How to book Hawaii flights with United miles

How do you earn United miles on Hawaiian Airlines flights?

MileagePlus members can earn award miles on all qualifying Hawaiian Airlines inter-island flights that have a United flight number; the member adds a MileagePlus number to the reservation and makes sure it appears on the boarding pass at check-in. [5] United describes Hawaiian Airlines as the biggest airline in Hawaii. [5]

Tickets with a United ticket number. Where the ticket number begins with "016", miles are calculated from the fare price, the member's MileagePlus status and cardmember status. [5] For tickets issued on or after 2 April 2026, the rates United lists are:

United notes that the United MileagePlus Debit Rewards Card and the United Gateway Card unlock Cardmember earn rates after $10,000 has been spent on the card within a calendar year. [5] For tickets issued before 2 April 2026, United lists 5 miles per dollar for a general member, 7 for Premier Silver, 8 for Premier Gold, 9 for Premier Platinum and 11 for Premier 1K. [5]

Tickets from other sellers. If the ticket was bought from another airline, a third-party website or a travel agency, miles are based on flight distance and the fare class of the ticket instead. [5]

United defines flight distance as the miles scheduled for a specific flight, as determined solely by United. [5] On codeshare flights, accrual follows the operating carrier and its equivalent fare class, which can differ from the booking class that was purchased. [5] On the fare-price side, the fare is the base fare plus carrier-imposed surcharges, excluding government-imposed taxes and surcharges. [5]

The eligible fare classes can change: United and Hawaiian Airlines reserve the right to change them at any time without notice, and miles are credited under the MileagePlus terms in effect at the time of travel rather than at the time of purchase. [5]

How do you redeem United miles for a Hawaiian Airlines award flight?

MileagePlus miles can be used to book regular award flights on Hawaiian Airlines online or by calling United's reservations line. [5] Award tickets cannot be issued at the airport. [5] Service charges may apply depending on the type of ticket, the travel dates and the member's MileagePlus status. [5]

United establishes the amount, structure, availability and other criteria for award redemption, and those can be modified, cancelled or limited at United's discretion with or without notice. [8] United also reserves the right to withdraw, limit, modify or cancel any award, to increase the miles, cash or co-pays required, to add blackout dates and to limit the number of award seats available to any destination. [8] The miles required for a given Hawaii itinerary are therefore set by United and can change. [8] Definitions of these terms sit in the frequent flyer glossary.

An award may be issued in the member's own name or in the name of another person, but only for non-commercial purposes. [8] Award tickets can attract departure taxes, federal inspection fees, passenger facility charges and other charges that the traveller pays, and they are subject to the operating carrier's contract of carriage and ticket terms. [8] If an award is cancelled or returned under the applicable rules, the miles are redeposited subject to a service charge, and some awards are not eligible for redeposit. [8] Award travel is valid only to destinations served both when the ticket is issued and when the flight departs. [8]

Exceptions and limits

• No miles for award travel. Award miles and Premier Qualifying Credits are not credited for award travel, including tickets paid with a combination of miles and money. [8]
• Flights actually flown. Miles are credited only for flights actually flown by the member, and cancellations earn nothing. [8] Class-of-service bonus miles follow the fare paid rather than the cabin flown and are not credited on an upgrade. [8]
• One programme per flight. Unless United expressly provides otherwise, mileage for a flight may be credited in only one frequent flyer or loyalty programme. [8]
• Claim deadlines. A claim for miles that were not credited must reach United within 12 months of the date the miles were claimed to have been earned, and some partners apply different retro-credit periods. [8]
• No sales or transfers. Miles, awards and status may not be sold, bartered or otherwise transferred except as United authorises, and accrued miles can be moved to another MileagePlus account through the Transfer Miles Program. [8]
• Losing the balance. Miles remain in an account until redeemed or forfeited, including where the member asks to close the account, on death, for prohibited conduct, or where the member does not respond to repeated communications about the account. [8]
• On the travel day. Hawaiian Airlines may apply different carry-on bag rules, and passports and visas are checked at the first point of entry after leaving the United States. [5]

Frequently asked questions

Do United miles expire?

United's programme rules say miles stay in an account until they are redeemed or forfeited under the listed circumstances, which include a member-requested account closure, the member's death, prohibited conduct and failure to respond to repeated communications about the account. [8]

Can a Hawaiian Airlines award ticket be issued at the airport?

No. United states that award tickets cannot be issued at the airport, so the booking has to be made online or through the reservations line. [5]

Does an award seat to Hawaii earn miles?

No. Award miles are not credited for award travel, including tickets bought with a mix of miles and money. [8]

Can I use my MileagePlus miles for someone else's Hawaii ticket?

Yes. An award may be issued in the member's name or in the name of another person, provided the use is non-commercial. [8]

Which fare classes earn miles on a Hawaiian Airlines ticket bought through an agency?

First-class fares F, J, P and C earn 150%, discount first fare A and economy fares Y, W, X, Q, V, B, S, N, M, I, H, G, K and L earn 100%, and fares D, E, O, R, T, U and Z earn no miles. [5]

Related pages

Terms used here — award ticket, fare class, codeshare, blackout date — are defined in the frequent flyer glossary. For how long a balance lasts, see the entry on mileage expiry; for moving points between programmes, see points transfer; and for how seats are released, see award availability.

Sources

Sources checked on 18 October 2026. The page covers United MileagePlus earning on Hawaiian Airlines and MileagePlus award redemptions; other airline programmes and hotel loyalty programmes are not covered.

1. United Airlines: Earn United miles on Hawaiian Airlines, checked 18 October 2026
2. United Airlines MileagePlus rules, checked 18 October 2026