HawaiianMiles changes because of coronavirus
 

1. Elite qualifications to be changed for 2021
2. No miles will expire until 2021
3. Premier Club membership extended by 3 months

https://www.hawaiianairlines.com/haw...434&segment=NA

Happily surprised. HAMiles and HA in general is not known for having customer-friendly policies so itʻs good to see them leading the bigger and better programs for once.

If United can have a policy miles never expire - ever, certainly Hawaiian should do the same.

Not to be overly cynical, but I'm unimpressed by an announcement that they're going to relax elite qualification standards but can't tell us yet what the standards will be. That just seems like a way of telling us that if we give them whatever segments we do fly and don't cheat with Southwest, maybe they'll do right by us later if they decide they need us. I understand what they're up against, value their interisland operation, and intend to stick with them, but if they were looking for a straightforward, customer-friendly way of taking care of grounded elites, they could have done a lot better.

Hawaiian gave us refunds on two refundable tickets and paid out within 7 days to our credit card... also got a fee free reschedule for another set of tickets... and they redeposited the miles we used for a third flight we cancelled within a day. All things considered I think they did well, and I will say the folks we talk to on the phone were pretty gracious throughout. Just my experience....

Four weeks on, pretty much every other travel provider in the known universe has announced status extensions through 2021, and HA is still thinking about it. Cynicism vindicated!

This aged poorly lol.

Email received this afternoon. Current statuses extended to 2/28/22, elite qualification requirements reduced by 50%, and credit card companion certificates expiring before 8/20 extended through 12/20. Basically a solid, if somewhat belated, response. B+.

The 50% reduction to qualify for elite status in 2021 only means that in 2022, there will be a lot more Platinum and Gold flyers competing for seat upgrades, using the lounges, etc. That said, if the qualification miles and segments go back to the original levels, the "competition" will be temporary as many flyers will not be able to re-qualify. Actually, it is a good marketing ploy by Hawaiian to entice people to fly again after the COVID-19 fallout.

The reduction for qualification for elite status is miles/flown this year to obtain elite status for 2021. 2021 is the year where there will be more Platinum and Gold flyers, not 2022, correct?

With that said there will be a lot of elite status passengers next year. It's not too difficult to make Gold doing interisland travel.

I actually haven't gotten an email yet, but Hawaiian has the bulk of their fleet, including their inter-island 717s, parked at HNL. They have maybe four aircraft for inter-island travel. The only people flying inter-island right now are essential workers, flight crew, and residents who have to go to Oahu for medical treatment. The last two months I've flown inter-island, no flight has had more than 10 passengers. People are not making status now, and even once the 14-day quarantines get lifted, there isn't going to be a rush of inter-island travel, not with 1 in 3 Hawaiians filing for unemployment. I don't think there's going to be a bumper-crop of new Pualani elites.

I'm sure all know that those are 717s...:)

Which would differ from the status quo ante how? At least when I fly, the lounge is full and upgrades happen only if you’re very quick when check-in opens. You fly Hawaiian because you need to get between islands or because you’re loyal to the local carrier, not because elite status is something life-changing.

And I’m skeptical that a lot more people will qualify this year. There may be more west coast fliers with a trip or two before the shutdown and two or three after who make platinum, but ok, fine, whatever. They’re not competing for interisland upgrades during commuting hours, and anyone who’s choosing HA for longer hauls isn’t doing it because elite status is awesome.

Just saw the drop in required miles to reach Gold to 10,000 miles. It's unclear to me how Hawaiian calculates elite qualifying miles. In February, as a general member, I flew from the West Coast to HNL and then HNL to AKL, in paid first/business and I've received just over 10,000 miles for the two flights. My profile still shows "General Member" and not Gold Elite. Do front-cabin mileage bonuses apply to elite qualifying miles or just to redeemable miles?

If I don't fly anymore this year (2020) with HA, could it mean that I'd get Gold status for 2021 but that I would still be a General Member for the rest of 2020?

You are still a general member this year and next year. You got a 50% bonus of Hawaiian Miles for First/Business - but the bonus doesn't count toward elite status. You are still a few thousand elite miles short of 10,000

You sure about the bonus miles not counting? I can't find clear language one way or the other in the terms and conditions, and it's been a while since I flew paid first/business on HA, but I thought those miles showed up as counting toward status the last time I did.

OP, what does your status counter on the HA website show for miles flown? If the number is below 10K, that's consistent with the bonus not counting.