There’s a new Honolulu Priority Pass Lounge! For a long time, there was only one Priority Pass Lounge at Honolulu International Airport. The lounge, called the IASS Lounge Hawaii, is a contract lounge; a contract lounge that few airlines use.
Look at it! It’s like the furniture was bought secondhand… From a hotel over 20 years ago. And the Yelp reviews about the lounge are equally bad.
Not only is service terrible, but they don’t allow outside food in the lounge. This is despite the fact that the lounge serves no food. In fact, the only amenities are soft drinks, wifi, and air con. So any new additions to Priority Pass in Honolulu would be welcome. As luck would have it, Priority Pass’s newest Honolulu lounge is the Hawaiian Airlines Plumeria Lounge.
You might remember this picture from Mr. & Mrs. J’s visit a little while back. The Hawaiian Airlines Plumeria Lounge is Hawaiian’s international premium lounge. It isn’t the best lounge in the world, but it’s far better than their normal Premier Club lounges. It’s also immensely better than the IASS Lounge Hawaii.
The decor of the Plumeria Lounge alone is a huge upgrade, being an island modern style. The Lounge even has complimentary food and beverage.
This appears to include complimentary alcoholic beverages, plus cold and hot foods.
Including the Hawaii version of the char siu bao, the manapua. Basically a steam bun filled with Chinese roast pork. It’s one of Hawaii’s favorite portable snacks, right up there with the Spam Musubi. The lounge also offers complimentary wifi, but that’s it. The Plumeria Lounge doesn’t have shower facilities.
Undoubtedly, though, the Plumeria Lounge is one of the best lounges at Honolulu International. That being said, there is a catch.
Hawaiian Air doesn’t have a lot of international flights. Because of the lack of flights, the Plumeria Lounge has very limited hours. On Mondays, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, the lounge is open 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. On Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays, the lounge is open 10:00 a.m. to 10:45 p.m. Hopefully lounge hours will be extended since Hawaiian now allows the purchase of day passes. Day passes are only available to Hawaiian Airlines customers flying that day and may be purchased at check-in. Prices are $40 for general, $35 for Pualani Gold Members, and $30 for Pualani Platinum Members. But of course, if your a Priority Pass Select member, you can get in for free.
Another catch, especially if you aren’t flying Hawaiian (or sometimes even if you are) is location. The Plumeria Lounge is located near the Wiki Wiki Shuttle stop (3rd floor) at the Inter-island Terminal.
It’s actually all the way above Gate 60. What this means, then, is that if you’re flying any other airline, you’ve got to catch the shuttle or take a lengthy walk to your gate. Even if you fly Hawaiian this could be the case, too, as they often operate PNW flights out f Gate 10. When transiting from the Inter-Island Terminal to the Overseas Terminal, you’ll also have to clear another Agriculture inspection. So give yourself ample time to get to your gate if you decide to relax in the Plumeria Lounge.
Unfortunately, the wife and I won’t be able to take advantage of the Plumeria Lounge during our upcoming trip. Our flight departs HNL at 9:00 a.m., an hour before the lounge opens. Oh we.. next time! At any rate, the availability of the lounge is a great thing. Hopefully next time Mrs. J can enjoy the lounge as much as Mr. J did ?