Quite a while back, I had a similar experience....not.
I booked on Pacific Wings out of Lanai. Supposedly a scheduled flight departing at 10pm. Took a hotel car. Arrived and all the lights at the airport were off and the doors were locked. Security guard said that there were no scheduled flights that evening. While having this discussion landing lights appeared in the sky, plane landed and the pilot walked around to the front of the airport. Guard unlocked the door to the airport. Pilot led me through security (which was not staffed,) loaded my bags and we took off. Landed at HNL, taxied up to a chain link fence in a dark area of the airport. Pilot got out and pointed me to an unlocked gate in the fence through which I exited. Walked 1/4 mile down the road to the terminal and caught my connecting flight out of HNL. Private but very weird.