steve64

It's been over a year since I've been in any of HA's lounges.

Your pics are of the old Aloha lounge (now HA). Note the orange wall and Bird Of Paradise flowers in the wall hangings vs purple/pink walls with Hibiscus

I think this lounge is nicer than the original HA lounge (the other end of the inter island terminal and upstairs). But both being HA, the amenities are dismal. At least to folks like me with membership to larger airline clubs. I guess if you've never been to an airline lounge then the HA ones would be quite nice

jsmirand

Apologies if its been asked I missed it in reviewing this thread, if I purchased round trip F tickets on HA from mainland US to Hawaii, does that provide access to HA club in Honolulu on day of outbound? If not, do they sell a daily pass like other clubs?

imm2b

I had access on an int'l F ticket, but I didn't even bother go into the HNL HA premier lounge on my return flight. It's the dumpiest lounge I had ever seen, nothing except a few chairs and tables with koolaid and water dispensers, not even crackers or peanuts. I'd never pay to get into this lounge, I didn't even use it for free.

RevJim

It's hard to tell from my pictures, but there were a few couches and other "soft" chairs around the perimeter of the room. Yep, the amenities were not great (coffee and snack mix bags, IIRC) as I mentioned in my original report.

Aside from snacks, what do you expect in a lounge? For me, it's fast internet and a comfy place to sit. They had both of those things, pretty much.

I have been to all the big carrier lounges (both domestic and international C/F), so I think I have a decent frame of reference. Obviously this is no great international product. But I was probably a little shaken when I discovered it wasn't a trash-strewn crack den from the 1980's either. That's kinda what this discussion led me to expect, and I was pleasantly surprised.

JMHO/YMMV

HA/UA_Flyer

Agreed. That's why I go to the Premier Club Lounge...quiet place and free Internet for me to get a little work done while I wait for my flight. I think most people who use the lounge are the same way since HA's terminal in HNL can be a crowded and loud zoo depending on the time of day. Also, HNL does not offer free wireless Internet like other airports. You would think they would, but we are talking the State of Hawaii-Dept. of Transportation, Airports Division here. I'm not surprised they don't provide free wireless Internet.

I've been to some other US airlines' lounges and they aren't much to rave about either. Heck, you have to buy food in the lounge *cough*, *cough*...AA.

cblaisd

As I've said before, one needs to remember that HA lounges in Hawai`i are a very different concept and have a very different audience than mainline lounges. HA lounges in Hawai`i are oriented to the regular inter-island traveler for whom half an hour away from the malihini madhouse of the terminal, a soda or cup of coffee, and a dedicated agent are perks that make frequent inter-island travel slightly more pono.

These lounges are NOT oriented toward the passenger connecting to the mainland or internationally on one of the mainline carriers. They're just not.

For what they are, they are fine, and they've certainly provided me with a respite from the packed concourses, grumpy parents leaving Hawai`i towing grumpy little ones, and the smell of aloe vera...

flyingmad

I hope the Hawaiian Airlines experts can help please. I am travelling in August between San Francisco and Honolulu in First Class. Does Hawaiian Airlines have a lounge at San Francisco airport. Thanks. Appreciate your advice

LIH Prem

According to http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hawai...-5-2011-a.html there is no lounge at SFO since they moved to Intl terminal A.

Please refer to that thread.

-David

gradsflyer

I realize that there has been another thread on HA's FF program but I recently tried both their lounges in HNL and I must say these were pretty dissapointing as well. I'm a regular UA flier with low tier status and moving to HNL next month, but had decided earlier this year to split my flying between UA and HA, as the prices on HA are often more competitive and I really do like their service, especially the soft product in flight.

However for what you pay in the annual fee for Premier Club the HA lounges provide next to nothing compared to a legacy carrier lounge (I have a UA club membership and regularly use it). No food except for the same complimentary snacks given in Y, and only coffee and a soda fountain for drinks! This is very sad and for an airline with such great service like HA I think they need to do a much better job with the lounges, simply horrible compared what most carriers offer. They could so easily make the lounges a great way to showcase Hawaiian cuisine and drink but instead have chosen a very cheap alternative not even competitive with other carriers.

cblaisd

I don't think they have ever wanted to be the same sort of venue as a legacy carrier lounge:

gradsflyer

Maybe so, but they also more or less force you into using their lounges even if you have a legacy membership since as far as I know the only other lounge in the HA terminal at HNL is Quantas. So they not be trying to provide the same services as the legacy lounges, but they also make it more or less impossible to make use of those due to their location at HNL.

Either way, maybe these lounges are indeed primarily designed with inter-island travel in mind, but in my opinion they still don't really live up to the other quality services that HA provides.

alenguy

Hi all... I have an inter-island trip coming up in a few weeks and I'm booked in business class. Trip is ITO-HNL-LIH (return opposite pattern). Will I have access to Hawaiian's lounge network as a business class passenger?

HA/UA_Flyer

Yes you will have access to the lounges as a first class passenger (it's not marketed as business class for interisland flights). Just ask for the door access code for the ITO and LIH lounge from the gate agent and show your boarding pass to the attendant inside the HNL lounge.



I was just chatting with a friend the other day about lounges and the post above brings up another (good) point to HA's lounge access as compared to other airlines like Alaska, AA and United...if you are an F class passenger (domestic), you get free access to the Premier Club lounge regardless if you upgraded with miles, OLCI, or bought full-fare F.

I know for AA domestic first/business class customers, you get access only on a full fare F ticket, otherwise you have to pony up the $50 for a day pass or buy an annual membership on top of your upgraded or discounted F class ticket. I believe the same may be true for Alaska, United and the others.

So for domestic customers, I think it all balances out across the airlines. They all have their strengths and weaknessess.

SoCal

Any idea how much a one-day pass is? We're flying OGG-KOA on HA,in economy, and, a week later, KOA-PDX on Alaska Airlines in first, so as of now no access for free to a lounge. We have Am Ex platinum cards, but HA does not seem to be participating. Will try the HA upgrade-for-$50-24 hours-in advance deal for the OGG-KOA flight, which I read would get us into the lounge there.

Zacnlinc

Departing OGG this past Sept, I had a chance to experience the HA lounge there for a minute. And I mean that too. A minute! It really wasn't what I was expecting and chose to remain in the concourse that was near empty and a lot more seats available than in that tiny room. Since I was on a connecting flight and heading to HNL,no was hopeful that the club there would be better. Wrong!

The HNL club was just a bigger room! It was totally saddening to have seem these clubs as such. But the good thing about it was that I really expecting to stay in a lounge before departing back to the mainland.

An upgrade is needed in my opinion for the two clubs I visited. But I will say that if one is seeking less chaos, the club in HNL was indeed a retreat. But again, I don't think it's a place to hangout in as there wasn't a view and as far as I recalled, no bar and a limited selection of beverages and snacks.