As of June 30, 2025, the longstanding yet understated partnership between Delta Air Lines and Hawaiian Airlines will officially come to an end. This move is a direct consequence of Hawaiian Airlines’ ongoing integration with Alaska Airlines, a merger that signals a significant shift in the airline industry’s alliance dynamics. While Hawaiian’s tie-up with Delta was never widely publicized, it played a key role in offering mutual mileage benefits, access to award seats, and limited loyalty perks. With the new alignment under Alaska’s growing brand, these legacy partnerships are now being dismantled.
Why the Partnership Is Ending: Strategic Realignment Under the Alaska-Hawaiian Merger
The decision to sever ties with Delta stems from Hawaiian Airlines’ commitment to fully align itself with Alaska Airlines. Alaska is a member of the Oneworld alliance, which is in direct competition with SkyTeam—the alliance to which Delta belongs. Since Hawaiian was never part of a major airline alliance, it maintained independent partnerships across various alliance boundaries, including with SkyTeam’s Delta. But the merger with Alaska changes everything.
Hawaiian’s transition into the Oneworld ecosystem means cutting off ties that could potentially conflict with Alaska’s loyalty and strategic direction. Alaska’s acquisition of Hawaiian is not just a route or branding expansion; it’s a fundamental integration of business models, networks, and alliances, all designed to build a cohesive brand identity. To achieve that, Hawaiian must let go of partner airlines that don’t fit into the new framework, starting with Delta.
What Travelers Need to Know: Mileage Rules and Deadlines
Frequent flyers accustomed to earning or redeeming Delta SkyMiles on Hawaiian Airlines should pay close attention to specific cutoff dates and redemption conditions. After June 30, 2025, no new mileage accrual or redemptions between the two carriers will be allowed. However, there are grace periods and usage windows to consider.
If you’re planning to book award travel or accrue SkyMiles on Hawaiian flights:
- Book and ticket your travel on or before June 30, 2025.
- Flights must be completed by April 1, 2026, to remain eligible for mileage accrual.
- Any SkyMiles award tickets on Hawaiian must be issued before June 30, and they cannot be changed afterward.
- If changes are needed post-June 30, only refunds will be issued — no rebooking or modifications allowed.
A Broader Unraveling: Hawaiian Ends Multiple Partnerships Simultaneously
Delta isn’t the only airline being dropped by Hawaiian. In a sweeping move to simplify and consolidate its network around Alaska Airlines’ strategic alliances, Hawaiian is terminating multiple bilateral agreements effective June 30. Airlines being removed from Hawaiian’s partner list include Korean Air, Virgin Atlantic, Japan Airlines, and several others.
This widespread termination reinforces the seriousness of Hawaiian’s assimilation into the Alaska Airlines brand. It’s not just an operational merger — it’s a realignment of customer loyalty programs, booking systems, and network affiliations. By eliminating these outside partnerships, the new Alaska-Hawaiian conglomerate positions itself to function within a tighter, more streamlined alliance framework, ultimately giving Oneworld a stronger presence in the Pacific region.
Hidden Loophole Closes: American Express Transfers via HawaiianMiles
Another side effect of this merger is the closure of a once-popular credit card points transfer loophole. Currently, American Express Membership Rewards points can be transferred to Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan through an indirect route: transferring points to HawaiianMiles, and then booking travel on Hawaiian-operated flights that align with Alaska’s network.
As of June 30, this loophole will disappear. With Hawaiian severing its stand-alone identity and aligning more closely with Alaska, the existing workarounds involving third-party points transfers and loyalty ecosystem hacks will no longer be available. This change particularly impacts savvy travelers who’ve relied on Amex Membership Rewards to stretch their points for premium cabin travel on Hawaiian’s transpacific flights.
The Loyalty Implications: SkyMiles Members Must Pivot
For loyal Delta SkyMiles members, this is more than just a convenience loss — it’s a reduction in strategic mileage value. Hawaiian Airlines has long been a rare SkyMiles partner that offered strong value for certain domestic and transpacific redemptions, particularly to and from Hawaii’s neighbor islands, which are often underserved by the big three U.S. carriers.
With the end of this partnership, SkyMiles members lose access to a network that allowed flexible redemptions and routing options, especially in peak holiday seasons when flights to Hawaii are in high demand. For travelers based on the U.S. West Coast, this change limits options for award flights, elite qualifying miles, and status perks on one of the most leisure-focused U.S. routes.
On the flip side, Alaska Mileage Plan members stand to benefit. Once the merger is finalized, they’ll gain greater seamless access to Hawaii, as Hawaiian’s robust inter-island and transpacific network becomes fully integrated into Alaska’s booking and loyalty systems.
Industry Implications: Realignment of U.S. Airline Alliances
From a broader aviation perspective, this marks yet another chess move in the ongoing battle among global airline alliances. Delta, as a SkyTeam member, loses a foothold in a vital leisure market, while Oneworld—through Alaska—secures a deeper reach into Hawaii and beyond. Hawaiian’s addition to the Oneworld family via Alaska also strengthens the alliance’s Pacific operations, potentially offsetting the dominance of Star Alliance carriers like United in this region.
It’s a strategic consolidation designed to ensure competitiveness as the airline industry faces evolving demands from post-pandemic travelers, rising fuel costs, and changing international market dynamics. In many ways, this move mirrors recent alliance shifts in Europe and Asia, where smaller regional players are absorbed into larger alliance-driven ecosystems for long-term survival.
Transition Tips for Affected Passengers
Travelers should act fast to secure remaining benefits before the cutoff. If you have pending travel plans involving Delta SkyMiles on Hawaiian Airlines, finalize those bookings as soon as possible. Also:
- Monitor any unredeemed award tickets for cancellation or refund conditions.
- Redeem HawaiianMiles sooner rather than later if you’ve relied on their partner redemptions.
- Review your frequent flyer accounts to assess which loyalty programs offer the best ongoing value.
- Consider consolidating travel within the Oneworld alliance if Alaska-Hawaiian will become your go-to pair.
Final Thoughts: The End of One Chapter, the Start of a New Era
The ending of the Delta-Hawaiian partnership is not just a bureaucratic reshuffling. It represents the end of an era of cross-alliance flexibility that benefited certain travelers in niche but valuable ways. For frequent flyers who exploited this partnership for its award value, route flexibility, or inter-island reach, it’s a meaningful loss.
However, it’s also the beginning of a new strategic future for Hawaiian Airlines under Alaska’s umbrella. As Alaska Airlines fortifies its role within Oneworld and prepares to integrate Hawaiian’s network, travelers may eventually enjoy more robust elite benefits, broader booking access, and enhanced loyalty options. But that future will be fully confined within one alliance, and the days of blending SkyTeam benefits with Hawaiian’s independent network will officially end on June 30.
Mark the date, check your bookings, and prepare to fly smarter in this new landscape of U.S. air travel.
