When Alaska Airlines announced its acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines, it revealed that elite members from both loyalty programs would have the opportunity for a status match.
That status match is now active, as initially highlighted by Gary Leff at View from the Wing.
While both airlines plan to integrate into a single loyalty program in the future, the current reciprocal elite status exchange is a great benefit.
The process is quite simple. Just visit the dedicated status match landing page, sign in to your Alaska Mileage Plan account, and then log into your HawaiianMiles account.
If you hold status with either Alaska Mileage Plan or HawaiianMiles, you can match that status to the other airline’s elite tier.
| Status Held | Status Matched To |
|---|---|
| Alaska Mileage Plan MVP status | HawaiianMiles Pualani Gold status |
| Alaska Mileage Plan MVP Gold, MVP Gold 75K, or MVP Gold 100K status | HawaiianMiles Pualani Platinum status |
| HawaiianMiles Pualani Gold status | Alaska Mileage Plan MVP status |
| HawaiianMiles Pualani Platinum status | Alaska Mileage Plan MVP Gold status |
Even if you currently lack status with either airline, you have the option to combine your earnings from both programs into a single status level. For instance, if you earn 20,000 miles with Alaska and 20,000 miles with Hawaiian, you will have a total of 40,000 miles in a combined account, which qualifies you for Alaska Airlines MVP Gold status.
It’s worth noting that members will keep their current miles and can transfer them between accounts at a 1:1 ratio.
Alaska also mentioned that members will eventually be able to earn HawaiianMiles on Alaska flights and Mileage Plan miles on Hawaiian Airlines flights. There will additionally be more redemption options and select elite benefits that can be enjoyed across both airlines.
This integration will become increasingly useful as the airlines begin to operate joint flights. For example, when I contacted Alaska’s customer service regarding a schedule change for my flight to Hawaii in April, I discovered that the Bay Area flights currently operated by Alaska would soon be served by Hawaiian Airlines.
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Currently, I do not hold elite status with either airline. However, if I did, I would appreciate gaining Hawaiian Airlines status to access better seating options for flights that will now be operated by Hawaiian.
Thanks to my American Airlines status, I’ve been able to select extra-legroom seats on Alaska flights. However, this benefit won’t extend to Hawaiian flights.
Related: Last-minute strategies for obtaining Alaska Mileage Plan elite status
Additionally, you can still status match from other airlines to Alaska
Additionally, Alaska continues to offer a status challenge for those with elite status from other airlines. By matching your current airline elite status, you can gain instant status for 90 days; this status can be extended until the end of 2025 by flying as few as 5,000 miles on Alaska-operated flights (20,000 miles for MVP Gold 75K). Since I hold top-tier Delta Air Lines Diamond Medallion status, this might be an option for me.
More reasons to be interested in Alaska Mileage Plan
In fact, I am considering pursuing Alaska status next year due to the appealing changes within Alaska Mileage Plan and the recent merger.
Alaska stands out as the only major U.S. airline that allows you to earn elite status based on actual flight miles. This can make it easier to achieve top-tier Mileage Plan status, particularly if you typically don’t purchase expensive tickets. Alaska has also announced several positive updates to the status-earning process, allowing Mileage Plan members to earn miles on award redemptions and introducing new pathways to earn status.
As of January 1, 2025, cardholders of the current Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card will accumulate 1 elite qualifying mile for every $3 spent, with a cap of 30,000 EQMs each year on eligible transactions. This could significantly contribute toward achieving the top-tier 100K status, which requires 100,000 EQMs.
Related: Why I applied for 2 Hawaiian Airlines cards on the same day
Additionally, Alaska is providing waitlist access for a new premium card designed to help members accelerate their status journey.
Also, keep in mind that Hawaiian Airlines is a transfer partner for American Express Membership Rewards. I’m thinking of transferring some points to Hawaiian that could convert into Alaska miles.
If you have elite status with either program, it’s certainly worth taking advantage of the status match opportunity.
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