Alaska + Hawaiian = Atmos: What the Merger Means for Your Miles

You've been flying Hawaiian Airlines for a decade. You have 127,000 HawaiianMiles. Status you earned island hopping between Honolulu and Maui. A system you understand.

Then Alaska Air Group completes its acquisition. Your miles are moving to a new program called Atmos Rewards. Everything changes.

Or does it?

Here's what frequent flyers on both airlines need to know.

The Merger: What Happened

Alaska Air Group completed its acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines on September 18, 2024, creating the fifth-largest U.S. airline [1]. The combined carrier now offers access to domestic and international destinations, including through the oneworld Alliance.

The deal was valued at $1.9 billion. The DOT approved it with conditions designed to protect consumers [2].

By October 2025, the two loyalty programs will merge into a new program called Atmos Rewards [3]. HawaiianMiles will cease to exist as a standalone program.

The 1:1 Conversion: Your Miles Are Safe

The most important number: 1:1.

Every HawaiianMiles mile converts into one Atmos Rewards mile. Every Alaska Mileage Plan mile does the same. No devaluation at conversion [4].

This wasn't guaranteed. Airline mergers often result in worse mile-to-mile conversions. The DOT specifically required Alaska to preserve rewards value [2].

Here's what the DOT mandated:

All HawaiianMiles miles earned prior to conversion must not expire
Miles convert 1:1 to the new program
The airline cannot take actions that would devalue HawaiianMiles
All active HawaiianMiles promotions must be honored [2]

If you have miles sitting in either program, they're protected.

Status Matching: You Keep What You Earned

The DOT also required status matching [2].

If you're a HawaiianMiles Pualani Gold, you'll get an equivalent status in Atmos Rewards. If you're an Alaska MVP Gold 75K, same deal. The airline must match and maintain equivalent status levels [2].

The rule is clear: members of each existing loyalty program must be treated no less favorably under the new structure.

What that looks like in practice: HawaiianMiles status tiers will map to Atmos tiers with equivalent benefits. You shouldn't lose upgrade priority, lounge access, or any other status perk you currently hold.

A First: Choose How You Earn

Here's where it gets interesting.

Atmos Rewards will offer something no major U.S. airline loyalty program has done before: choice in how you earn points [3].

Starting in 2026, you'll be able to choose whether to earn points based on:

Distance flown (traditional mileage model)
Price paid (revenue-based model)
Segments flown (frequency model)

This lets you tailor the program to your travel style. Fly long-haul occasionally? Distance might work best. Fly short hops frequently? Segments could be better. Buy expensive last-minute tickets? Price-based earning maximizes your return.

No other U.S. legacy carrier offers this flexibility.

Million Miler Recognition

Good news for lifetime loyalists: your combined flying history counts [5].

If you've flown 800,000 miles on Alaska and 250,000 on Hawaiian, you'll qualify for Million Miler status with the combined total of 1,050,000 miles.

Achievement of 1 million or more combined miles earns immediate Million Miler recognition under Atmos [5].

Key Dates

September 18, 2024: Alaska Air Group acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines completed [1].

August 2025: Details of Atmos Rewards unveiled; Alaska Mileage Plan transitions to new program [3].

October 1, 2025: HawaiianMiles fully absorbed into Atmos Rewards [6]. The HawaiianMiles program ceases to exist as a separate entity.

2026: Choice-based earning (distance, price, or segments) becomes available [3].

What Changes for Hawaii Flying

For travelers who primarily flew Hawaiian for inter-island routes, the merger brings network expansion [1].

Alaska's West Coast strength combined with Hawaiian's Pacific presence creates more connection options. Travelers flying from Seattle to Honolulu to Maui can now earn and redeem on a single program.

The oneworld Alliance access is notable. Alaska joined oneworld in 2021. Hawaiian was previously unaligned. Now, Hawaiian flights earn toward oneworld status benefits when applicable [1].

For island-hoppers, the core inter-island network remains. Hawaiian continues to operate its Hawaii-based routes. What changes is how those flights feed into a larger network.

What to Do Before October 2025

If you have miles in either program:

Check your balance. Log into HawaiianMiles and Mileage Plan. Know what you have.

Consider transfers. Until the merger completes, you can transfer HawaiianMiles to Alaska Mileage Plan at 1:1 [4]. This might be useful if you want to consolidate early for a specific redemption.

Don't panic-spend. The 1:1 conversion means your miles aren't losing value at the transition. There's no need to burn them before October 2025 unless you have a specific trip in mind.

Watch for promotions. Airlines often run bonus offers around merger transitions. Keep an eye out for elevated earning opportunities.

What This Means for pAiback

Both Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines remain eligible for post-purchase fare monitoring.

When you book direct on either carrier, we monitor for price drops. If the fare falls, we secure the credit on your behalf. That credit goes to your loyalty wallet, which will soon be Atmos Rewards.

Same flight. Same seat. Lower price. The merger doesn't change that.

Book direct on Alaska or Hawaiian. Let pAiback watch the fare.

No savings. No fee.

Track your flights at paiback.app