The Honolulu-based carrier (along with merger partner Alaska Airlines) shared two renderings and some new details of its upcoming premium lounge that will open at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) at the end of 2027.
The design will be inspired by Hawaii's natural elements and will include sculptures, pops of color and snazzy lighting structures to promote a relaxing environment.
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The lounge will be at the entrance of the Mauka Concourse in Terminal 1 and will be five times larger than the airline's existing lounge in Honolulu.
More details, including access policies and opening timeline, will be shared closer to the opening. It wasn't immediately clear if Hawaiian plans to use this new lounge to replace its existing Plumeria Lounge in Honolulu, or whether this space would be additive. Furthermore, it's possible that Hawaiian (and Alaska) may limit this space to business-class flyers, but only time will tell what the airlines decide to do.
Right now, Hawaiian operates two different types of lounges in Honolulu: a Premier Club and a Plumeria Lounge. The Premier Club is open to elite frequent flyers, first-class flyers and club members, while the fancier Plumeria Lounge is limited to those flying in long-haul first class and select top-tier elite members.
It remains to be seen how Hawaiian adjusts these lounge access policies once they're harmonized with Alaska Airlines.
News about this upcoming lounge was first announced in December during Investor Day for the Alaska Air Group. Alaska Airlines, which recently completed its acquisition of Hawaiian, shared updates to its commercial strategy as the merger process gets underway.
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This includes turning Seattle into a long-haul global hub, redeploying Hawaiian's aircraft onto existing Alaska routes and more. One key aspect of this long-term plan is investing in premium travel experiences across both carriers, including airport lounges.
In addition to the new Honolulu outpost, the carrier will also open a "flagship international lounge" in Seattle and a traditional outpost in San Diego. Alaska still hasn't shared more about what flyers can expect when this flagship Seattle outpost opens, except that the new space will be significantly bigger than the airline's North Satellite lounge in Seattle, which currently measures nearly 16,000 square feet.
Of the three new lounges, we now know a little bit more about what the space in Honolulu will look like. Perhaps the airline will follow up with more details about the San Diego and Seattle spaces soon.
“We are reimagining the travel experience with spaces that showcase our dedication to guest satisfaction and the unique culture of Hawai‘i. Our new Honolulu lounge will be the first-of-its-kind within this space and will offer a modern oasis for our guests to enjoy," Todd Traynor-Corey, Alaska's vice president of guest products and experience, said in a statement.
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