Courtesy of Alaska Airlines
Alaska Airlines is bringing Elon Musk’s Starlink internet to all its planes as part of a loyalty-program overhaul after merging with Hawaiian Airlines.
The airline announced Wednesday that the high-speed, streaming-quality WiFi will be free for all members of its Atmos Rewards program.
It comes after Hawaiian became the world’s first major airline to deploy the service last February.
Alaska Airlines expects to begin installing Starlink next year and have it fully installed across its fleet in 2027.
“The idea of a game changer is a word I don’t particularly subscribe to, but Starlink, for a business traveler, fundamentally changes your productivity and what you can get done,” Brett Catlin, Alaska’s vice president for loyalty, told Business Insider.
“It can’t get on our fleet soon enough,” he added.
Alaska also announced that loyalty members will be able to choose how to earn points: per mile flown, per dollar spent, or per flight segment.
“We were very deliberate in how we designed the program to make sure that we brought everyone in, that it was this idea of a big tent,” Catlin told Business Insider.
He explained how customers flying on short-haul trips like Honolulu to Maui could benefit from choosing to earn via flight segment, with each worth 500 points. Meanwhile, high-spending business travelers would likely prefer to earn per dollar.
Loyalty members would be able to change their preferences once a year.
“It’s technically more complicated to introduce, of course, but we were very deliberate in deciding we’re going to make that investment because it’s important to how we compete,” Catlin said.
A new co-branded credit card with Bank of America, called Atmos Rewards Summit Visa Infinite, would let holders reach status faster, earning one status point for every $2 spent on purchases.
The airline also said that Atmos Titanium members, the top tier worth 100,000 status points, could be offered complimentary business-class upgrades for themselves and a companion on the day of departure.
The Seattle-based carrier is opening its first-ever transatlantic routes and doubling down on its loyalty scheme, which is crucial to US airlines’ profitability.
“Loyalty, particularly for a US carrier, is integral to everything that we do — both the program, but then also the co-brand portfolio,” Catlin said.
Through the first half of the year, Alaska Airlines turned a profit of $6 million, while its loyalty program generated revenue of $417 million.
Since acquiring Hawaiian Airlines, it has taken ownership of four Boeing 787 Dreamliners, opening up longer journeys.
Alaska’s Dreamliners will first fly from Seattle to Seoul on September 12. Flights to Tokyo begin on January 7, followed by flights to Rome and London in the spring.
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