HawaiianMiles members are seeing the first concrete signs of a major shift under the upcoming Alaska Airlines joint loyalty program. A quietly worded email from an unfamiliar contact at Alaska Airlines revealed the introduction of two new First Class award levels designed to align HawaiianMiles redemptions with Alaska’s Mileage Plan.

While the message framed the update as a way to increase availability and add what’s termed in the industry as “last seat” redemption options, the real story may be what Hawaiian travelers weren’t told: that award prices are now soaring to levels never seen before.

One-way First Class flights to Hawaii are already now showing pricing up to 250,000 miles, depending on destination and demand.

There was no effective date in the message or other official word we’ve seen. But award searches now suggest these change are already live. Given this, travelers holding HawaiianMiles may want to reconsider how and when they use them, because at least some redemption values may have just taken a significant hit.

The email said however that “For a majority of the seats, award travel will either stay the same or be reduced by 10,000 miles across all routes, with more generous availability. A small portion of higher end award ranges increased to align to Mileage Plan.” Please check for yourselves and let us know what you find compared with earlier award costs.

What you just lost with your HawaiianMiles.

Separate from this award pricing overhaul, HawaiianMiles members were recently notified that a significant number of airline and shopping partnerships are being eliminated. As of June 30, 2025, members can no longer redeem miles for award flights with JetBlue, Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Australia, Japan Airlines, Korean Air, or China Airlines.

All award travel through these partnerships must be booked by June 30 and flown by February 28, 2026. After that, those redemption options will disappear.

For many Hawaii travelers—especially those on the U.S. mainland or flying internationally—these partners offered added flexibility when Hawaiian Airlines wasn’t available, or when travelers preferred to redeem miles for other parts of their trip.

In addition, as we wrote about previously, the ability to transfer American Express Membership Rewards points to HawaiianMiles—a feature not available with Alaska—also appears to be ending. However, this has not yet been formally announced.

The changes don’t stop at the airport. Hawaiian is also ending its shopping and dining partnerships that have long allowed members to earn or redeem miles with familiar brands. Gone as of June 30 are Foodland, along with other resident-facing options like Hele, Konos, Koa Pancake, The Alley, Maui Jim, and Boyd. That leaves fewer ways to earn or use miles in practical, everyday ways—especially for Hawaii-based members.

A major realignment in international travel.

Alongside these loyalty changes, Hawaiian Airlines is also making a quiet but significant shift in its international partner network. Effective May 7, 2025, the airline will begin a reciprocal codeshare with Qantas, covering a wide range of routes across Australia and non-competitive Hawaii-to-mainland U.S. flights.

This move replaces Hawaiian’s existing codeshare with Virgin Australia, among the partners being dropped from the HawaiianMiles program. For flyers used to booking award travel into or within Australia through Virgin, this represents both a structural and loyalty-level shakeup.

While codeshares and operational partnerships are often invisible to travelers booking only on Hawaiian Airlines’ website, these backend changes directly affect seat availability, routing options, and mile redemption flexibility. Once again, the timing here overlaps with loyalty phase-outs, creating a transition window where travelers will await what comes next.

How the award prices changed.

In the email shared with us, Alaska Airlines outlined the new First Class award pricing ranges as follows:

Pago Pago, Papeete, Rarotonga: 47,500–175,000 miles
Japan, Korea, Australia, New Zealand: 65,000–250,000 miles
West Coast US: 40,000–150,000 miles
East Coast US: 40,000–250,000 miles

These figures mark a clear departure from Hawaiian’s prior fixed award structure. Previously, First Class award travel on most routes typically topped out at 80,000 miles round-trip—or around 40,000 miles one-way—during peak periods.

Under the new model, awards follow a variable pricing structure based on demand, with a new “last seat available” tier. This means members can redeem miles even on full flights, but often at a dramatically higher mileage cost than traditional saver-level awards.

This mirrors the Alaska Mileage Plan system, which has long offered last-seat redemptions but at much higher mileage costs. The difference now is that HawaiianMiles members are being folded into this approach, effectively ending Hawaiian’s more predictable and affordable award model.

What hasn’t changed—yet.

According to Alaska’s message, there are no changes to Main Cabin award prices or the entry-level 40,000-mile First Class awards—for now. That said, the ceiling matters more than the floor for most travelers. These changes will be most felt by peak-season flights and high-demand routes, especially for residents who rely on award travel during holidays or school breaks.

Miles themselves are also retaining their current value through the transition. Hawaiian’s elite members have the option to link accounts with Alaska’s Mileage Plan, match status, and transfer miles 1:1. While this offers some short-term utility, it doesn’t resolve the core concern: once-loyal travelers are now facing higher award pricing, fewer redemption options, and a lack of transparency about the future.

A broader network is coming.

While the current phase-out of partners and steep award pricing have raised concerns, there is another side to this transition. Through its acquisition by Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines will soon gain access to oneworld—among the world’s largest airline alliances.

This means that once the combined loyalty program is fully rolled out, members previously limited by Hawaiian’s own program can redeem miles on a much broader set of global carriers, including American Airlines, British Airways, Japan Airlines, and more.

Historically, HawaiianMiles has been one of the most limited frequent flyer programs in the U.S., with relatively few airline partners and minimal alliance benefits. That’s now changing. The short-term loss of familiar redemption options could be followed by broader access and greater flexibility. However, many details about how redemptions and elite benefits will ultimately work under the new structure are still unknown.

What to do now.

If you hold HawaiianMiles, there are a few key actions to take before June 30, 2025:

• Redeem any existing partner airline awards before that deadline.
• Use up shopping and dining redemptions with partners like Foodland while they’re still active.
• Link your HawaiianMiles and Alaska Mileage Plan accounts to match status and unlock mutual benefits.
• Check award pricing frequently on routes you plan to travel—especially in First Class—and be prepared for pricing volatility for now.

Once the new joint loyalty program launches later this year, further changes are almost certainly guaranteed. But by then, some of today’s options will no longer be attainable.

What comes next.

It’s a loyalty limbo with no official end date. While Alaska’s messaging emphasizes increased flexibility, the reality for Hawaii travelers may feel anything but. Nonetheless, the end is in sight, and before long, it will be clear how the new combined Hawaiian/Alaska loyalty program will work.

Have you already seen these new award prices in your own searches? Did you lose access to a favorite HawaiianMiles partner? Let us know how this loyalty transition is affecting your travel decisions.