When it was announced, Acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines Alaska Airlines has promised status matching for elite members in each program.
That status match is currently live. first flagged A View from the Wings by Gary Leff
Airlines will eventually have one loyalty program, but in the meantime, reciprocal elite status is pretty cool.
It’s pretty simple. Just go for this special status match landing pagelog into your Alaska Mileage Plan account, then log into your HawaiianMiles account.
If you have status alaska mileage plan or hawaiian mile, You can match it with elite status on other airlines.
| If you have | What matches you is |
|---|---|
| Alaska Mileage Plan MVP Status | HawaiianMiles Puarani Gold Status |
| Alaska Mileage Plan MVP Gold, MVP Gold 75K, or MVP Gold 100K status | HawaiianMiles Puarani Platinum Status |
| HawaiianMiles Puarani Gold Status | Alaska Mileage Plan MVP Status |
| HawaiianMiles Puarani Platinum Status | Alaska Mileage Plan MVP Gold Status |
If you don’t have status with either airline, there’s also an opportunity here to combine your earnings from both programs into one level of status. For example, if you earn 20,000 miles on Alaska and 20,000 miles on Hawaiian, you will have 40,000 miles in your combined account. Enough to earn Alaska Airlines MVP Gold status.
Please note that members can keep their current miles and also transfer miles between accounts at a 1:1 ratio.
Alaska Airlines says members will soon be able to earn HawaiianMiles miles on Alaska flights and Mileage Plan miles on Hawaiian Airlines flights. Additionally, additional redemption options will eventually be added to allow you to enjoy some elite benefits on both airlines.
This will help airlines begin operating flights with each other. For example, I noticed that my Alaska Airlines flight to Hawaii scheduled for April has been rescheduled. When I called Alaska to find out what happened to my flight, the agent told me that the Bay Area flights currently operated by Alaska will soon be operated by Hawaiian Airlines.
daily newsletter
Get rewarded in your inbox with the TPG Daily newsletter
Join over 700,000 readers and get breaking news, in-depth guides, and exclusive deals from TPG experts.
I currently do not have elite status with either airline. But if I had, I would have happily gotten Hawaiian Airlines status and had better seat choices on flights operated by Hawaiian Airlines.
Thanks to my American Airlines status, I was able to choose a seat with extra legroom on my Alaska flight. Thanks to the Alaska Airlines and American Airlines partnership, when I fly on Alaska Airlines, the airline knows: My Top Class American Airlines AAdvantage Status. That doesn’t work in Hawaiian.
Related: Last-minute strategies to earn Alaska Mileage Plan elite status
Status matches to Alaska from other airlines are still possible
Another thing to note: Alaska Airlines still offers a status challenge if you have elite status with another airline. Earn instant status for 90 days by matching your current airline elite status. If you fly 5,000 miles (20,000 miles for MVP Gold 75K) on Alaska Airlines-operated flights, you have the opportunity to extend your status through the end of 2025. I have the highest Diamond Medallion status on Delta Airlines, so it might be something to consider.
More reasons why Alaska Mileage Plan is interesting right now
In fact, I’m considering obtaining Alaska state status next year. There are many exciting developments with the merger with Alaska Mileage Plan.
Currently, Alaska Airlines is the only major US airline that allows you to earn elite status from your flights based on actual miles flown. This makes it easier to earn top-tier mileage plan status if you don’t buy a lot of expensive flights. I also made Alaska some positive changes In terms of gaining status. Alaska Mileage Plan members will now be able to earn miles when redeeming awards, and there will be new ways to pay for status.
As of January 1, 2025, if you have a current card, Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® Credit Card Earn 1 Elite Qualifying Mile for every $3 spent on eligible purchases up to a total of 30,000 EQMs per year. This could earn you a good portion of the way to the top tier 100K status, which requires 100,000 EQMs.
Related: Why I applied for two Hawaiian Airlines cards on the same day
Please also note that the State of Alaska provides access to a waiting list. new premium card It states that it will help holders accelerate their path to status.
Another thing to keep in mind for now: Hawaiian Airlines continues to American Express Membership Rewards Relocation Partner. I’m considering transferring some points to Hawaiian and converting them into Alaska miles.
In the meantime, if you have status in either program, it probably makes sense to do a status match.
Related books:
