Executive Traveler Exclusive
The great Qantas Lounge Cull appears to be over, with the airline promising its Honolulu lounge – often considered the worst in the network – won’t meet the same fate as its siblings at Tokyo Narita or Hong Kong.
However, the airline declined to comment on reports that the well-worn Honolulu International Business Lounge will be refurbished or at the very least refreshed before its doors swing open once more, as well as seeing a timeframe for when the lounge will be back in action.
Honolulu remains a popular destination for Qantas, which until early 2020 flew a Boeing 747 from Sydney, and its low-cost arm Jetstar.
Until the Qantas Honolulu Lounge returns, the airline is issuing to “eligible passengers and their guests” – including business class passengers, Qantas Club members and Gold, Platinum and Platinum One frequent flyers – with vouchers to spend on food and drinks at the airport’s retail outlets.
Adults receive a US$20 voucher, with US$10 for children.
That said, savvy business class passengers and frequent flyers on QF104 can also make their way to the shared Admirals Club / Sakura Lounge of fellow Oneworld members Japan Airlines and American Airlines lounge, which rolls to the welcome mat to eligible Qantas flyers.
That lounge is located on the third level of Terminal 2 – above The Local @HNL restaurant – in the central lobby of the Overseas Terminal, across from Central Security Checkpoint #3.
Earlier this year, while the JAL/AA lounge had restricted opening hours Qantas was redirecting lounge-worthy travelers to the excellent Delta SkyClub lounge, but this temporary arrangement has since ended now that the JAL/AA lounge’s hours align with the late morning departure of the Qantas flight to Sydney.
Qantas has been steadily reopening its international lounges since November 2020, when overseas travel resumed from Sydney and Melbourne.
Both the Singapore Business and Singapore First lounges are now in full swing, along with lounges at Auckland, London and the Los Angeles Business Lounge – the Los Angeles First Lounge is now tipped to unlock its frosted doors later this month.
But the highly-regarded Hong Kong lounge was an early casualty – when Qantas eventually returns to the Asian metropolis, it will direct travelers to the lounges of Oneworld partner Cathay Pacific.
Also for the chop was the Tokyo Narita lounge, a sensible move considering that Tokyo Haneda will now be Qantas’ new hub, with excellent lounges available from JAL.