe Sprague was named CEO of Hawaiian Airlines in September following its combination with Alaska Air Group.

ASD sat down with Sprague earlier this year to talk about the merger and future plans. You can read that story here.

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Stephanie Salmons can be reached at stephanie@alohastatedaily.com.

Authors

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Stephanie Salmons

Senior Reporter

Stephanie Salmons is the Senior Reporter for Aloha State Daily covering business, tourism, the economy, real estate and development and general news.