During my inter-island transit in Hawaii, I had the chance to visit the Hawaiian Airline’s Plumeria lounge at the HNL airport.
Access to Lounge
The lounge is relatively new, and it opened in 2015.
Lounge access is open to those flying on Hawaiian Airlines’ international business class, Priority Pass members, and those who wish to buy a lounge pass.
The lounge was added to the Priority Pass network sometime in 2016. Since I am a Priority Pass member through Citi Prestige, I can bring 2 guests in with me. The lounge has limited hours on certain weekdays, so be sure to check the hours before you head over.
Lounge Location
According to the Plumeria lounge website, the lounge is “located on the third floor of the Honolulu International Airport, Inter-island Terminal. From the second floor, take the nearest escalator/elevator up to the third floor, and the lounge is located near the Wiki Wiki shuttle pick up area.”
I followed the signage to the Wiki Wiki Shuttle. Once I got there, I saw an airline staff who pointed me to the right direction.
Keep in mind that this lounge is on the inter-island terminal. I’m not sure I would trek over to this lounge if I am on an intercontinental flight.
The Lounge in Pictures
The lounge is very spacious. At the time of my visit, there were about 8 guests or so at the lounge so it was also very quiet.
In terms of food options, the lounge has cold sandwiches (it was okay), fruits, cookies, drinks and other light snacks.
I love junk food, so the fruit snacks was my favorite.
Summary
Overall, the Plumeria lounge is a nice lounge – clean, quiet, spacious. The food option is OK, though it is probably considered mediocre compared to other highly rated international business lounges. If you have complimentary access to the lounge, the Plumeria lounge is worth an easy visit. Otherwise, I don’t think it’s worth* it to get a lounge pass.
*Though it isn’t specific to the Plumeria lounge which is a decent lounge. In my humble opinion, some of the best airport lounges worthy of a paid admission – perhaps not surprisingly — do not offer lounge passes and are open only to guests flying on premium cabins.
In the Hawaii Trip Report Series:
- How I was Wrong About Hawaii (link)
- My Experience: Giving out Free Roses to Random Strangers (link)
- How to Request Pearl Harbor Historic Sites Tickets (link)
- My First Voluntary Denied Boarding Turned into the Best Airport Days, Ever! (link)
- Hawaiian Airline’s Plumeria Lounge in Honolulu (link)
- My Stay at the Holiday Inn Resort Waikiki Beachcomber (coming soon)
[…] Economy is a pleasant experience on Hawaiian for inter island flights. Drink service on a flight under 1 hour is awesome! Plus I enjoyed the Boeing 717 large overhead bins. Honolulu airport is not a pleasant airport experience. I wish I had first class out of Honolulu to take advantage of priority check in. Buying first class to access the lounge in Honolulu does not make sense. Instead, use Priority Pass to access the Plumeria lounge for free! To read about the lounge click here […]