Alaska Airlines Absorbed Hawaiian Airlines — Here’s What Frequent Flyers Actually Need to Do Right Now

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Alaska Airlines completed its acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines in September 2024, creating the fifth-largest US airline by passengers carried. If you have Hawaiian Miles, a credit card co-branded with Hawaiian, a ticket on Hawaiian, or are planning a Hawaii trip in 2026, the integration has implications that range from minor to significant depending on what you have and when you’re traveling.

What Has Actually Changed for Passengers in 2026

The integration is proceeding in phases, which means not everything has changed at once. In 2026, both carriers continue to operate under their own brand names and airline codes, though Alaska has been consolidating operations behind the scenes. Passengers booking Hawaii flights will see both HA and AS flight codes for some time during the integration period.

What Happened to HawaiianMiles

HawaiianMiles is being integrated into the Alaska Mileage Plan. The timeline for full consolidation has been phased, with Alaska committing to honoring HawaiianMiles balances and providing conversion pathways. If you have HawaiianMiles, monitor the Alaska Airlines communications about the conversion ratio and deadline — miles that don’t convert before a specified date may expire or convert at less favorable rates.

What miles holders should do now:

• Log into your HawaiianMiles account and verify current balance
• Check the Alaska Airlines integration timeline for conversion dates
• Consider redeeming HawaiianMiles for known-value rewards before the conversion if the conversion ratio is less favorable
• Register for an Alaska Mileage Plan account if you don’t have one — it will be needed for the conversion

What the Merger Means for Hawaii Route Pricing

Before the merger, Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines competed on several transpacific routes, creating price competition that benefited consumers. Post-merger, some of that competition is eliminated. Airlines mergers historically produce fare increases on routes where the merging airlines were each other’s primary competitors. The West Coast to Hawaii routes are the ones to watch for 2026 and beyond — particularly Seattle, San Francisco, and Portland routes where both carriers had significant presence.

United, Southwest, and Delta all continue to fly to Hawaii and provide some competitive pressure. Hawaiian’s international routes (Japan, South Korea, Australia) are the routes where merger effects are less clear — Alaska has less transpacific experience and it remains to be seen how those routes evolve under the combined operation.

What’s Better for Hawaii Travelers Post-Merger

Alaska Mileage Plan has historically been one of the most valuable frequent flyer programs for Hawaii redemptions. The ability to book Hawaiian Airlines flights through Mileage Plan, and vice versa, expands the options for award travel to Hawaii significantly. Alaska’s extensive mainland network now connects to Hawaiian’s interisland network more seamlessly — travelers from the Midwest and East Coast have more one-stop options through Alaska hubs.

The merger integration is ongoing, and the situation in 2027 will look different from 2026. The key immediate actions for affected travelers: verify your miles balance, understand the conversion timeline, and monitor Hawaii route pricing over the next 12 months to understand how the competitive dynamics are playing out before booking a trip more than six months out.

The Alaska-Hawaiian Merger’s Effect on Mileage Plan

The Mileage Plan value proposition changed significantly with the Hawaiian merger. Alaska’s Mileage Plan was already one of the most partner-rich frequent flyer programs in the United States — with earning and redemption options on American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Finnair, Japan Airlines, and 10+ other carriers — while remaining independent of the major alliance structures. The addition of Hawaiian’s Pacific routes to the award map added Honolulu as a connection hub for Asian awards and created new routing options that the two airlines’ independent award charts previously didn’t support.

The Companion Fare benefit on the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature card — which provides a companion ticket at $99+taxes on the cardholder’s paid fare — is the single most valuable airline credit card benefit available to West Coast travelers who fly Alaska regularly. The expansion of the Companion Fare to cover Hawaiian routes between the mainland and Hawaii adds destinations that were previously excluded. A business class award on Alaska from Seattle to Tokyo using partner miles, or a Companion Fare to Maui from Portland, provides value that no other West Coast-centric frequent flyer program can currently match.