ARLINGTON, VA - April 3, 1997 -- MCI Telecommunications Corporation and Hawaiian Airlines today announced their new alliance that makes earning free trips to Hawaii easier than ever.
Beginning today, members of Hawaiian Airlines' Hawaiian Gold+Plus¬ frequent flyer program can earn five miles for every dollar they spend on MCI services. New and existing MCI customers can earn five Hawaiian Gold+Plus miles for every dollar spent on MCI domestic and international long distance, MCI Card, MCI Internet and MCI Paging, and may be eligible for additional bonuses. Customers can enroll in the program simply by calling toll free, 1-800-867-6874.
"Eight years ago MCI became the first telecommunications company to partner with airlines to offer frequent flyer miles for consumers," said Mike Sauer, director of MCI's Partner Marketing. "Our relationship with Hawaiian Airlines allows MCI to extend our commitment to offer both variety and quality to our customers."
"Even when our Hawaii customers aren't flying to visit friends and family, they're still calling. Now, through Hawaiian's new partnership with MCI, they can earn Hawaiian Gold+Plus miles either way," said Peter Jenkins, Hawaiian's senior vice president of marketing and sales.
MCI makes tracking miles simple and hassle-free by automatically depositing miles into the customer's Hawaiian Gold+Plus account every month. With no minimum spending to earn miles, and multiple MCI products that accrue miles, MCI/Hawaiian Gold+Plus members will be flying free faster.
Members of the MCI/Hawaiian Airlines program can redeem their miles for dozens of different awards, including free air travel, gift certificates and full vacation packages. In addition, Hawaiian Gold+Plus members may begin redeeming their accumulated miles for awards as soon as they have earned only 5,000 miles.
MCI is the leader in communications services and frequent flyer programs, with seven airline partners, more than any other communications company.
Hawaiian Airlines, Hawaii's flagship airline, is Hawaii's oldest and largest airline. It offers daily service to Hawaii from Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Portland and Seattle in addition to more than 150 daily jet flights among the Hawaiian Islands. Hawaiian also offers daily connecting service from other points in the western U.S. through partnerships with Reno Air and American Eagle. Hawaiian provides weekly flights to the South Pacific destinations of Tahiti and American Samoa. For Hawaiian Airlines flight and/or fare information, customers may call toll free at 1-800-367-5320.
MCI, headquartered in Washington, D.C., provides a full range of integrated communication services to more than 20 million customers. Credited with opening up the U.S. long distance market for competition, MCI is now leading the charge to bring competition to the $100 billion local market, offering American consumers for the first time the freedom to choose their local carrier. With 1996 revenue of $18.5 billion, MCI is one of the largest and fastest growing telecommunication companies in the world. On November 3, 1996, MCI announced a definitive agreement to merge with BT to form Concert, the world's first global communications company.