20-05-2025
Hawaiian Airlines: No one will lose their miles
HONOLULU (KHON2) — Loyal travelers with Hawaiian Airlines are being told not to worry as their HawaiianMiles are safe.
The program will eventually be phased out because of the merger with Alaska Airlines. But analysts say that's a good thing.
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The merger between Hawaiian and Alaska is eight months old now. While passengers haven't seen much change on day to day operations yet, the topic of HawaiianMiles has been a point of concern for passengers.
'Not worried about it, but maybe concerned,' said traveler Nalani Paio. 'We just wanna be updated so we don't lose our miles. And we can use it to travel whether it's interisland or to the mainland.'
In an email, Hawaiian Airlines officials say they've been transparent that there will be a combined loyalty program between the two airlines, scheduled to launch this August. Members can rest assured, all their HawaiianMiles will be retained in the new program. No one will lose their miles.'We're moving towards a unified loyalty platform that's, frankly, a stronger loyalty program,' said Gary Leff, a travel blogger. 'And I think most folks who are familiar with HawaiianMiles are probably going to like it for the most part.'
Leff says it's because Alaska is part of the One World Alliance, which has partnerships with different airlines from Hawaiian.
'There are more partners and more ways to earn points,' Leff said. 'There are more partners and ways to spend points. And on average, you'll find that the awards that you're booking cost fewer miles.'
That'll allow travellers to use miles to reach new destinations from the islands.
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'If you're going to be flying to Europe, you're already going to be connecting in the mainland,' Leff said. 'Well, you have the opportunity to fly British Airways and American Airlines, but also carriers like Aer Lingus out of Ireland, Condor from Germany, which are not One World Airlines, but are Alaska Airlines partners.'
Experts say there is a downside to the merged rewards program. And it has to do with upgrades. One, they're guessing it could cost more, but two – availability. Because you're basically doubling your passenger base, upgrades could be fewer and far between.
There's also questions on each airline's credit card.
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'We'd like to keep Hawaiian's credit card or Alaska's credit card that can use both ways,' said traveler Matt Paio. 'So we kinda stuck in the middle about that we don't know if Hawaiian's credit card will be good with Alaska Airlines. We don't know.'
Hawaiian says both cards will still be valid with miles earned available for either airline. But there will be a new card available soon, with more details this summer.
'But on the whole, it's going to be more positive,' Leff said. 'I am happy to see my own HawaiianMiles become Alaska Airlines miles.'
'I hope it's gonna be better,' Nalani Paio said. 'And we're just waiting to see and waiting for that confirmation.'
Hawaiian says members can keep checking their website for updates.
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