In August 2025, Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines launched Atmos Rewards, an innovative loyalty program. This initiative features a distinct “choose how you earn” option, allowing members to accumulate points based on distance traveled, amount spent, or segments completed. This option is now on track to debut, enabling members to pick their preferred earning strategy starting October 1, 2026, for journeys commencing January 1, 2027.
Atmos Rewards presents three earning options: one point for each mile traveled, five points for every dollar spent, or 500 points for each segment flown. Existing members will automatically default to distance-based earning unless they opt for another method, while new members will have a default of price-based earning. Members have the ability to modify their earning preference once per year.
The elite status criteria of the program remain the same, with Silver status requiring 20,000 points, Gold at 40,000, Platinum at 80,000, and Titanium at 135,000. Furthermore, Atmos Rewards aims to improve points accumulation for premium cabin tickets on partner airlines, though specifics are still forthcoming.
For the majority of travelers, distance-based earning continues to be beneficial unless they often book inexpensive, short-haul flights or spend considerably per mile traveled. The new options offer adaptability, but many will likely find the conventional method to be the most rewarding.