In September 2024, Alaska Airlines’ takeover of Hawaiian Airlines officially closed. While Hawaiian Airlines is now part of Alaska Air Group, the integration is a gradual process. For example, in October 2025, we saw the airlines move onto a single operating certificate.
Despite that, the two airlines plan to keep their independent branding in the long run, with all flights to and from Hawaii getting Hawaiian branding, and all other flights getting Alaska branding. We’ve known that Hawaiian Airlines plans to join the oneworld alliance, and now we have a date for when it will happen.
In this post:
The plan for Hawaiian Airlines to join oneworld alliance
Hawaiian Airlines is expected to formally join the oneworld alliance on April 22, 2026, as reported by JonNYC.
This is the same date on which the two airlines are expected to move onto a single passenger service system, which is also when the “HA” code will go away, and all flights will have the “AS” code. So the timeline shouldn’t come as a surprise, because by default, it’s sort of when the two airlines become one, aside from outward branding.
Hawaiian joining oneworld is an exciting development, and means that the alliance will be gaining yet another member airline. Both Fiji Airways and Oman Air have joined the oneworld alliance in recent months, and we know that Starlux Airlines wants to join oneworld, but it remains to be seen if it will be accepted (given the airlines that have veto rights).
It’s nice to see a bit of action at one of the global alliances, as we haven’t otherwise seen much of that in recent times.
What are the practical implications of this anyway?
Alaska and Hawaiian’s integration is a gradual process, though the two brands are making great progress. At this point we’ve seen the launch of the Atmos Rewards loyalty program, which is the combined loyalty program of the two brands.
That means that those who have historically been Hawaiian flyers are getting status with Atmos Rewards anyway, and the program participates in the oneworld alliance. In other words, those who have historically been loyal to Hawaiian can receive oneworld Sapphire and oneworld Emerald elite perks, including lounge access.
When Hawaiian joins the oneworld alliance, the biggest implications will be for those who are loyal to other oneworld frequent flyer programs. They’ll then be able to earn and redeem points, as well as take advantage of elite perks, for travel on Hawaiian branded flights. Admittedly some oneworld airlines already partner with Hawaiian, but this will definitely streamline things.
Bottom line
Alaska Airlines acquired Hawaiian Airlines in the fall of 2024. We’ve known that the plan was for Hawaiian to eventually join the oneworld alliance, but we’re now getting a sense of when that will happen. The plan is for Hawaiian to join the alliance on April 22, 2026.
The biggest implications of Hawaiian joining oneworld will be for those who are loyal to other oneworld programs, given that Hawaiian already participates in the Atmos Rewards program (which “belongs” to oneworld, for all practical purposes).
What do you make of Hawaiian joining oneworld?
Now Oneworld is the only alliance with THREE US based airlines.
...and the only alliance without an airline from anywhere else in the Americas!
When will we able to book oman flights by aa miles?
This is like saying Vistara is joining Star Alliance following its merger with Air India. Can't see Hawaiian become a standalone member.
@ Glen -- Well yeah, it's sort of like that, except once Vistara transitioned to Air India flight numbers, the brand also disappeared. The Alaska and Hawaiian situation is certainly unique...
It would certainly be a first for a full alliance member to not have its own flight code. Most likely though it will be similar to what United Express is to United.
Totally different, Glen. Hawaiian is still a brand, Vistara is gone.
This is blatant corruption as well.
Is there any precedent for one airline—in systems, certificates, codes—successfully and sustainable running two brands?
(I'm thinking of Song and Ted, but I'd call those short lived experiments, at best.)
Endeavor and Delta?
That's more the opposite—two technically-separate airlines, with different codes and certificates, running the same branding.
@ Scudder -- I can't think of any! Though admittedly this is purely a branding exercise given the geographies, and otherwise, they're going to be fully run as one company (unlike things like Song and TED, which had a different passenger experience).
HA is not joining OneWorld...HA is becoming AS which is already in OneWorld.
For the near future, the Song and TED examples are actually more relevant as the passenger experiences will continue to be different until AS either replaces the current HA fleet or they tear out the interiors of the HA planes.
Song and TED and Continental Lite and MetroJet...remember those?
There's precedent with the likes of KLM Asia for serving Taiwan and Egyptair's Air Sinai for Israel. I would argue that the current OA is also very similar to that model - they're not managed as a separate carrier.