Hawaiian Airlines has managed it’s own lounge networks throughout the Hawaiian Islands. After the merger of Hawaiian Airlines with Alaska Airlines, we can expect to see a more enhanced lounge network that will benefit both Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airline passengers. With this investment, we recently stopped by the new Hawaiian Airlines Premier Club in Maui Kahului, Hawaii. We haven’t come to expect too much from a Hawaiian Airlines Premier Club lounge visit. Would our experience at the Hawaiian Airlines Premier Club be similar to our past experiences?

Review: Hawaiian Airlines Premier Club Lounge (North), Kahului Maui International Airport, Hawaii, USA.

“A compact Hawaiian Airlines lounge experience that’s slightly better than waiting in the terminal”

Hawaiian Airlines operates two lounges at Maui Kahului International Airport. The Hawaiian Airlines Premier Club North (this review), and the newer Hawaiian Airlines Premier Club South, which opened after our visit. Dependent on your departure gate, each lounge might be behind an agricultural inspection, making convenience and location a consideration when visiting one of these lounges.

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After years of visiting with no available business lounge, the Kahului Maui International Airport had finally installed a small Hawaiian Airlines Premier Club business lounge in the Maui Kahului International Airport departures concourse.

After a week long stay at the Sheraton Maui Resort and Spa, it was time to return to the Kahului Maui International Airport for our returning flight Alaska Airlines First Class Maui – San Diego.

Checking into Alaska Airlines First Class:

After arriving to the Kahului Maui International Airport, we returned the rental car and headed up to check in. We had a gorgeous morning with a flight schedule that had us leaving Maui in the morning.

While there have been some infrastructure improvements at the Maui International Airport, the check in areas are pretty much the same. The architectural experience is of brutalist design that is also functional in nature.

We received our boarding passes for our multi leg flights back home.

• Alaska Airlines First Class Maui – San Diego
• Alaska Airlines First Class San Diego – Seattle
• Alaska Airlines First Class Seattle – Vancouver

After collecting our boarding cards and dropping off our baggage, we headed for to locate the Hawaiian Airlines Premier Lounge.

Locating the Hawaiian Airlines Premier Lounge Maui:

After clearing TSA security, we headed down the primary concourse of the terminal. The Kahului Maui International Airport concourse sets out from a primary rotounda on either side.

The Hawaiian Airlines Premier Club Maui is located just across from Gate C17. It is found on typically the domestic and inter island side of the airport. While locating the lounge, I did find this sign advertising “Cocktails” to be among the more entertaining airport signs I’ve seen in a while.

The Hawaiian Airlines Premier Club Maui is discreetly hidden behind the Maui Nui Hall of Fame. If you weren’t looking for the lounge door, you’d be apt to miss the lounge entirely.

Overall, if you knew what you were looking for, it was fairly easy to locate the Hawaiian Airlines Premier Club. It’s location right by the retail concourse makes it easy to access on your departing flight.

Accessing the Hawaiian Airlines Premier Club:

Hawaiian Airlines advertises access to it’s Hawaiian Airlines Premier Club as:

• North America and Neighbour Island First Class Hawaiian Airlines guests
• Pualani Platinum and Gold members
• Premier Club members

Hawaiian Airlines sells Premier Club Memberships, which afford access to the lounge and a suite of other benefits. A Hawaiian Airlines Premier Club membership allows annual access to its Premier Club Lounges in Honolulu, Hilo, Kahului, Kona, and Lihue, along with free checked baggage allowance, Zone 2 Boarding and Priority Security. While rates vary, an annual membership runs about $299 USD for the first year, and $249 USD for subsequent years.

Our departing Alaska Airlines International First Class ticket did not offer any lounge access included with the fare.

During our visit, the Hawaiian Airlines Premier Club was accessible through Priority Pass which was available through an American Express Platinum Card. If accessing through Priority Pass, there was an additional condition that flight departure needed to be within two hours of accessing the lounge. We ultimately gained access to the lounge through our Priority Pass membership.

We scanned a QR code on the sign outside the door and entered a virtual waitlist.

Fortunately, there were only two people on the waitlist. We were admitted after about five minutes.

It is worth mentioning that the lounge is quite small in size. If you happen to be travelling through a period of high volume, joining the waitlist does not guarantee entry. As a result, I’d manage your visit and comfort expectations accordingly if you’re on a tight schedule.

Inside the Hawaiian Airlines Premier Club Maui:

Based on experience visiting other comparable lounges such as the Hawaiian Airlines Premier Club – Honolulu and the Hawaiian Airlines Plumeria Lounge – Honolulu, I’ve never come to expect a whole lot from Hawaiian Airlines Premier Clubs. I’ve often found them to be busy, lacking in many amenties and completely absent of food.

The Hawaiian Airlines Premier Club Maui generally fit that expectation. Upon entry, we were “assigned” seating, since the lounge was completely at capacity. We were assigned two lounge chairs that were seated side by side.

The Hawaiian Airlines Premier Club Maui is a new space. The lounge offered day light windows that faced the back of the airport, offering airport operation and building views.

The back of the lounge offered high density lounge seating. The lounge led into a tables and chairs seating arrangement, for the majority of the lounge seating. On our visit, every table and chair was occupied.

Per the course for a Hawaiian Airlines Premier Club, the lounge offered a small amount of snacks with a limited amount of beverages.

While our seating assignment in the lounge was pre-assigned, the lounge offered a small amount of lounge chairs along with tables and chair seating. The space offered a solid amount of daylight space, which was perhaps it’s best feature.

Hawaiian Airlines Premier Club Food and Beverage:

The Hawaiian Airlines Premier Club food and beverage snacks were not super exciting. Snacks were limited to Lion Coffee French and Gold Coast, Teas, packaged pretzels and fountain soft drink served from a multi-plexer. As with other Hawaiian Airlines Lounges, there was no alcohol served.

The snacks were exceptionally functional in nature. I can’t imagine actually enjoying food and beverage with salty snacks but I suppose it’s better than absolutely nothing.

The Hawaiian Airlines Premier Club Lounge isn’t somewhere I’d come for food prior to a medium haul flight to the mainland. I’d recommend getting filled up at the California Pizza Kitchen or even the Burger King in the main concourse, prior to coming to the Hawaiian Airlines Premier Club Lounge.

We stayed about fifteen minutes prior to heading off to our Alaska Airlines First Class Maui – San Diego flight.

My Thoughts on The Hawaiian Airlines Premier Club Maui:

While I was relieved to see that there was actually a lounge facility in the Kahului Maui International Airport, the Hawaiian Airlines Premier Club offering was pretty basic. The Hawaiian Airlines Premier Club qualified as a lounge, but I wouldn’t expect too much out of the experience other than an air conditioned place to sit.

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If you’ve visited The Hawaiian Airlines Premier Club, did it enhance your departure experience leaving Maui, Hawaii, USA?

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