ATMOS REWARDS: PART I * ATMOS REWARDS: PART II
Recently, I’ve been traveling a bit. This likely explains why my blog has been a bit barren for the past two or so years. Specifically, I did a stint at a garden shop, then pursued another passion. It wasn’t so much travel I craved as it was project-aligned work. I ended up at Hawaiian Airlines in what was a too-good-to-be-true role. I had the opportunity to work with some of the brightest minds on some of the most complex problems, and with a community of like-minded aloha spirit analysts. I was laid off in September 2025, but even before I started at Hawaiian, I knew it would be the most likely scenario if Hawaiian was purchased by Alaska Airlines.
Anyhow — particularly given this is an ecofriendly blog — even if travel wasn’t my goal, it was certainly that of my young adult daughter. For me as a mom, even when I knew I had adulting at home to do, I couldn’t say no. We went holoholo practically every month. Now that free travel benefit is ending, so I dug down to see what I could do to at least keep some of the travel routine alive. Here’s some of my research into the changes that will occur with the new company.
First off, Alaska Airlines keeps trying to reassure Hawaii residents that nothing has changed: Hawaiian will retain its branding and kamaaina feel. Kamaaina everywhere have told me otherwise. This is a leaner more business-motivated company, perhaps, given the tough margins and difficult business of running a commercial airline, as it should be. Still, for those of us who have become accustomed to being treated as a friend and not a customer, this is hard news to swallow.
With the merger, there is some really good news for those that travel frequently. The new company has strong alliances, and Hawaiian Air will join OneWorld on April 22. This opens the pathway to better connections and easier travel planning to places like Europe and beyond.
Additionally, the Atmos Award program (which is really Alaska Air, so let’s just start calling this program and the new company Alaska Airlines instead of Hawaiian) can yield some nice results for those that are willing to add a new currency to their billfold.
There’s a lot of information to convey, so I’m going to call this post ATMOS REWARDS: PART I and explain in general, how it works. In future posts, I’ll lay out specifics as Alaska Air has or will release.
ATMOS POINTS: SPENDABLE VERSUS STATUS
There are two types of points, typically earned concurrently.
1. Spendable Points: Atmos Miles
These are the points you earn through flying, credit card spend, or partner activities that you can actually “spend.”
- Official Term: Atmos Miles (or simply “Miles”).
- Purpose: Redeeming for award flights, seat upgrades, or partner redemptions.
- Expiration: Usually based on account activity (check your specific tier for activity requirements).
- Think of it as: Your Currency.
2. Status Points: Elite Qualifying Miles (EQMs)
These are the points used solely to determine your “Elite Status” for the calendar year. You cannot spend these to buy a ticket.
- Official Term: EQMs or Elite Qualifying Miles.
- Secondary Metric: You may also need to track EQSs (Elite Qualifying Segments).
- Purpose: Reaching status tiers (e.g., MVP, MVP Gold).
- Reset: These almost always reset to zero on January 1st of each year.
- Think of it as: Your Scorecard.
Understanding that there are two types of points is critical to understanding how to not only get subsidized flights, but also to get comfortable seating and scheduling flexibility. You can use your miles to get the flights, and you can use your EQM to ask for upgrades and more flexible scheduling.
To get to the point, the lowest earned status level you can get with Atmos is Atmos Silver. It requires 20,000 EQMs. Once earned, it also gives you Ruby status on OneWorld, which is the global alliance to which American Airlines belongs.
A quick note on airline alliances. They’re like airline teams. You can book easily within the team network, and if for some reason there is a delay or cancelation, the airlines can use each others’ internal networks to rebook you on one another’s flights. You can also use your native miles to cash in awards on other alliance airlines. Below is a summary of the three majors.
Alliance Guide for Honolulu-departing passengers
| The “Club” | American Lead Member | Best for leaving from HNL… |
| Oneworld | American Airlines | Winning for Japan and the West Coast. Because Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines are part of this club, you can use your miles to fly to Tokyo on Japan Airlines (JAL) or all over the mainland! |
| SkyTeam | Delta Air Lines | Great for Asia and “The Big Apple.” Delta flies to many big cities, and their partners like Korean Air can take you from HNL to Seoul and beyond. |
| Star Alliance | United Airlines | The “Everywhere” Club. United has a big “home base” in Honolulu. They have the most partners (like ANA and Air New Zealand) to help you get to places like Tokyo or Auckland. |
If you had to pick a team and you don’t mind United Airlines, Star Alliance is the strongest alliance. However, given the Alaska purchase of Hawaiian Airlines, I would now opt for team OneWorld. In a future post, I’ll explain why Alaska’s strategy toward rewards can work in your favor if you know the rules.