Status Matching Alaska Elite to Hawaiian? It's Now Open and Encouraged, but Beware

If you're an Alaska Airlines flyer, you already know that Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines are merging. Airline mergers are usually, well, interesting.

After speculation on a FlyerTalk thread and elsewhere, Gary Leff of View From The Wing was probably the first travel blogger to announce that Alaska has just set up a status match to Hawaiian Airlines link for elite members on its website, to be found here. 

To complete a status match, you need to possess elite status on Alaska as well as open a mileage account on Hawaiian, if you don't already have one.

We have both and have already completed our status match. There is a lot of confusion (check out that FlyerTalk thread), and on Facebook Alaska Airlines groups there are some downright angry customers venting about their negative experiences.

Apparently some Alaska elites have bought flights to Hawaii on Alaska, and Alaska has moved their flights to Hawaiian planes as they consolidate some schedules. Another travel blogger, the Cranky Flier, has documented some of the early switches of AS to HA "metal."

What disgruntled Alaska elites claim to be discovering is that on flights switched from AS to HA metal by Alaska, or on Hawaiian flights they themselves have booked on the Alaska website, the elite members are losing such benefits as free checked luggage and preferred seating. We've also read that Hawaiian Pualani Platinum and Gold elite members get Hawaiian lounge access, while Alaska elites, even those with Alaska Lounge memberships, do not.  

Never stand between a politician and a microphone, and never stand between an elite flyer and his or her benefits!

We've been around long enough to see more than one airline merger, and to live with the negative (for us) consequences of one, the United - Continental merger. This merger is particularly complicated because Alaska intends to merge a lot of the operations, including the mileage programs, while maintaining the two separate brands. 

We now have matched status with Hawaiian, as encouraged and facilitated by Alaska. If by any chance we want to fly, say, to Hawaii on Hawaiian Airlines, we will most definitely buy the flight on the Hawaiian website and use our HA mileage plan number.  

If you happen to be an Alaska elite Mileage Plan member, you'll want to check this out for yourself, proceed with caution, and remember the old saying: the Devil is in the details.