HONOLULU (KHON2) — Thursday, Sept. 25, is the beginning of the end for HawaiianMiles members. It’s the last day you’ll have access to your account and be able to earn HawaiianMiles. Everyone is anxious and excited about the bigger things ahead.
Despite months of warnings from Hawaiian Airlines to customers to start merging their rewards accounts, not everyone is there yet.
“I knew about the merger, but I don’t know about the mileage program going away for Hawaiian, so it’s good to know,” said Minah Kim, a Hawaiian Airlines customer.
“It was pretty easy, I just did it on the day they asked me to do the instructions,” said Nova Burnes, a Hawaiian Airlines customer. “They gave the instructions. I just did it right away.”
HawaiianMiles members will be locked out of their accounts starting Friday, as HawaiianMiles migrates over to Atmos rewards – Alaska Airlines rewards program.
Hawaiian reassures its customers that you’ll keep all your HawaiianMiles and they’ll transfer to Atmos Reward points at a one-to-one ratio. Experts say it’s a good idea to take screenshots of your miles, just in case.
“We’ve seen in years past when US Airways and American Airlines combined, there’s always some issues, some accounts that have problems,” said Andrew Kunesh, upgradedpoints.com travel writer. “So it’s worth just doing all your homework beforehand.”
If you already have an Alaska Rewards account, it’s already changed to Atmos. And it should be an easy process to change over. Click the “link now” button on the Hawaiian website, log into your Atmos account, log into your HawaiianMiles account, and you’re in.
“Overall, I think it’s a positive change for Hawaiian Airlines’ frequent flyers,” said Kunesh. “In the past, Alaska Airlines’ mileage plan now, Atmos Rewards, has been one of the most rewarding loyalty programs in the airline space.”
HawaiianMiles members with higher status will slide over to the comparable status in Atmos. Kunesh says one unique feature of Atmos is choosing how you earn points – either by distance traveled or ticket cost.
But of course, everyone is ready for the new routes.
“My family and I always enjoy the experience of flying Hawaiian, so I’m sad to hear about the news,” said Kim. “But at the same time, I spend a lot of time in the Pacific Northwest, in Tacoma area, so I’m also excited about the merger.”
Atmos Rewards is scheduled to launch Oct. 1. Officials at Hawaiian say even if you don’t link accounts before Friday, not to worry. There’ll be ways you can do it later.
“Change is what’s always the permanents of life,” said Burnes. “That’s always gonna happen so I kind of just have to go with the flow.”