This invention is a two step process for converting linear paraffins to linear alpha olefins. In the first step the paraffins are cracked to a mixture of alpha and internal olefins by use of a cracking catalyst of a zeolite in combination with an alkali(ne earth) metal compound wherein the sum of the amount of the alkali(ne earth) metal in the compound plus any metal cation exchanged into the zeolite is in excess of that required to provide a fully metal cation-exchanged zeolite. The resulting olefin-containing cracked product is then converted to a substantially alpha olefin-containing product by contact with ethylene and a disproportionation catalyst at disproportionation conditions. The resulting products contains only small amounts of aromatics.