Boyd Gaming, Hawaiian Airlines Connect Loyalty Programs

Posted on: June 10, 2021, 12:47h. 

Last updated on: June 10, 2021, 01:28h.

Todd Shriber @etfgodfather Read More
Expertise: Financial, Gaming Business, Mergers and Acquisitions.

Boyd Gaming and Hawaiian Airlines are tapping into customers’ affinity for frequent flier miles and points, with the two companies announcing a reciprocity accord involving their loyalty programs.

Hawaiian Boyd
A Hawaiian Airlines jet takes off in Las Vegas. The company has a points sharing deal with Boyd Gaming. (Image: Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Under the terms of the agreement, Boyd Gaming’s B Connected Points can earn points with the carrier and those enrolled in the HawaiianMiles program can add to their rewards at Boyd properties.

The partnership provides customers with greater access to B Connected’s exciting selection of reward tiers, exclusive player benefits and memorable entertainment experiences, as well as more ways to earn and use HawaiianMiles,” according to a statement issued by the companies.

Las Vegas-based Boyd runs 28 gaming venues across 10 states, including 11 in its home city. Its Sin City venues include the Aliante, Gold Coast, Main Street Station, Sam’s Town, and the Orleans.

Practical Partnership

Owing to Hawaiian’s affinity for the largest US casino hub, Las Vegas is often referred to as the “ninth island.” That sentiment carries extra weight for Boyd, because Hawaiian tourists are particularly fond of downtown Las Vegas, where Boyd is the largest operator.

Boyd’s California Hotel, although named for another state, features an overt Hawaiian flare, as well as cocktails and food popular in the island state. It’s estimated that 10 percent of Hawaii residents come to Las Vegas every year, many make multiple trips to the gaming mecca, and nearly all of them stay at Boyd properties.

The relationship between the gaming company and gamblers from the Aloha State is so important that when Boyd laid off 300 workers last year because of the coronavirus pandemic, slack visitation from Hawaii was cited as one of the reasons.

Hawaiian Airlines holds up its end of the bargain, offering multiple flights per day between Honolulu and Maui to Las Vegas. The carrier offers bundled flight and hotel packages, the bulk of which feature Strip venues. It’s not yet clear if those offerings will be reconfigured as a result of the points agreement with Boyd.

For Boyd and Hawaiian, Good Timing

The B Connected Points/HawaiianMiles agreement arrives as Las Vegas is showing signs of an earnest recovery that’s excited analysts, investors, and, most importantly, tourists.

Perhaps equally as important to getting the points partnership off to a solid start — and to the top and bottom lines of Boyd and Hawaiian Air — is that Hawaii’s economy is on the mend.

“Total air seats to Hawaii in May recovered 78.2 percent from the same month in 2019, and the June airline schedule will recover over 89 percent of the seats. Seats from domestic flights in May are 3.2 percent more than those in May 2019, and seats scheduled for June will be 14.3 percent more than June 2019,” according to the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT).

DBEDT also boosted its 2021 state GDP forecast to 3.5 percent, up from a 2.7 percent estimate issued in February.