Access Denied: Honolulu Lounge Change Hits Travelers During Upheaval

Starting April 1, Hawaiian Airlines will revoke access to its Plumeria Lounge at Honolulu Airport for members of the global Priority Pass program. This change leaves some travelers scrambling for alternatives, signaling a broader transformation underway at Hawaii’s busiest airport, now driven by Alaska/Hawaiian Airlines.

Why Priority Pass is losing access to Plumeria Lounge.

Priority Pass recently confirmed the change on its website in All caps: “EFFECTIVE 01APR25 THIS LOUNGE WILL NO LONGER BE PART OF THE PROGRAMME. NO ACCESS WILL BE GIVEN ON OR AFTER THIS DATE.”

Until then, Priority Pass members can still enter the Plumeria Lounge between 6:30 a.m. and 10 p.m., space permitting. After that, entry will be limited to Hawaiian Airlines passengers flying internationally in business class or on specific routes to New York and Boston.

While most visitors do not consider the lounge luxurious, it was a valued perk. As one social media user put it, “While it isn’t the greatest lounge, it was nice to have access with an AmEx Platinum card—much better than waiting at the gate.”

Priority Pass is a global airport lounge membership program often bundled with premium travel credit cards. It grants access to over 1,300 airport lounges worldwide. For many travelers, it’s one of the most-used perks of cards like the AmEx Platinum or Chase Sapphire Reserve, offering a quieter space to wait, snack, and recharge before flights.

What Plumeria Lounge offered to Priority Pass members.

The Plumeria Lounge invited Priority Pass members to join Hawaiian Airlines elite fliers for modest self-serve snacks, beer, wine, soft drinks, Wi-Fi, and charging outlets. While its beige decor and limited space weren’t memorable, it provided a welcome escape from the terminal chaos when HNL is busy.

One traveler recalled, “Not a great lounge but way better than Premier Club. I like the local food—had a kalua pork slider on a taro sweetbread roll and also liked the yakisoba noodles.”

Premier Club, unlike the Plumeria Lounge, is for First Class domestic passengers and Pualani Platinum and Gold members. One user said, “I don’t know if I’d even consider the Premier Club a lounge.”

Other than offering a more comfortable place to wait for a flight, we’d agree the lounge falls short by nearly every standard. So much so that we’d say one of the highlights is the private restroom facilities.

Read: Don’t Dare Enter These Hawaii Airline Lounges On Arrival.

Where Priority Pass members can go now.

The IASS Hawaii Lounge in Terminal 2 is now the only Priority Pass option at HNL. Still, its limited hours (7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.) and basic amenities make it a far cry from Plumeria and a long walk from Terminal 1. For Hawaiian Airlines passengers departing from Terminal 1, it’s very inconveniently located, but for all other airline passengers, it will be much closer.

As one commenter lamented, “T2 lounge is even crappier. Can’t even call that a lounge.”

The move also follows a trend. One commenter pointed out, “Alaska did the same by removing Priority Pass many years ago. I’d assume the same thing is applying here.”

What’s next for Honolulu Airport lounges?

The new Hawaiian and Alaska flagship lounge planned for 2027 promises a much-improved space for top-tier travelers, with five times the space and a new location at the Mauka Concourse entrance. It’s likely to become a showcase for Alaska’s vision for Hawaiian Airlines. However, for the average Hawaii visitor, the gap between now and then may still feel wide.

Expectations are high. Randy A. commented, “Let’s hope this one actually delivers now that Alaska is in charge.” With both airlines operating under a shared strategy but separate brands, many will be watching how they define the future of Hawaii air travel.

As the Alaska-Hawaiian partnership evolves, travelers will be watching to see if these changes truly elevate the airport experience—or simply leave more passengers waiting at the gate.

For now, the end of Priority Pass access at Plumeria marks the first visible ripple in what could be a major transformation at Honolulu Airport. Whether that transformation benefits all travelers remains to be seen.

What’s your reaction to this change?