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One year ago today, I wrote about Hawaiian Airlines Premium Airport Service rolling out at Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL). This included a dedicated host to escort passengers through the airport as well as access to a private lounge with exclusive food and beverages. Tomorrow, Hawaiian will shut down this offering as well as access to its Apartment 1929 lounge.
When it launched, Hawaiian offered a few options. These included:
Arrival Service:
- Priority baggage handling
- Aircraft door greeting by your host
- Assistance with hand carry luggage
- Premium lei greeting
- Coordination with transportation
- Private escort to transportation (for flights arriving at Terminal 2 or guests with a rental car reservation, private driver service provided)
- Baggage delivery to your final Oahu location
Departure Service:
- Pre-arrival check-in on your behalf
- Curbside greeting by your host, whether arriving at the terminal or rental car facility
- Priority baggage handling
- Expedited queuing through TSA
- Exclusive access to Apt. 1929 with curated liquor menu by James Beard Award winning Bar Leather Apron
- Pre-ordered meal service
- Shower reservation
- Private escort to your gate (for flights departing from Terminal 2, private driver service provided)
- Option to board the aircraft first
Connection Service:
- Priority baggage handling
- Aircraft door greeting by your host
- Assistance with hand-carry luggage
- Private driver service within the airport facility for guests arriving at Terminal 2
- Premium lei greeting for guests with a final destination in Hawaii
- Exclusive access to Apt. 1929 with curated liquor menu by James Beard Award winning Bar Leather Apron, time permitting
- Option to board the aircraft first
Along with the ground service, passengers opting for this VIP treatment also got access to the Apartment 1929 Lounge. It was named after the year Hawaiian Airlines was founded and it was located in Terminal 1. It can accommodate 24 guests and offers both indoor and outdoor spaces, pre-ordered meals, a cocktail menu from James Beard Award winning bar Leather Apron, and a shower.
The lounge will become part of Hawaiian’s premium lounge offering that is coming to the airport in late 2027.
The offerings were similar to American’s Five Star Service or Delta’s VIP Select. Pricing started at $500 for a party of two and I can’t imagine I would have ever spent that as I don’t check bags and am quite capable of handling my carry-ons.
Anthony’s Take: This service was not something I would have ever bought and it seems like others felt the same way. I’m not sure why Hawaiian ended this service now with the new lounge still more than two years away, but as of tomorrow it is not an option.
(Image Credits: Hawaiian Airlines.)
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
1 comment
Depends on whether it is money making or losing. I doubt Alaska will keep it running at all if it’s losing money as part of post-merger financial review. But I agree that it’s not necessary in today’s market. As for today’s travelers who are just below the target audience of 1929 lounge, they still have access to the regular lounges in both T1 and T2.