Daily Points: Alaska Launches New Program & Credit Cards

Here’s your miles, points, travel, and deals news for today:

Alaska Launch Atmos Rewards

Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines unveiled their unified loyalty program called Atmos Rewards on Wednesday, replacing Alaska’s Mileage Plan and HawaiianMiles starting October 1 for Hawaiian members.

The program introduces a unique choice system where members can select how they earn points and status starting in 2026: distance flown (1 status point per mile), spending (5 status points per dollar), or segments flown (500 status points per segment).

You can change your earning preference once per year, making it the first U.S. airline to offer multiple earning tracks for both points and status qualification.

Top-tier Atmos Titanium members will receive unlimited complimentary space-available upgrades to lie-flat business class seats on long-haul Alaska and Hawaiian flights for themselves and a companion.

Status qualification thresholds increase in 2026, with Platinum jumping to 80,000 points (up 6%) and Titanium rising to 135,000 points (up 35%), though current elite members receive transition bonuses.

Alaska’s popular partner award chart remains unchanged, preserving valuable redemptions like American Flagship Suites and various international business class options at current rates.

Members can now earn status points from award travel based on their chosen track, with distance earning 1 point per mile flown and spending earning 5 points per dollar on award tickets.

Alaska’s New Summit Card

Alaska Airlines has launched the Atmos Rewards Summit Visa Infinite Credit Card with a $395 annual fee, offering 100,000 Atmos Rewards points plus a 25,000-point Global Companion Award after spending $6,000 in the first 90 days.

You can earn this welcome bonus even if you currently have or previously held other Alaska or Hawaiian Airlines credit cards, making it accessible to existing cardholders.

The card provides a 25,000-point Global Companion Award annually with no spending requirement, plus a second 100,000-point Global Companion Award when you spend $60,000 per year – both valid on Alaska, Hawaiian, or partner airlines.

You’ll earn 3 points per dollar on foreign purchases, dining, and Alaska/Hawaiian Airlines purchases, plus 1 point per dollar on everything else, with foreign transactions being an unusually generous category for airline cards.

The card includes eight Alaska Lounge passes per year (two per quarter), 10,000 annual status points, free checked bags for up to six passengers, preferred boarding, and waives the $12.50 partner award booking fee.

Status benefits include earning 1 status point per $2 spent with no cap, putting Gold status within reach at $60,000 annual spending, along with upgrade priority over non-cardholders when flying Alaska or Hawaiian.

Alaska Adding Starlink Wi-Fi

Alaska Airlines will roll out Starlink satellite Wi-Fi across its entire fleet starting in 2026, with installations beginning this winter on regional jets, narrowbodies, and widebodies through 2027.

Atmos Rewards members will receive free access to the high-speed internet service, while T-Mobile customers who are also Atmos members get a streamlined, ad-free sign-on experience with additional perks coming later this year.

Alaska will become the first U.S. carrier to operate Starlink-equipped long-haul flights from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, joining Hawaiian Airlines in offering the faster satellite internet technology that works even over remote regions.

Norse Slashes US Routes

Norse Atlantic Airways is cutting six US routes from its summer schedule, including New York-JFK to Paris CDG and Berlin, Los Angeles to Athens and Paris CDG, and Miami to London Gatwick.

Norse is shifting half its 12 Boeing 787-9 fleet to wet leasing with IndiGo by year-end, providing steady income while reducing exposure to the brutally competitive transatlantic market dominated by major airline joint ventures.

Swiss Launches Grand Suite

Swiss has unveiled its new “Grand Suite” first-class experience for the Airbus A350-900, allowing passengers to book both the center Suite Plus and an adjacent Single Suite to create one massive private room that includes the aisle space.

This combined suite accommodates up to three passengers and functions as a conference room, bedroom, or office, enclosed by nearly 6-foot-tall walls for maximum privacy.

The Grand Suite will debut on the Boston-Zurich route in January 2025 when Swiss begins A350 service, with plans to retrofit existing A330s and Boeing 777s with the new product as well.

You can only book these premium suites through Swiss’s first-class phone hotline, and it appears unlikely they’ll be available for points and miles redemptions.