There’s a new way to use your American Airlines AAdvantage miles for a flight to Hawaii.
As of this week, AAdvantage members can redeem miles for flights aboard Hawaiian Airlines planes between the U.S. mainland and Hawaii.
Head over to American’s booking channels and you’ll see the changes right away.
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Consider, for instance, the longest domestic flight in the U.S. — Hawaiian’s nonstop from Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) to Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) aboard a Hawaiian Airbus A330. In the case of this February itinerary, it’d go for 35,000 AAdvantage miles.
Or, here’s a one-way flight to Honolulu from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on Hawaiian for 22,500 AAdvantage miles.
It’s worth noting that in both of the above itineraries (and several others I searched), only main cabin redemptions were available. So, you may have to be a bit flexible if, say, you’re hoping to use your AAdvantage miles for a business-class seat on Hawaiian’s brand-new Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
Expanding American-Hawaiian ties
American partnering with Hawaiian isn’t entirely new. The two brands have previously operated a more limited loyalty tie-up that allowed American loyalists to redeem AAdvantage miles for shorter, interisland flights aboard Hawaiian.
But now the ties between the two carriers seem to be deepening, with Hawaiian officially joining forces with Alaska Airlines in the U.S. airline industry’s latest merger. Alaska was already a full-scale partner of American’s through the Oneworld alliance.
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As of Tuesday, AAdvantage members can redeem their miles on all flights operated by Hawaiian and booked through American’s website.
If you’re a frequent American flyer looking to redeem miles on a flight between the U.S. mainland and Hawaii, it means you’ll have more flight options to pick from.
Also worth watching: how the partnership between American and Hawaiian evolves in the coming months and years.
Earning remains limited
Despite wider ability to redeem AAdvantage miles on Hawaiian-operated flights, there remain significant earning limitations on paid flights.
AAdvantage members can earn “bonus miles” on flights sold and operated by Hawaiian. Bonus AAdvantage miles don’t come with Loyalty Points, which means those flights aboard Hawaiian still won’t help you work your way toward AAdvantage elite status.
However, with the Hawaiian brand set to join the Oneworld alliance as part of its integration into Alaska Air Group, it seems a likely bet its relationship with American could deepen in the future.
Even if you don’t have a large sum of AAdvantage miles in your account, there’s another way to easily accrue Hawaiian miles. American Express Membership Rewards transfer to Hawaiian at a 1:1 ratio.
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