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Ever since Alaska Airlines finalized its merger with Hawaiian Airlines, both airlines have been taking small, incremental steps to align their loyalty programs. The end goal is a combined loyalty program launching “later this year.” But for now, that alignment includes reciprocal elite benefits, shared cardholder perks like free checked bags, and the gradual merging of the Mileage Plan and HawaiianMiles award charts.
That said, the award chart alignment is nearly complete. Here’s the latest update — and why you might still want to book through Alaska.
Alaska and Hawaiian Award Pricing Is Almost Aligned
Over the past few months, Hawaiian Airlines’ award charts have gradually shifted to align more closely with Alaska’s Mileage Plan charts. And from what we’re seeing now, that alignment is nearly complete.
Most of the flight options you’ll find on Hawaiian’s or Alaska’s websites now follow the same redemption table that Alaska posts for “awards wholly on Alaska Airlines or Hawaiian Airlines:”
| From Contiguous US including Alaska and Canada to: | Economy starting at: | First starting at: |
|---|---|---|
| Contiguous US, Alaska and Canada: less than 700 miles | 5,000 | 15,000 |
| Contiguous US, Alaska and Canada: 701–1,400 miles | 7,500 | 25,000 |
| Contiguous US, Alaska and Canada: 1,401–2,100 miles | 10,000 | 25,000 |
| Contiguous US, Alaska and Canada: 2,101 miles and above | 12,500 | 30,000 |
| Hawaii: all distances | 15,000 | 40,000 |
| Mexico, Central America and Caribbean: all distances | 10,000 | 30,000 |
Hawaiian Airlines still publishes more than a dozen award charts on its website. While those charts include far more detail than Alaska’s simple distance-based chart, the actual pricing tends to work out the same.
In other words, you can usually expect to pay about the same number of miles whether you book through Alaska or Hawaiian. But there are a few important exceptions to note.
First, while pricing is nearly aligned, it is not perfectly matched. In some cases, Hawaiian charges slightly more miles for select economy tickets than Alaska does. For example, on a random day in November, Hawaiian prices a one-way economy flight from Seattle (SEA) to Honolulu (HNL) at 17,142 miles.
Alaska, on the other hand, offers the same flight for just 15,000 miles. In this case, booking through Alaska is incrementally the better deal.
Related: Alaska Transfers to Hawaiian Are Live — Here's How to Transfer
Why you might still want to book through Alaska
If you are trying to save time on your award search, we recommend starting with Alaska’s website. The main reason is that Alaska shows more flight results than Hawaiian does, including connections between Alaska- and Hawaiian-operated flights. Hawaiian’s website, on the other hand, only displays flights operated by Hawaiian.
For example, on July 24, 2024, a search from New York (JFK) to Honolulu (HNL) on Hawaiian’s website returns just one flight result.
Alaska’s website, by comparison, shows 26 results for the same day.
In short, you will get a much better view of your options by starting your search on Alaska’s site. That said, it is still worth comparing. Award pricing might not be fully aligned on the day you are booking, and a little extra due diligence could save you some miles.
Our Take
This is no surprise, and we anticipate seeing an increasing alignment between the two programs in the coming months. However, until we arrive at a situation where the programs perfectly align (they're nearly there, price-wise!), there will be some gaps that can possibly present an opportunity to save some miles — as in a few thousand of them. Until then, be sure to maximize your savings when using either program.
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