Atmos Rewards, the new joint loyalty program offered by Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines, takes flight today.
As of Aug. 20, Alaska Mileage Plan members are now Atmos Reward members. They'll retain their existing account numbers with no interruption to their benefits, a Wednesday announcement from the airlines notes.
HawaiianMiles members and their miles will transition into Atmos Rewards on Oct. 1. If you don’t link your HawaiianMiles account to a Mileage Plan account, you’ll receive a new account number.
Miles will be converted 1-for-1 into Atmos Rewards Points and will hold the same value in the new program, Alisa Onishi, managing director of Hawai‘i marketing for Hawaiian Airlines, told Aloha State Daily ahead of Wednesday's announcement. No one will lose any miles.
"My only concern would be that people might feel like they have to do something right now and really they don't," Onishi said when asked about any concerns the airline might have about the rollout. "Our HawaiianMiles program will transition, again, on Oct. 1, and again, if you only have a HawaiianMiles account and you don't do anything, you don't touch your account until Oct. 1, it's just going to seamlessly transition into Atmos Rewards."
While the new program offers some new benefits for HawaiianMiles members, Onishi says there are some changes to be aware of.
For instance, HawaiianMiles member will be able to redeem miles for first-class and business-class upgrades on Hawaiian Airlines-operated flights through Sept. 25, another airline spokesperson told ASD in a follow-up email, but noted that first-class upgrades using points won't be available in Atmos Rewards.
Elite members, though — Pualani Platinum is equivalent to Atmos Titanium, Platinum or Gold, and Pualani Gold is equivalent to Atmos Silver — are eligible for unlimited complimentary first-class upgrades on Alaska Airlines and American Airlines flights starting Oct. 1 and on domestic Hawaiian flights next spring, the spokesperson noted.
All elite members are eligible for complimentary first-class upgrades on all Neighbor Island flights. And all members can redeem points for a first-class ticket or pay for an upgrade.
According to the spokesperson, there are roughly 2.1 million active HawaiianMiles members who have earned or redeemed miles within the last 18 months.
Here are a few more things you should know about the new program:
— One Mileage Plan or HawaiianMiles mile is equal to one Atmos Rewards point. The value of points doesn’t change and they don’t expire. You can still redeem points for travel on Alaska, Hawaiian and their global partners. Elite-qualifying miles are now "status points."
— Starting in 2026, members can choose how to earn points: by distance traveled, earning one point for every mile flown; by the price paid, earning five points for every $1 spent when buying a flight, including airfare and upgrades purchased in premium cabins; or by segments flown, earning a flat 500 points for each flight segment flown. You can change your preference once a year. Points can be redeemed for travel to more than 1,000 destinations on both Alaska and Hawaiian — and 30-plus global airline partners, the announcement noted.
— Have an airline credit card? Alaska Airlines Visa cards are being rebranded as Atmos Rewards Visa cards, but account numbers and benefits remain the same. There's no action for you to take. The Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard, however, will keep its name and the benefits will remain the same. There's no action for these cardholders to take, either.
A new premium credit card also will be available, the Atmos Rewards Summit Visa Infinite card. Earn one status point for ever $2 spent but note that there’s an annual fee of $395. Learn more here.
Find more information about the loyalty program here. You can also check out atmosrewards.com.
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 it was previously announced that the loyalty programs from both will be combined into a singular program.
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.
Alaska Air Group last month announced a Honolulu leadership team that will oversee Hawaiian and Alaksa's combined operations in Hawai‘i once the carriers receive a single operating certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration. Read more about that here.
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Stephanie Salmons can be reached at stephanie@alohastatedaily.com.
