When Alaska Airlines announced its purchase of Hawaiian Airlines, one of the biggest questions was what would happen to their loyalty programs. Mileage Plan and HawaiianMiles both had loyal followings, but now we have the answer: they’re gone, and the new program is here. Say hello to ATMOS.
I’ve been following this merger closely, and back in my earlier article on the Mileage Plan and HawaiianMiles merger, I shared what was likely coming. Today, we finally have the official details.
According to Alaska Airlines, ATMOS is built as a unified program for both Alaska and Hawaiian flyers. The airline is promising a more streamlined approach to earning and redeeming, with benefits that matter whether you’re island-hopping or flying across the Pacific. You can see the full breakdown here: Atmos Rewards Benefits.
Here’s a high-level look at what ATMOS offers so far:
A single program for all Alaska and Hawaiian flights.
Status tiers that merge Mileage Plan and HawaiianMiles elite levels.
Earning points on flights, hotels, and partner airlines.
Expanded redemption options, including inter-island flights and international partners.
Promises of better value for frequent travelers on both carriers.
ATMOS Rewards Tiers
ATMOS comes with a clear tiered structure (Bonvoy anyone?), starting at entry-level status and building up to some seriously elite perks. Based on Alaska’s release, here’s how the program is laid out:
ATMOS Silver – 20K: The first elite tier, offering entry-level perks once you hit 20,000 qualifying miles.
ATMOS Gold – 40K: Mid-level recognition with stronger benefits, such as priority services and better upgrade access.
ATMOS Platinum – 75K: A premium tier for frequent flyers, with expanded upgrade opportunities and mileage bonuses.
ATMOS Titanium – 100K: The top published elite level, designed for the most loyal Alaska and Hawaiian travelers.
Beyond these milestones, travelers can continue earning recognition at 150K, 200K, and 250K, suggesting even more rewards or recognition for the heaviest flyers.
This tier design feels like a blend of Alaska’s traditional Mileage Plan thresholds with a few new twists to capture Hawaiian’s frequent inter-island travelers. The question will be how benefits stack up at each level compared to the old programs.
This is just the start, and as with any major loyalty shift, the details will matter. Balances, upgrade policies, and redemption sweet spots are what travelers like me will be watching closely in the months ahead.
For Hawaii-based flyers, the big question is whether ATMOS will deliver the same value HawaiianMiles once did for inter-island trips. For Alaska’s West Coast travelers, it’s about whether the strong Mileage Plan partner network stays intact.
I’ll be digging deeper into all of this soon, but for now, ATMOS is officially the new name in loyalty for Alaska and Hawaiian.
It’s stylized as Atmos, not ATMOS, e.g., “Atmos Rewards members enjoy industry-leading benefits.”
Surely they are aware that this is the same acronym as the Air Traffic Management and Operations Simulator (ATMOS)? ATMOS is the large-scale, real-time simulation facility based at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) Institute of Flight Guidance in Braunschweig, Germany.
ATMOS serves as a central validation environment for future air traffic control procedures, enabling the testing of new approach and landing procedures in terms of flight safety, pollutant reduction, and traffic capacity.
If they are aware it’s a fun take on that but I bet they just paid some marketing company to come up with this, using focus groups, etc.