Massive Changes Coming to Korean Air’s Partnerships With Hawaiian and Alaska in 2026

An important change is coming in the world of airline loyalty. Starting on January 1, 2026, Korean Air’s SKYPASS program will alter its partnership with Alaska Airlines’ Atmos Rewards program (formerly Mileage Plan).

If you’ve been redeeming Korean miles for flights on Alaska or Hawaiian Airlines — or have had paid flights on Korean Air that you credited to your Alaska Airlines account for earning points — you’ll want to know what’s changing next year.

Earning Miles Through Alaska Ends December 31, 2025

According to Korean Air’s notice on the partnership page, SKYPASS members can continue earning miles on Alaska Airlines flights for travel through December 31, 2025. Retroactive mileage claims will accepted until the end of 2026. After that, mileage accrual on Alaska Airlines flights will stop entirely.

Interestingly, Alaska Airlines hasn’t updated this information on its partnership page for Korean Air.

What remains unclear is what will happen to SKYPASS redemptions on Alaska Airlines flights. All we know for now is that, until December 31, 2025, you can continue redeeming SKYPASS miles on Alaska and Hawaiian flights as normal.

What About Redeeming Miles?

Korean’s page says that “eligible routes for Alaska Airlines award tickets will be revised as of January 1, 2026.” Thus, we may see some Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines routes excluded from redemptions using Korean SKYPASS miles next year.

However, the page goes on to say that some — emphasis on “some” — Hawaiian Airlines flights will be eligible for redemptions with SKYPASS miles after April 22, 2026. This will be limited to flights within Hawaii or between Hawaii and the U.S. mainland, including those with Alaska Airlines flight numbers.

Why This Change Isn’t Surprising

Hawaiian Airlines ended its partnership with Korean Air on June 30, 2025, and Hawaiian finished its merger with Alaska Airlines recently. In that regard, seeing a change in the Korean-Alaska partnership doesn’t come as a surprise.

Airline mergers nearly always lead to loyalty program realignments. As Alaska and Hawaiian integrate their systems and partnerships, some international agreements are being retired to simplify operations. Whether the change initiated from the Korean Air side or the Alaska-Hawaiian side, stepping back from these alliances appears to be a strategic move rather than an isolated decision.

Final Thoughts

For SKYPASS members, this is another reminder that even long-standing partnerships can change with little warning. If you earn or redeem Korean Air miles on Alaska Airlines flights, take advantage of the current setup while you can. Book and credit flights before the end of 2025, and don’t assume redemptions will remain available after that.

Come April, we may see Hawaiian-operated flights become eligible for SKYPASS redemptions again, but this will represent only a fraction of the current redemption options.