Over the past decade, four airlines have dominated in the U.S.: United, Delta, American, and Southwest. Now, Alaska Airlines is making a run at the incumbents—by joining forces with Honolulu-based Hawaiian Airlines.
In a move first announced last December, Alaska recently completed its acquisition of Hawaiian, clearing hurdles from both the U.S. Department of Justice and the Department of Transportation. It’s the first major airline deal since 2016, when Alaska bought Virgin America. While Alaska eventually killed that brand, that’s not expected to happen with its Hawaiian purchase.
Let’s break down what the merger means for travelers, including how quickly passengers can expect to see changes.
The brands are staying separate
Alaska and Hawaiian will maintain distinct brand identities, with no immediate changes in day-to-day operations. Long story short: The Hawaiian logo, along with the company’s rich island heritage, isn’t going anywhere.
“Alaska and Hawaiian share tremendous pride in connecting communities with award-winning service, and we look forward to inviting more guests on board to experience what makes both brands unique,” Ben Minicucci, CEO of Alaska Air Group, said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Alaska will open a regional headquarters in Honolulu, which will become the airline’s second-largest hub after Seattle. The integration will also allow travelers to purchase tickets from both carriers on each of the airline’s respective websites.
In addition, Alaska lounge members can now access Alaska lounges when flying Hawaiian Airlines. However, for the time being Hawaiian lounges are exclusively for guests of Hawaiian Airlines only, as the website notes.
Airfare to Hawai’i, or between the islands, may increase
Together, Alaska and Hawaiian account for about 40 percent of flights (roughly 6.8 million seats a year) from the mainland to Hawai’i, according to data from travel deal tracking app Going. With less competition in the region, travelers may face higher fares.
That could mean more expensive intra-island flights, which local residents frequently use to commute to work and visit loved ones. For its part, Alaska said in a statement that it will be “fully committed to investing in the communities of Hawai’i and maintaining the Neighbor Island service [service available between the Hawaiian Islands] that Hawaiian Airlines travelers have come to expect.” The DOT will also require Alaska to maintain service to small, rural communities in both Alaska and Hawaii.
In the coming months, Alaska plans to launch a free travel program designed specifically for Hawaiian residents called Huaka‘i by Hawaiian. Perks of this program, which is the first initiative of its kind for the airline, will include benefits on inter-island flights, such as 10 percent off one booking per quarter and a free checked bag.
Your airline miles are more flexible (and valuable)
There’s plenty of upside to the merger for travelers looking to make the most of their frequent flier miles. First, the DOT is requiring that there’s no expiration date on miles in either airline’s program. Perhaps more importantly, Alaska Mileage Plan and HawaiianMiles members can now seamlessly transfer miles online between accounts at a one-to-one ratio. There’s no charge for using the service.
As part of the Oneworld alliance, Alaska provides access to a suite of mileage redemption opportunities—often quite favorable—across a global network of airlines. And not only can Hawaiian miles be transferred to Alaska, but by extension, American Express Membership Rewards points can be converted to Alaska, too. That’s because AmEx points transfer to Hawaiian miles, also at a one-to-one ratio (though they are subject to a federal excise tax of 60 cents per 1,000 points transferred). Thus, it’s possible to transfer Amex points to Hawaiian and then to Alaska.
Get elite status with both airlines later this year
Later in 2024, elite members from either airline will be able to link their loyalty accounts and get a status match.
In a boon to anyone already loyal to both airlines, travelers will be able to combine elite qualifying miles (EQMs) to determine their status level. For instance, someone with 20,000 EQMs on Alaska and 20,000 EQMs on Hawaiian would be granted the one-time ability to add their two EQM totals together (for a total of 40,000 EQMs).
In the coming months, passengers will also be able to earn HawaiianMiles on Alaska flights and Mileage Plan miles on Hawaiian flights, with elite reciprocity across both airlines. Eventually, Alaska says it will merge the loyalty program across the two brands, with more details expected to be shared in mid-2025.
More international flying is likely coming
Together, both Alaska and Hawaiian will operate a combined 1,500 daily flights to 141 destinations, including destinations that span 29 markets in the Americas, Asia, Australia, and the South Pacific. However, more international flying may be on the horizon, according to Alaska executives, such as the potential for long-haul flights from Seattle.
Currently, Hawaiian operates a fleet of 24 Airbus A330s and two Boeing 787 Dreamliners (with up to 18 additional aircraft coming through 2028). These planes have lie-flat business class and longer range than anything that Alaska can currently fly.
