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Hainan Airlines is one of the world’s newer airlines. Founded in 1993, it is the world’s largest civilian-run airline in China, and the fourth largest in terms of fleet size.
With that being said, Hainan Airlines is also quite unknown in the frequent traveler world. Most of the attention in Asia is focused on Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, or ANA. However, Hainan Airlines has a great reputation for offering an experience that exceeds expectations, particularly for a Chinese airline.
In this guide, we’ll be examining the best uses of Hainan Airlines miles. We’ll spend almost all of our time gauging their airline partners, and then we’ll see how we can extract great value from Hainan Airlines miles.
Let’s get started.
Hainan Airlines’ frequent flyer program is known as the Fortune Wing Club. Generally speaking, you wouldn’t want to use Hainan Airlines as your main airline partner, due to the fact that redemption rates aren’t as favorable as other airlines.
If you have a significant number of miles with Hainan Airlines due to business travel, for example, then it’s in your best interest to try to use them as cost-effectively as possible.
One of the biggest perks of using Hainan Airlines miles is the ability to make award redemptions on programs that are otherwise difficult to fly in business class, such as Hainan Airlines or Hong Kong Airlines.
Let’s talk about the main pros of Hainan Airlines:
Let’s talk about the main cons of Hainan Airlines:
Without further ado, let’s get deeper into it.
It’s very easy to use Hainan Airlines miles. Depending on which airline you want to book award travel on, you might be able to perform your award booking completely online. Hainan Airlines is not in any alliances, but they have multiple airline partners that make award possibilities more plentiful.
Hainan Airlines is not in any airline alliances. Instead, they’ve negotiated partnerships with different airlines that vary depending on the exact airline.
Hainan Airlines has 13 partner airlines (14 including itself):
| Hainan Airlines Partners | |
| Hainan Airlines | Hong Kong Airlines |
| Fuzhou Airlines | Guangxi Beibu Gulf Airlines |
| TAP Portugal | Grand China Air |
| Lucky Air | Etihad Airways |
| Alaska Airlines | Urumqi Air |
| Tianjin Airlines | Capital Airlines |
| Suparna Airlines | Virgin Australia |
Many of these airlines are wholly owned subsidiaries of HNA Group, the parent organization of Hainan Airlines. However, there are some notable airlines such as Alaska Airlines, Virgin Australia, TAP Portugal, and even Etihad Airways.
Hainan Airlines follows a slew of distance-based award charts for travel on their own flights as well as partner flights. There’s no general rhyme or reason to the planning of distance brackets, and this opens up opportunities for optimization, which we’ll get into later.
Here are the award charts for Hainan Airlines:
The format of the award charts across all the different partners will be the same. For example, check out Etihad’s, Virgin Atlantic’s, Hong Kong Airlines’, and TAP Portugal’s award charts with Hainan Airlines miles:
Each partner has a different award chart, and you can click here to find out more.
Lastly, you can also redeem your Hainan Airlines miles for upgrades on select airlines. I won’t get into lots of detail and show every single upgrade award chart, but check out the upgrade chart for Hainan Airlines international and domestic flights, respectively:
Bottom Line: The most important thing to take away from this section is that all of Hainan Airlines’ partners have different award charts and they’re all distance-based.
One of the great things about Chinese airlines is that they’re continuing to make the world more technologically connected. If you’re interested in redeeming awards on these airlines, you can simply visit the Fortune Wings Club website and make the booking there:
You can also make award reservations on Hainan Airlines and Grand China Air on the Hainan Airlines’ global website or the Hainan Airlines App. In addition, you can contact the official WeChat account and use the Hainan Airlines mobile website to make award reservations.
You can make award reservations on Hong Kong Airlines’ website, mobile site, or through the Hong Kong Airlines app. Seeing as how Hainan Airlines and Hong Kong Airlines share frequent flyer programs, there shouldn’t be any issues as far as mileage redemptions.
If booking on other non-subsidiary partners, you can call the Fortune Wings Club hotline at +86-898-950717 to make reservations. Another phone number is +1-312-374-3700. Keep in mind that you’ll need to make reservations at least 24 hours in advance for all airlines. Furthermore, for travel on Etihad Airways, you’ll need to make reservations at least 2 weeks in advance.
For award upgrades, you must redeem them for international flights at least 4 hours before departure. For Hong Kong Airlines upgrades, you must redeem them 24 hours before departure. Lastly, domestic flights require a 4-hour buffer.
There are a number of rules and conditions you’re subject to by booking Hainan Airlines Fortune Wings Club awards.
There is 1 transfer partner available currently: Marriott Bonvoy.
Hainan Airlines is 3:1 transfer partners with Marriott Bonvoy. For each 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points transferred, you’ll receive an additional 5,000 Hainan miles bonus, bringing up your total to 25,000 Miles received for every 60,000 Hainan Miles transferred.
Since Hainan Airlines has so many different award and upgrade charts, we’ve done all the analysis and compiled the list of the best ways to use your Hainan Airlines miles.
Our first redemption focuses on Hainan Airlines flights. Hainan Airlines has an excellent reputation in business class, and they’ve shown that they’re committed to offering a new, refreshed business class experience.
In recent years, Hainan Airlines has gone through 2 business class refreshes, and it’s evident that they’re willing to make the investment for excellent passenger experiences.
As we’ve shown above, Hainan Airlines employs a distance-based award chart for their own flights, and one of the best ways to use your points and miles is on a long-haul international flight in business class.
Specifically, we’d want to focus our efforts in the 8,501-11,000 kilometer bracket. At the higher end of it is nearly 14 hours of flight time! You can fly in a comfortable business class one-way for 110,000 miles or round-trip for 200,000 miles.
This is the route I’m talking about:
Of course, there are different cities from which you can fly, such as Chicago (ORD), but the Boston flight is the longest, and would represent “the best bang for your buck.”
Hainan Airlines is partners with TAP Portugal, which is a somewhat unexpected relationship, but it’s a welcome addition to Hainan Airlines’ list, seeing as how they aren’t in any alliances.
Hainan Airlines uses a distance-based award chart for flights on TAP Portugal, and the best value can generally be found in their long-haul destinations. At the moment, the highest distance bracket is 7,000+ kilometers, which costs 100,000 Hainan miles one-way.
One of the best ways to use Hainan Airlines miles is between San Francisco and Lisbon, which currently flies the brand new A330-900neo, which contains an awesome lie-flat seat.
If you can get your hands on solid award availability, it’s definitely worth paying the price to get 11 hours worth of brand-new business class.
Here’s the route I’m talking about:
If you want to fly on the A330-900neo on TAP Portugal but don’t want to fly from the West Coast, we’ll get to that below.
Flying from the East Coast to Portugal entails a shorter flight than flying from the West Coast, so this means less time spent in business class.
If you want to fly on the new A330-900neo business class to and from the East Coast of the United States, you can also focus your efforts on the 4,001-7,000 kilometer distance bracket.
Here are the routes currently featuring or will be featuring the A330-900neo:
All of these routes will cost 90,000 Hainan miles one-way or 180,000 miles round-trip, which represents a 10,000 mile savings over the San Francisco route.
Here are some other cities that feature business class service, but not on the A330-900neo:
Seeing as how Brazil was a Portuguese colony, it makes sense that TAP Portugal maintains close connections to the South American nation. In fact, there are a number of long-haul flights between the 2 countries, which represents an opportunity to fly on these niche routes.
The route that would make sense for most people is:
This, along with any other Brazil routes would fall into the 7,000+ km distance bracket. As such, it will run 100,000 Hainan airlines miles each way.
Here are TAP Portugal’s A330-900neo routes to Brazil:
Another niche idea is to continue leveraging the 7,000+ kilometer award chart to fly to Mozambique. Business class tickets are 100,000 Hainan Miles each way, but it’s important that if you fly on this long-haul route, note that you won’t experience the new A330-900neo lie-flat seats.
Instead, you’ll be on an A340, which has angled-flat seats in a 2-2-2 configuration. Still, it’s a solid option if you want to get to Mozambique in a hurry. Here’s the route I’m talking about:
Sticking to the theme of Africa, we’re going to be moving away from long-haul flights and towards shorter flights. Specifically, the 2,001 – 4,000 km distance bracket.
The following flights might be a good deal:
These tickets are traditionally expensive, especially in business class. The product itself is nothing to be impressed by: recliner seats and decent service. For this, you can expect to pay 50,000 miles one-way or 100,000 miles round-trip.
Our final TAP Portugal redemption choice is between the interesting market of Portugal and Russia.
Again, shorter haul flights (specifically in the 2,001-4,000 kilometers bracket) present a good value proposition. If you don’t have Africa on your list of travel destinations, you can fly to Russia for 50,000 miles one-way in business class or 100,000 miles round-trip.
The product you’ll get is nowhere near the A330-900neo lie-flat business class. Instead, you’ll have a comfortable flight in recliner seats and better service, food, and lounge access.
Here’s the route I’m talking about:
Let’s move on to another interesting partner of Hainan Airlines: Hong Kong Airlines. Hong Kong Airlines is an airline based in Hong Kong that’s a subsidiary of HNA Group, the parent company of Hainan Airlines.
Hong Kong Airlines is also somewhat controversial, considering the political situation between Hong Kong and China. Many believe that Hong Kong Airlines is waging a Mainland China-funded proxy war in commercial aviation against Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific.
I personally think that there’s a strong possibility that Hong Kong Airlines releases these rock-bottom fares and are subsidized by Mainland China, but Cathay Pacific enjoys robust brand strength that makes customers come back for more.
But, I digress. Let’s talk about business class on Hong Kong Airlines! Hainan Airlines employs a completely different award chart for each of their partners, and Hong Kong Airlines is no exception.
One of the best ways to redeem your points and miles on Hong Kong Airlines is with the 12,001 – 16,000 kilometer distance bracket. Such flights will cost 90,000 miles one-way and 150,000 miles round-trip.
Keep in mind that this route isn’t currently available. Hong Kong Airlines has stated that they would begin this route at the end of 2018, but we’re still waiting on the official inauguration of this route.
This flight is nearly 16 hours in length, which could represent excellent value for your miles. Just be on the lookout for this route when it is in service.
Similarly, you can upgrade a paid economy ticket from economy to business with the following fare requirements:
This is the cost of upgrading flights in the 12,001-16,000 kilometer distance-bracket. Here’s the route I’m talking about (which hasn’t been put into service yet):
Another great use of your Hainan Airlines miles is using the 8,001 – 12,000 kilometer distance bracket. These flights cost 75,000 miles one-way or 125,000 miles round-trip in business class.
It represents a 15,000 mile one-way or 25,000 mile round-trip savings over the higher distance bracket. Here’s are a couple of example routes you can take:
On these routes, you’ll enjoy the A350 with fully lie-flat seats in a staggered configuration, much like Asiana Airlines. The arrangement is 1-2-1 with direct aisle access at every single seat. You can expect a gourmet Cantonese dining experience and awesome service, too.
Hong Kong Airlines routinely offers ridiculously cheap fares in economy, as low as $400 round-trip. If these fares are booked within select classes, you can upgrade your flight to business class and save your points and miles!
Here’s the upgrade cost, broken down by applicable fare classes booked:
If you find yourself with a ton of Hainan Airlines miles, and you want to experience the nicest, best first class product, no matter the cost, look no further than Etihad’s First Class Apartment.
Hainan Airlines is partners with Etihad Airways, which is yet another interesting move. For the most part, the redemptions are ludicrously expensive, especially when compared to using American Airlines AAdvantage.
Still, if you want to fly on their shortest Etihad Apartments routes, you can expect to pay a whopping 185,000 Hainan miles one-way for it.
Here are the two routes I’m talking about:
These routes are only around 7 hours, which is a ridiculously expensive ticket for 185,000 Hainan miles. Still, it’s an option if you have tons of Hainan Airlines miles, and you’re looking to experience true luxury.
Let’s move on to one of the more well-known partners of Hainan Airlines: Alaska Airlines. Alaska Airlines offers the ability to redeem Alaska Airlines miles on Hainan Airlines travel, so their partnership is reciprocated in this sense.
Unfortunately, the award chart on Alaska Airlines-operated travel using Hainan Airlines miles is horrible. For example, Alaska Airlines’ longest flight from Fort Lauderdale (FLL) to Seattle (SEA) costs 40,000 Hainan miles each way, compared to as little as 12,000 Singapore KrisFlyer miles each way.
In fact, the shorter the flight, the better the redemption value for Hainan Airlines. For example, you can utilize the super short-haul distance bracket of 0-500 kilometers and pay only 5,000 miles each way.
Considering cash tickets to airports in the Northwest can be quite expensive, it’s a good opportunity to use miles here. Here are two great example routes you can take:
If you’ve ever wanted to explore the smaller cities in Alaska, you can definitely do so by spending your Hainan Airlines miles. If you stay within the 0 – 500 kilometer distance range, you can extract excellent value on Alaska Airlines.
Considering cash tickets can get ridiculously expensive, especially during high season, this is a no-brainer.
Here’s a great example route you can take:
Yet another ultra short-haul option is to fly from the Pacific Northwest across the border to vacation in Canada.
Remember, staying within the 0 – 500 kilometer range is the sweet spot for flights. Here’s a great example route you can take:
Our last Alaska Airlines redemption option is not an ultra short-haul of 0 – 500 kilometers. Rather, it’s in the range of 500 – 1,000 kilometers.
If you want to fly to a neighboring state from the Pacific Northwest, you’ll find that tickets to smaller, regional airports can get expensive very quickly.
Using Hainan Airlines miles is a great way to defeat expensive ticket prices, and you’ll spend 10,000 miles one-way for flights that are 500 – 1,000 kilometers in length. Here’s a great example route you can take:
Moving away from short-haul flights on Hainan Airlines’ partner Alaska Airlines, let’s talk about some miscellaneous options.
Tianjin Airlines is yet another Chinese carrier, and it’s not clearly apparent the best ways to use Hainan Airlines to fly on Tianjin Airlines.
However, upon closer inspection, we found that there are nonstop flights from Xi’An (XIY) to London-Heathrow (LHR), and these cost 95,000 miles one-way.
This isn’t a great redemption price, but it’s an option for those living in China who want to visit one of the biggest tourist and business hubs in the world.
Here’s the route I’m talking about:
Virgin Australia is the last partner from Hainan Airlines we’ll be discussing. The award chart is quite expensive, though it makes sense if Hainan Airlines miles are the only currency you accrue a lot of.
If you fly on Hainan Airlines for business or pleasure a lot, then you might be able to fly from the U.S. to Australia.
On Virgin Australia’s routes to the United States, you can expect to shell out 160,000 Hainan Airlines miles one-way. Round-trips are double the price at 320,000 miles.
Here’s Virgin Australia’s longest route:
If you want to fly on a different route to the U.S., check out a couple of other options:
If you’re open to flying on a shorter-haul flights, you can still do so on Virgin Australia. You can fly between Bali and Australia for nearly 6 hours each way with 60,000 Hainan Airlines miles.
Keep in mind that these seats are 737 recliner seats, which are similar to what you’d get in U.S domestic first class products. The service, food, and lounge experience are ultimately things that make your trip better and “worth” 60,000 miles one-way.
To summarize, here’s the route that’ll cost 60,000 miles one-way:
Our very last redemption option is on Virgin Australia’s 737. In fact, it’s on the same route, but instead of business class, you can get economy for 33,000 miles one-way and 66,000 miles round-trip.
Considering cash tickets can cost anywhere from $600-$1,300, I’d say that this could represent exceptional value. Furthermore, this is a 6-hour flight, and flying nonstop will significantly cut down on your transit time so you can spend more time on the beach or touring Australia.
Here’s the route I’m talking about:
All in all, Hainan Airlines surprised me. Yes, the redemption prices aren’t the world’s best, but it’s a frequent flyer program that has quite a lot to discuss.
From the various flight partners to the interesting distance-based pricing strategies for all their partners, to leveraging distance bracket sweet spots, we’ve seen a whole slew of redemption strategies.
You can redeem your Hainan Airlines for virtually anything starting from ultra short-haul flights on Alaska Airlines to Etihad Airways’ epic First Class Apartments.
Now, you have a great idea on the best ways to maximize your Hainan Airlines miles should you find yourself with a large balance of them in the future.
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One of the best ways to earn miles on Hainan Airlines is by flying on either Hainan Airlines or any of their partners and crediting flights to your Hainan Airlines Fortune Wings Club account. You can also earn miles by booking with their hotel, car, and other partners.
There are no U.S. co-branded credit cards with Hainan Airlines, but you can receive Hainan Airlines miles by transferring from Marriott Bonvoy at a 3:1 (with a 5,000-mile bonus for each 60,000 Marriott points transferred).
The main way to earn Hainan Airlines miles is indirectly by transferring from Marriott Bonvoy earning credit cards such as the Marriott Bonvoy Business credit card from American Express or Marriott Bonvoy Boundless credit card from Chase.
Generally, Hainan Airlines are worth around 1.5-4.5 cents per mile, depending on your exact mileage redemption.
Of course, the higher end of the spectrum goes to points and miles redemptions in first class, such as Etihad First Class Apartments.
No, they’re not refundable. This is a departure from the usual policy for frequent flyer programs. Be sure to keep this in mind before committing to an award trip!
They’ll expire after 24 consecutive months of inactivity. You can extend the points and reset the timer by performing any points accrual or redemption.
No. They’re simply close airline partners. Hainan Airlines is solely owned by a Chinese company called HNA Group.
They’re partners with many airlines, including Alaska Airlines and TAP Portugal.
You can earn and spend miles with these airlines and vice versa.
At the time of writing, the functionality on Hainan Airlines’ website to buy miles isn’t working. For more information, click here.
You can purchase up to 60,000 points per transaction and up to 80,000 points per account per calendar year.
You can begin the process of joining the Hainan Airlines Fortune Wings Club here.
Yes. You’ll need to log in with your Hainan Airlines Fortune Wings Club account to search for award availability on their website.
However, if you’re booking travel on Hainan Airlines, you can visit AlaskaAir.com to search for Hainan Airlines award availability.
With TAP Portugal, you can search on United or Aeroplan. With Etihad Guest, you can search on etihad.com or ExpertFlyer.com.
You can check your mileage total by signing into your Hainan Airlines Fortune Wings Club account and visiting your profile page. In here, you can view all pertinent activity and your mileage balance.
The cheapest for trip awards will be ultra short-haul flights on Alaska Airlines, which can be had for 5,000 miles one-way.
You can earn Marriott Bonvoy points with these credit cards:
You can contact them at their global service center at this phone number:+86-898-950717.
Keep in mind that international calling charges will apply.
If you want to contact their U.S. call center, you can do so at this phone number: +1-312-374-3700.
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Stephen is an established voice in the credit card space, with over 70 to his name. His work has been in publications like The Washington Post, and his Au Points and Awards Consulting Services is used by hundreds of clients.
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5 comments
LR
November 14, 2019
I was not able to find any available Alaska flights on the Hainan Fortune Wings redemption site. Have you actually redeemed FW points for Alaska flights?
Stephen Au
November 18, 2019
Hi Ryan,
Sometimes airline websites are very clunky. If you find an Alaska Airlines flight available via another booking website (not Alaska Airlines’ own website), then you can give Hainan Airlines a call and book the award over the phone. Thanks!
bryan
November 23, 2019
Capital one should drop Hainan airlines, it’s a totally useless award program.
Eric Brown
October 01, 2023
I don’t see Hainan as a current partner for Capital One. Did they drop as a transfer partner?
Keri Stooksbury
October 02, 2023
Hi Eric – Thanks for pointing this out. It looks like the partnership ended in 2020. We’ve updated our guide!
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