Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines have officially unveiled Atmos Rewards, the new loyalty program that will replace Mileage Plan and HawaiianMiles. While the two airlines will continue to operate as separate brands, Atmos Rewards is now the unified scheme for frequent flyers – and it comes with some genuinely interesting twists.
The program is live for Alaska members immediately, while HawaiianMiles will be folded in from October 1, 2025.
Why this matters
Alaska Mileage Plan has long been a favorite among savvy travelers thanks to distance-based earning and a quirky mix of partner awards. The fear, of course, was that a merger would water things down into yet another revenue-based program. That’s not what’s happened – in fact, Atmos Rewards manages to combine the best of both worlds.
- Choice of earning style: members can pick distance, spend, or segments each year.
- Elite rebrand: MVP tiers become Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Titanium (aligned to oneworld Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald for Plat/Titanium).
- Global upgrades: top-tier Titanium members will receive unlimited complimentary day-of-departure upgrades worldwide.
- Hawaiian upgrades: elites will enjoy upgrades on Hawaiian flights within North America, including A330 routes with lie-flats.
What’s changing
The biggest shift is flexibility. Atmos Rewards lets you decide how you earn. Each year, you get to choose one of the following tracks for earning redeemable points and status points:
- Distance: Earn at least 1 redeemable point per mile flown
- Spend: 5 redeemable points per US$1
- Segments: 500 redeemable points per flight
Elite status points work similarly:
- Distance: At least 1 status point for every mile flown (including award redemptions!)
- Spend: 5 status points per US$1. You can also earn status points when redeeming miles – 1 status point for every 20 points you redeem.
- Segments: 500 status points for each segment flown (including award redemptions)
Elite thresholds remain unchanged until 2026, when Platinum rises to 80,000 status points and Titanium jumps to 135,000. That’s steep, but the trade-off is unlimited complimentary global upgrades – a first for a U.S. airline.
Any downsides?
As with any new program, the devil will be in the details and we’ll learn more in the weeks ahead. On the surface though, there aren’t any huge red flags.
The one potentially significant area of concern is what happens to redemption rates. Alaska/Atmos executives are making reassuring noises for now, but with the usual caveat that everything is always “under review.” Realistically, it makes sense to keep members happy at launch, so it’s possible that any devaluations will be delayed.
Bottom line
So far, Atmos Rewards looks much better than many feared. The choice of earning method, the ability to earn status points on award redemptions, and global upgrades make this one of the most innovative airline programs we’ve seen in years.
