Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines Merger Clears DOJ Review
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has approved Alaska Airlines’ proposed merger with Hawaiian Airlines. The approval comes just days after it agreed to extend a review period of the $1.9 billion deal. A lawsuit against the merger was also dismissed earlier this month.
The DOJ won a court ruling in January that blocked JetBlue’s acquisition of Spirit Airlines, as well another lawsuit against the Northeast Alliance between JetBlue and American Airlines.
Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines now have to get approval from the U.S. Transportation Department before the deal is finalized, and it is not clear how long that process will take. But the DOJ is usually the biggest hurdle.
The merger would be the largest for of U.S. carriers since Alaska merged with Virgin America eight years ago.
The two airlines said in December when they announced the deal that they would keep each carrier’s brand but operate under a single platform. However, it’s not clear how their loyalty program will function once the merger is approved.
Alaska Mileage Plan miles are quite valuable, so a 1:1 transfer ratio from Hawaiian miles seems unlikely. But Alaska executives have said they will not devalue the HawaiianMiles currency.
You could stock up on Hawaiian miles now if you think you will get a favorable transfer rates. Take a look at Hawaiian Airlines credit cards, as well as this 20% transfer bonus from American Express Membership Rewards.
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