The Different Tiers Of Hawaiian Airlines’ HawaiianMiles Program

HawaiianMiles is the miles and loyalty program of Hawaiian Airlines. Elite status with HawaiianMiles is known as Pualani Elite. This status is earned by flying frequently with Hawaiian Airlines and partners, but as the benefits are mostly just with Hawaiian Airlines, it is primarily aimed at those in Hawaii. This is likely to change significantly if the merger with Alaska Airlines goes through. The airline will then offer status across the oneworld alliance.

Unlike many other airline loyalty programs, you can earn status with HawaiianMiles just from flying, with even the lowest-priced tickets making a good contribution.

The two levels with Pualani Elite

You may be wondering where the name Pualani comes from. Pualani is the name of the woman who appears on the tails of all Hawaiian Airlines aircraft – it translates as “heavenly flower.”

Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

There are just two levels within Pualani Elite – Pualani Gold and Pualani Platinum. These can be earned as follows:

• Pualani Gold: 20,000 elite qualifying miles or 30 segments
• Pualani Platinum: 40,000 elite qualifying miles or 60 segments.

Elite qualifying miles are the same as the base miles earned when flying on Hawaiian Airlines or any of its partners. This does not include any status bonuses or any miles earned from credit or debit card spending.

Related

The Different Ways To Earn Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles

Whilst flying is likely to be the main earning method, there are plenty of other ways to earn HawaiianMiles.

For Hawaiian Airlines flights, this is simply 100% of the miles flown for main cabin tickets, and 150% for first and business class tickets. All partner airlines’ charts can be found on the HawaiianMiles website. The example below is the mileage earning potential with airline partner Virgin Atlantic.

Any mileage-earning segment counts as a qualifying segment. Status is based on the number of miles or segments awarded within each calendar year – the status becomes valid as soon as the target is reached and remains valid for the whole next year.

Image: Hawaiian Airlines

Benefits when flying on Hawaiian Airlines

Status brings several benefits when traveling with Hawaiian Airlines. At each level, these include:

Pualani Gold:

• Two free checked bags
• 50% mileage earning bonus on all Hawaiian Airlines flights
• Use of first class check-in at Hawaiian airports
• Priority security in some airports
• A minimum earning level of 500 miles per flight
• Access to Hawaiian Airlines Premier Clubs in Hawaii
• Complimentary upgrades to Extra Comfort seating on all flights
• Discounts on upgrades to first class
• Complimentary same-day standby for earlier flights in Hawaii.

Photo: Philip B. Espinasse | Shutterstock

Pualani Platinum adds the following:

• Three free checked bags
• 100% mileage earning bonus on all Hawaiian Airlines flights
• Higher priority for complimentary upgrades
• 72-hour seat guarantee for paid fares within Hawaii
• Access to lounges in some international destinations
• Complimentary upgrades to first class on flights in Hawaii
• Certificates for upgrades on US and international flights (two upgrade certificates are awarded after qualifying for status, six more certificates after reaching 75,000 qualifying miles, and one more for every additional 10,000 qualifying miles).

Photo: Hawaiian Airlines

Offering benefits with other airlines is one area in which HawaiianMiles differs from other loyalty programs. As Hawaiian Airlines is not in any of the three main airline alliances, there is no alliance requirement to offer benefits on other airlines.

Although Hawaiian Airlines has several partnerships in place with other airlines (including Virgin Atlantic, Japan Airlines, Korean Airlines, and JetBlue), they do not recognize Pualani Elite status. You can earn and spend miles with these airlines, but you will not receive benefits or preferential treatment when flying with them.

Changes to elite status following the merger

In late 2023, Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines announced a merger. Alaska Air Group, the managing body of Alaska Airlines, will acquire Hawaiian Airlines. As of mid-2024, this remains under consideration by the US Department of Justice.

Photo: Carlos Yudica | Shutterstock

If the merger goes ahead, it will bring big changes to the loyalty program. Of course, the details of any new program have not yet been announced, but we know that it will be part of the oneworld alliance. This will mean that miles can be earned from and spent on all oneworld airlines. Status benefits will also apply across all airlines – a big change from the offering of HawaiianMiles currently. These 13 oneworld airlines are:

• Alaska Airlines
• American Airlines
• British Airways
• Cathay Pacific
• Finnair, Iberia
• Japan Airlines
• Malaysia Airlines
• Qantas
• Qatar Airways
• Royal Air Maroc
• Royal Jordanian
• SriLankan Airlines

There may also be changes to elite benefits when flying with Hawaiian Airlines, but this will not be known for some time. As the two programs are combined, it is likely that some part of HawaiianMiles will stay and be joined by some parts/perks of Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan. It is also likely that we will see additional status tiers with HawaiianMiles, to match those offered by MileagePlan and by oneworld.

Read more about Alaska Airlines MileagePlan in our guide

As for oneworld benefits, this will make a big difference. Mid-level status benefits include additional luggage allowance and business class lounge access. Top-level adds free premium seat selection with many airlines and first class lounge access.

Related

A Complete Guide To Elite Status In The oneworld Alliance

Ruby, Emerald, and Sapphires are the tiers to strive for within the oneworld Alliance.

Do you hold status with HawaiianMiles, or are you working towards it? Feel free to share what you think of the Pualani Elite program in the comments section below.