Delta Sky Club at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu [Review]

“Aloha” is the Hawaiian word for hello and goodbye — but when your vacation nears its end, parting ways with paradise isn’t easy.

Fortunately, many Delta flyers can enjoy one final taste of aloha at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) before embarking on a long journey home. While it’s a smaller Sky Club, the food and drink selection and the unique amenities of this airport lounge make it well worth the visit before your next flight.

Here’s a closer look at what you can expect from a visit to this Delta Sky Club.

Delta Sky Club Lounge Location at HNL

The Delta Sky Club is in Terminal 2 of Daniel K. Inouye International Airport.

Once you check in at Delta’s counter and clear security near Concourse F, you’ll find the Sky Club immediately to the left. Most of Delta’s flights depart Honolulu from gates F and G, making the location easily accessible for travelers.

Hot Tip:

There are 10 airport lounges in Terminal 2 alone, where most domestic and international airlines fly from. You can read our guide to the lounges at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) for more details on their locations and how to get access.

Gaining Entry to the Delta Sky Club

There are several ways you can enter the Delta Sky Club, although access policies can be a bit confusing, as the carrier seems to revise its policies every year.

Delta One or SkyTeam Premium Cabin Ticket

Delta Sky Club access policies are generally the same regardless of location. That said, travelers flying on a domestic or international Delta One ticket or a same-day international first class or business class ticket on a SkyTeam partner can enter the Delta Sky Club.

However, some travelers on certain domestic first class tickets need to be wary — most commonly on routes from Honolulu to Los Angeles (LAX). First class flyers on this route must double-check whether they’re flying in a true Delta One-marketed product.

Otherwise, you may just be in a lie-flat seat with domestic first class service — an ever-so-slight yet annoying distinction — and that won’t allow you to enter the Delta Sky Club with your ticket alone.

Eligible SkyTeam Elite Plus Members

SkyTeam Elite Plus members (excluding Delta Diamond members) traveling in any cabin on a SkyTeam international flight or a SkyTeam domestic flight connecting to a same-day international flight can enter the Sky Club. This excludes international flights between the U.S. and the Caribbean.

If you’re eligible to enter the Sky Club via this access method, you can bring 1 guest.

Eligible Credit Cards (Easiest Method!)

The policies for Delta Sky Club access via credit cards have also changed drastically over the past couple of years. In its most recent iteration, Delta announced it would limit credit card lounge access — but these changes won’t take effect until February 1, 2025 (more on this below).

Until then, people with the following cards can enter the Delta Sky Club anytime they’re flying on a same-day Delta ticket:

Hot Tip:

Delta has announced that Sky Club visits will be measured as 24-hour periods in 2025. If you’re traveling on a multiple-leg segment, you can enter the Sky Club on all of the connections, and it will only count as 1 visit.

Delta Sky Club Membership

You can also visit the Sky Club with a membership and a same-day boarding pass. However, Delta has also limited annual membership purchases exclusively to Medallion elite status holders.

Bottom Line:

The easiest way to access the Delta Sky Club in Honolulu (or any other location) is by holding the right card. Can’t decide which American Express card is the best one for you? Read our in-depth comparison of the top-tier lounge cards: Delta Reserve card vs. the Amex Platinum card.

First Impressions

My mom and I were flying from Honolulu to Los Angeles (LAX) in Comfort+ seats, so we couldn’t access the Sky Club with our tickets alone. However, I entered with my Amex Platinum card. I’d added my mom as an authorized user to my card, so she had lounge access, too.

While there wasn’t a wait to enter the Sky Club on the Friday afternoon we visited, the location quickly got busy, with a slew of afternoon flights departing shortly after ours. Although we didn’t need them, Delta had 2 separate queues for Delta 360°, Delta One, Diamond Medallion, and qualifying first class tickets.

Once we opened the large wooden door to the Sky Club, we found the reception counter staffed by friendly, welcoming employees. Online, the posted lounge hours had been inconsistent, but when we visited, the Delta Sky Club had posted its daily hours outside the entrance as 6:45 a.m. to 9:45 p.m.

As a network-wide policy, access to the lounge is limited to 3 hours before departure.

I’ve visited many of Delta’s next wave of fancy Sky Clubs, including locations at New York’s John F. Kennedy (JFK) and LaGuardia (LGA) airports. Even smaller airports like Nashville (BNA) are getting the lounge love, too. With so many recent lounge openings, many travelers regard Delta Sky Clubs as some of the best domestic airport lounges — and rightfully so.

While many of these newer Sky Clubs boast a modern feel and check-in kiosks, the location in Honolulu was much smaller and almost antiquated — but that was not entirely a bad thing. When I first walked in, there was a cozy, welcoming feel, as the Sky Club stuck true to its theme of local art and uniquely Hawaiian curios.

And just for Christmas, there were poinsettias and wreaths to get travelers in the holiday spirit.

There was also a departures board to the left of the front desk, and I appreciated that the employees informed me that my gate, G1, was approximately a 5-minute walk from the lounge.

The only downside was there were no windows in this Sky Club. Honolulu’s airport is quite airy, thanks to its indoor-outdoor concept, so the lack of fresh air made this lounge feel considerably dark.

Seating

There was plenty of seating flanking the counter. The seating area to the right was smaller but was a respite from the bar and buffet traffic.

Most chairs shared outlets with a small table with only enough room to rest a drink or a small plate.

There was a noticeable lack of dining tables and chairs in this lounge, making eating difficult if you were sitting in an armchair.

In the main seating area by the buffet, a large TV played an NFL game during my visit.

I managed to snag 1 of the 10 tables to enjoy my 2 plates of lunch without hunching over.

Food and Beverage

The most impressive part of this Delta Sky Club was the quality and selection of the food and drink offered to its guests. The lounge offered a nice balance of Hawaiian dishes, easily portable sandwiches and wraps, and refreshing drinks.

Buffet

As our flight departed at 1:45 p.m., it was nice to have plenty of time to enjoy lunch before hopping on a 5-hour flight across the Pacific.

I had last visited this lounge earlier in 2023, and the lounge seemed to have continued to use single-use cutlery and plates. Despite not being an eco-friendly move, it made it easy for staff to keep the dining areas tidy in the face of the constant flow of travelers.

The hot buffet featured several surprisingly delicious dishes, such as the huli huli chicken with honey barbecue sauce.

Farther down the line, the Spam fried rice and traditional Japanese vegetable curry were some of my other favorites from the hot bar.

In addition to the curry, corn chowder with bacon was offered.

The island had an even broader selection of finger foods and fresh selections, such as salads and local fruit.

This wasn’t your average lounge buffet — the Mediterranean salad and edamame were healthy and flavorful.

This Delta Sky Club’s dessert game was strong, so those with a sweet tooth — myself included —were in for a treat. Near the dining tables was a snack bar with Maui chips, cookies, and chocolate mousse.

A dessert cooler was stocked with mochi ice cream.

But that wasn’t all. There was even a shave ice station next to the buffet.

The bartender was happy to make me a Hawaiian shave ice when she wasn’t shaking up drinks, and it was a cool treat after hauling my bags through the open-air terminal, which lacked air conditioning. The syrup on top wasn’t too sweet, and the ice was shaved nicely, much like the ones I enjoyed while in Hawaii.

Drinks

Right next to the hot bar was a soda and coffee machine that made lattes and cappuccinos.

By the bar, there was also self-serve ice water, sweet tea, lemonade, and various tea bags.

Besides the buffet, the bar seemed to be a hit, with a decent liquor selection.

There were even mai tais and Blue Hawaiians on display for travelers who wanted to indulge in one more umbrella cocktail before heading home.

Amenities

While you’re likely to bump elbows with a neighbor during peak travel times, this Delta Sky Club offered a nice array of amenities — including hidden gems to look out for on your next visit.

Bathrooms

The bathrooms were near the main seating area, just past the buffet.

The women’s bathroom had a separate area with a large mirror and complimentary feminine products.

There were no showers at this Delta Sky Club — just 2 stalls and 1 sink in each bathroom. However, the bathrooms were kept very clean.

Periodicals

A wide spread of magazines was on the wall behind the check-in counter. I grabbed a copy of the December issue of Global Traveler, which highlighted the best airlines, airports, and other travel products of 2023.

Business Center

To the right of the check-in counter was a small business center with shared desks, chairs, and a printer but no desktop computers. Unlike many new Sky Clubs, there were no individual phone booths or desks.

Wi-Fi

A placard with the Wi-Fi password was at the front desk. I had no problem connecting with my phone and laptop, and the speeds were adequate for loading everything I needed for work.

Board Games

When I first walked into the Sky Club, there was a buffet table of fruit-infused water and a selection of board games.

Whether you’ve got a long layover or a delayed flight, you can duke it out with a game of chess or Battleship.

Postcard

A sweet touch to this Sky Club was that you could send postcards before flying home — and travelers didn’t have to pay for stamps!

After spending a week in Hawaii for my cousin’s wedding, I sent her a postcard. Let’s see if it ever arrives!

Staff and Service

The final highlight of this Sky Club visit was the pleasant staff — who went above and beyond to make each guest feel welcome.

There wasn’t a moment when I didn’t hear an employee greet a guest with “aloha,” whether they had just entered the lounge or were moving on to the next part of their travel journey.

Even if it was a smaller lounge, the employees did a fantastic job keeping the space clean by picking up trash swiftly and constantly restocking snacks and hot food.

Final Thoughts

While this Delta Sky Club doesn’t boast the modern touches that other outposts have nowadays, the one in Honolulu was a surprisingly good find. You certainly won’t go hungry with its dishes and desserts galore.

Although having access to airport lounges is only a small factor in deciding which airline I fly, I would go out of my way to fly Delta to revisit this location on my future trips to Hawaii!