Recently, we learned that Alaska Air Group was planning a new lounge for Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport. Well, just the other day, Hawaiian revealed its new lounge concept, along with an updated checked bag policy, which seeks to further align it with Alaska Air’s.
Back in November 2024, Alaska Air stated that they’re going to be opening a new lounge in Honolulu. This was before the big announcement regarding the airline’s international expansion, and the interview with CEO Ben Minicucci, which further revealed Alaska Air Group’s intentions for its two separate brands. Since we now know that Alaska Air will be exiting the Hawai’i market entirely in the near future, it only makes sense that the new lounge will be for Hawaiian Airlines. But, with three lounges in Honolulu, how would yet another one fit in?
Details remain scant, but Hawaiian revealed its new lounge concept the other day, inclusive of its location, along with immediate changes to its checked bag policy. Renderings of the new lounge were also provided!
Hawaiian Revealed Its New Lounge
With Hawaiian Airlines taking over all flying to, from, and within Hawai’i for the greater Alaska Air Group, new lounge space is probably a good idea. After all, they currently have the overcrowded Premier Club in the older section of Terminal 1, the Plumeria Lounge above Terminal 1, and the newer Apartment 1929 somewhere above Terminal 1. Being that the Plumeria Lounge is reserved for international business class passengers and Priority Pass guests, and Apartment 1929 is for those willing to buy up to premium access, more space is woefully needed.
At any rate, Hawaiian revealed its new lounge, which will be built in the Mauka Concourse of Terminal 1. While no dimensions or capacities were given, the exterior rendering of the new lounge makes it look like it’ll be rather small – roughly about the size of, or slightly larger, than the existing Premier Club lounge.
The press release states that this is lounge will be located near the entrance of the Mauka Concourse. This area already exists and, as far as I know, has remained empty since the concourse opened. You can see the area in the image below in the back right portion behind the pillars.
It also means that, yeah, the size of the lounge will be quite limited. In fact, in the above rendering, you can see the ceiling detail of the interior, of which the following rendering was provided. Moreover, you can see Gate A12 immediately outside of the lounge.
As you can see, there really isn’t much in the way of seating, but that’s likely because this lounge is meant to augment the Premier Club between gates A18 and A19. Of course, that begs the question – will the existing Premier Club get a refresh down the line as well? For what it’s worth, Hawaiian says the lounge will be “five times larger than our existing lounge in Honolulu.” Which one? They don’t say, but supposedly they’re referring to the Plumeria Lounge.
At any rate, the renderings provided as Hawaiian reveled its new long look great! They’re definitely a step up from what they currently have, and have what I think is an island-inspired interpretation of Alaska’s current lounge design language. However, this lounge isn’t scheduled to open until 2027.
Updated Checked Bag Policy
Hawaiian has long been a villain in their checked bag policies, especially as they pertain to sports equipment. You see, Hawaiian’s surfboard policy, in particular, has long been much more strict than its competitors like Southwest. In fact, many surfing icons have long called out the airline on this. Thankfully, that’s changing, with Hawaiian adopting an updated checked bag policy more in line with Alaska Air’s.
Effective January 8, 2024, sports equipment now qualifies as standard checked bags. This includes:
- Bowling equipment accepted up to 50 pounds (23 kg) and 62 linear inches (132 cm)
- Bicycle Equipment accepted up to 70 pounds (32 kg) and 115 linear inches (292 cm)
- Windsurfing Equipment accepted up to 70 pounds (32 kg) and 115 linear inches (292 cm)
Beyond the above, the following items are accepted up to 50 pounds (23kg) and 62 linear inches (157 cm):
- Baseball Equipment
- Boogie, Wakeboards and Skim Boards
- Firearms. Please see special instructions for Ammunition
- Fishing Equipment
- Football/Tennis/Paintball Equipment
- Scuba Equipment
Additionally, the following are accepted up to 50 pounds (23kg) and 115 linear inches (292 cm):
- Archery Equipment
- Canoe/Canoe Paddles/Kayaks
- Golfing Equipment
- Hockey/Lacrosse /Pole Vault Equipment
- Skateboards
- Ski/Snowboard Equipment
- Surfboard/Paddleboard/Kiteboard
If you exceed the above weights, as surfer Billy Kemper did when he blasted Hawaiian for how he was treated (and subsequently flew home on Southwest instead), Hawaii does allow you to exceed the above weight limits, though the overweight fees vary based on where you’re flying to/from:
- Neighbor Island flights:
- Additional $35 each way for 51-70 lb. (32 kg.)
- Additional $70 each way for 71-100 lb. (45 kg.)
- North America flights:
- Additional $100 each way for 51-70 lb. (32 kg.)
- Additional $200 each way for 71-100 lb. (45 kg.)
- Japan, Korea, and American Samoa flights:
- Additional $50 each way for 51-70 lb. (32 kg.)
- Additional $400 each way for 71-100 lb. (45 kg.)
- French Polynesia and Cook Islands flights:
- Additional $50 each way for 51-70 lb. (32 kg.)
- Australia and New Zealand flights:
- No fee will be charged if the item is used as your one complimentary* checked bag and weighs up to 70 lb. (32 kg.) with a maximum connection time of 24 hours. Any additional boards will be subject to the additional baggage fees.
Standard checked bag fees continue to apply, which is $30 for the first and $40 for the second bag on inter-island itineraries, and $35 and $45 for North America itineraries. International passengers continue to receive two free checked bags, though Australia and New Zealand’s free limit is one. Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard cardholders also receive two free checked bags, as do Pualani elite members and Premier Club members.
Hawaiian Revealed Its New Lounge & Baggage Policy, Final Thoughts
While what we saw when Hawaiian revealed its new lounge isn’t quite what I’d hoped it would be, it’s a step in the right direction. As I said before, Hawaiian’s Premier Club lounges are overcrowded and not great. But, with Premier Club itself going away and Alaska having its own Alaska Lounge+ membership, I wonder how lounge access will evolve?
It’s also great that Hawaiian is adjusting its embarrassing baggage policy, especially for surfboards. After all, Hawai’i is the birthplace of the sport, and to have the most restrictive of any airline serving the islands as our defacto state flag carrier was, well, questionable at best.
Leave a Reply