The frequent flyer program HawaiianMiles is currently selling award miles with a 100% bonus. At first glance, HawaiianMiles might not seem particularly attractive to Europeans. However, Alaska Airlines is in the process of acquiring Hawaiian Airlines along with its loyalty program. As part of this acquisition, the U.S. Department of Transportation has required a 1:1 mile exchange between the two programs.
Despite a devaluation in early 2024, Alaska Mileage Plan still has some great redemption opportunities, e.g. short-haul flights within North America starting at 4,500 miles and in Asia at 7,500 miles. Business class requires twice as many miles.
Alaska miles are typically not available for purchase for less than 1.7 euro cents during regular sales. Purchasing via HawaiianMiles and then transferring through the current promotion is much more appealing.
Our transfer to Alaska went smoothly, but we cannot guarantee it will work as seamlessly for you. To be safe, consider trying a small amount first (6,000 miles for US$75 (~€64)) and then purchasing more if successful.
Purchasing Hawaiian Miles with a 100% Bonus
HawaiianMiles is currently advertising up to 100% bonus on Hawaiian mile purchases. Most accounts appear to receive the full 100%:
For instance, you could purchase 28,000 miles for US$355.60 (~€303.38), which translates to a price of 1.27 US cents or 1.17 euro cents per mile, including the tax recovery fee.
Transfer to Alaska Mileage Plan
Right after the purchase, you should be able to transfer the purchased miles to Alaska Mileage Plan via Points.com. Use the following link:
Select the option to transfer points to Mileage Plan:
Next, you can transfer points between both programs in increments of 50:
After confirming, the miles will be deducted from HawaiianMiles and credited to your Mileage Plan account. In my case, this only took a few seconds.
Sweet Spots for Alaska Miles
Until March 2024, the Alaska Mileage Plan had several sweet spots. The award chart has since been unified across all airlines, which has made many flights more expensive.
However, some good options remain, primarily due to Mileage Plan’s practice of not passing along fuel surcharges with most airlines. A booking fee of US$12.50 (~€10.66) per booking is charged. All award flights can be cancelled, though Alaska Airlines retains this $12.50 fee.
You can view the redemption chart by region here. Here are a few highlights:
Flights within North America
Award flights within North America start at 4,500 miles plus $19 in fees. Flights with Alaska Airlines are usually more expensive due to dynamic pricing, but flights with Oneworld partner American Airlines are very attractive:
| Distance | Economy class | Business class |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 700 miles | starting at 4,500 miles | starting at 9,000 miles |
| 701 – 1,400 miles | starting at 7,500 miles | starting at 15,000 miles |
| 1,401 – 2,100 miles | starting at 12,500 miles | starting at 25,000 miles |
| 2,101 – 4,000 miles | starting at 17,500 miles | starting at 35,000 miles |
| 4,001 – 6,000 miles | starting at 25,000 miles | starting at 50,000 miles |
| > 6,000 miles | starting at 30,000 miles | starting at 60,000 miles |
Short-haul Flights in Asia
Flights from Europe to Asia and from Asia to North America are calculated as follows:
| Distance | Economy | Premium economy | Business class | First class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 miles | 7,500 miles | 10,000 miles | 15,000 miles | 22,500 miles |
| 1,501 – 3,000 miles | 25,000 miles | 32,500 miles | 50,000 miles | 75,000 miles |
| 3,001 – 5,000 miles | 30,000 miles | 40,000 miles | 60,000 miles | 90,000 miles |
| 5,001 – 7,000 miles | 37,500 miles | 50,000 miles | 75,000 miles | 110,000 miles |
| 7,001 – 10,000 miles | 42,500 miles | 55,000 miles | 85,000 miles | 130,000 miles |
| > 10,000 miles | 65,000 miles | 85,000 miles | 130,000 miles | 195,000 miles |
A sweet spot here includes short-haul flights with Starlux, Cathay Pacific or Japan Airlines under 1,500 distance miles. Here are a few redemption options:
- Economy class:
- JAL: 4h Sapporo → Osaka → Okinawa for 7,500 miles + US$13.00 (~€11.09)
- Premium economy:
- Starlux: 3h Taipei → Tokyo for 10,000 miles + US$29.00 (~€24.74)
- Business class:
- Korean Air: 4h Seoul → Hong Kong for 15,000 miles + US$31.00 (~€26.45)
- JAL: 4h Tokyo → Beijing for 15,000 miles + US$39.00 (~€33.27)
- Starlux: 3h Tokyo → Taipei for 15,000 miles + US$46.00 (~€39.25)
All of these business-class options use long-haul jets with lie-flat seats.
Condor Business Class over the Atlantic
Condor is also a Mileage Plan partner. The Halifax – Frankfurt route falls within a short distance band and costs only 45,000 miles + US$75 (~€64) in business class:
The New York – Frankfurt route also offers a fair rate of 55,000 miles + US$49 (~€42):
Alaska Airlines may adjust the required miles at any time, though such changes are unlikely. The last devaluation was announced more than three months in advance and was only eight months ago.
Translated by Ditmar
Cover Picture: © STARLUX Airlines Co. Ltd.
Comment (1)
Thanks, great article. Is there a way you can transfer these points to BA avios account from Alaska account. I’d be looking for a way to take advantage of this from UK dept point.