Hawaiian Airlines South Premier Club at Kahului Airport in Maui [Review]

Before our flight home from Maui in late January 2025, my wife and I were happy to see that we had lounge access to a Hawaiian Airlines lounge, thanks to our Priority Pass membership. However, we were less than impressed with our visit.

There are 2 Hawaiian Airlines lounges at the Kahului Airport (OGG) in Maui. I can’t speak for the other location, but the Hawaiian Airlines South Premier Club offered little more than seating during our visit.

This lounge isn’t worth going out of your way for a visit. However, if you’re passing by and have time to kill, it could be worth stopping in.

Here’s what we found inside during our visit.

Hawaiian Airlines South Premier Club Location

There are 2 Hawaiian Airlines lounges at the Kahului Airport, the main airport on Hawaii’s so-called Valley Isle, Maui. You’ll find the other Premier Club lounge near gate 17 after turning left from the main food court and shopping area.

Those flying out of gates 1 to 16 turn right, and we found the Hawaiian Airlines South Premier Club across from gate 15 after passing the agricultural inspection station. The lounge’s entrance was on the right side of the hallway and had an automatic sliding door, though its frosted glass meant you couldn’t see inside when the door was closed.

The lounge clearly listed its hours on the door: 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily. Given its location, the lounge was only accessible to those on domestic flights in the U.S., not those flying to international destinations.

Gaining Entry to the Hawaiian Airlines South Premier Club

A sign outside the lounge’s entrance clearly indicated that Priority Pass and LoungeKey members could enter.

When we entered, an employee at the desk asked for our boarding passes, government ID, and Priority Pass membership. Then, she told us to come back in 15 minutes because Priority Pass members only had access to the lounge 2 hours before departure.

For Priority Pass members, children under 2 were admitted into the lounge for free when accompanying an adult.

I have my Priority Pass members as a benefit of The Platinum Card^® from American Express. After enrolling for this benefit, I can visit Priority Pass lounges an unlimited number of times and bring up to 2 guests into the lounge at no additional charge.

BEST LOUNGE ACCESS

Terms Apply / Rates & Fees

The Platinum Card^® from American Express

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the ins and outs of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

The Amex Platinum reigns supreme for luxury travel, offering the best airport lounge access plus generous statement credits, and complimentary elite status.

Apply Now(at Amex's secure site)

Apply With Confidence

Know if you're approved with no credit score impact

If you're approved and accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.

The Platinum Card^® from American Express

The Amex Platinum reigns supreme for luxury travel, offering the best airport lounge access plus generous statement credits, and complimentary elite status.

Welcome Offer

Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards^® Points after you spend $8,000 on eligible purchases on the Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.

80,000 points

UP's Offer Valuation*:

Up to $1,760

Annual Fee

$695

APR

See Pay Over Time APR

Credit Recommended

Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO^®Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit cardapplication.

Good to Excellent

Why We Like This Card

When it comes to cards that offer top-notch benefits, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better card out there than The Platinum Card^® from American Express.

Make no mistake — the Amex Platinum card is a premium card with a premium price tag. With amazing benefits like best-in-class airport lounge access, hotel elite status, and tremendous value in annual statement credits, it can easily prove to be one of the most lucrative cards in your wallet year after year.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• The best airport lounge access out of any card (by far) — enjoy access to over 1,400 worldwide lounges, including the luxurious Amex Centurion Lounges, Priority Pass lounges (enrollment required), Plaza Premium Lounges, and many more!
• 5x points per dollar spent on flights purchased directly with the airline or with AmexTravel.com (up to $500,000 per year)
• 5x points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels booked with AmexTravel.com

Cons

• $695 annual fee (rates and fees)
• Airline credit does not cover airfare (only incidentals like checked bags)

Read Full Review

Card Highlights

• Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards^® Points after you spend $8,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
• Earn 5X Membership Rewards^® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year and earn 5X Membership Rewards^® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel.
• $200 Hotel Credit: Get up to $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts^® or The Hotel Collection bookings through American Express Travel using your Platinum Card^®. The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay.
• $240 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $20 back in statement credits each month on eligible purchases made with your Platinum Card^® on one or more of the following: Disney+, a Disney Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, The New York Times, Peacock, and The Wall Street Journal. Enrollment required.
• With American Express Global Lounge Collection^® you can enjoy access to over 1,400 airport lounges globally, including The Centurion^® Lounge, Unlimited Delta Sky Club^® Access when flying an eligible Delta flight, Escape Lounges, Lufthansa Lounges when flying Lufthansa Group, Plaza Premium, Priority Pass™ Select Lounges, & Additional Global Lounge Collection Partner Lounges subject to visit limitations. Lounges may have their own rules, like additional access rules and guest fees, and for Priority Pass Select, you need to enroll and there are unlimited airport lounge visits for Card Members. With Delta Sky Club Access, Card Members will receive 10 Visits to the Delta Sky Club to be used from February 1 until January 31 of the next calendar year and can unlock Unlimited Delta Sky Club Access by spending $75,000 in eligible purchases on their Card in a calendar year. To find a lounge, visit the membership section in the American Express^® App or visit http://www.americanexpress.com/findalounge#/loungefinder.
• $155 Walmart+ Credit: Save on eligible delivery fees, shipping, and more with a Walmart+ membership. Use your Platinum Card^® to pay for a monthly Walmart+ membership and get up to $12.95 plus applicable taxes back on one membership (excluding Plus Ups) each month.
• $200 Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees are charged by the airline to your Platinum Card^®.
• $200 Uber Cash: Platinum Card^® Members can ride or dine in style with $15 in Uber Cash each month, plus a bonus $20 in December after adding their Card to their Uber account. Use your Uber Cash on rides and orders in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction.
• $199 CLEAR^® Plus Credit: CLEAR^® Plus helps to get you to your gate faster at 50+ airports nationwide and get up to $199 back per calendar year on your Membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you use your Card. CLEARLanes are available at 100+ airports, stadiums, and entertainment venues.
• Receive either a $120 statement credit every 4 years for a Global Entry application fee or a statement credit up to $85 every 4.5 years for a TSA PreCheck^® (through a TSA official enrollment provider) application fee, when charged to your Platinum Card^®. Card Members approved for Global Entry will also receive access to TSA PreCheck at no additional cost.
• Shop Saks with Platinum: Get up to $100 in statement credits annually for purchases in Saks Fifth Avenue stores or at saks.com on your Platinum Card^®. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
• Unlock access to exclusive reservations and special dining experiences with Global Dining Access by Resy when you add your Platinum Card^® to your Resy profile.
• $695 annual fee.
• Apply with confidence. Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
• Terms Apply.

Financial Snapshot

• APR: See Pay Over Time APR
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

Rewards Center

American Express Membership Rewards

Access is also available for those flying in first class with Hawaiian Airlines to a neighboring island or elsewhere in North America, plus those with HawaiianMiles Pualani Platinum or Gold status. Premier Club members also have access.

First Impressions

Small. Tiny. Compact. What’s another word for “really small?”

The Hawaiian Airlines South Premier Club was minuscule. With seating for roughly 35 people, it may be one of the smallest airport lounges I’ve ever visited.

After passing the reception desk, we saw multiple guests express shock when they grasped how small the lounge was — and its lack of offerings, which I’ll discuss in the amenities section below.

Seating

Despite its small size, the lounge managed to have 4 different types of seating. Nearest to the reception desk, a booth-style bench lined the wall. There were 4 circular tables here, and padded chairs sat on the opposite sides of them. In total, the 4 tables had space for 8 people.

At the bottom of the bench, there were a few outlets for visitors to use.

In the center of the lounge, there were padded armchairs set into groups of 4. These were the most popular seats at the Hawaiian Airlines South Premier Club.

Past a divider at the rear of the lounge, there were 2 additional seating types. There were square tables with 2 padded chairs each. Along the window, there were high chairs. Given the lounge’s location, these faced the interior of the airport, so there was no planespotting here.

Food and Beverages

This section might be more appropriate without “food” in the title, given that there wasn’t any. When checking in to the lounge, the employee at the desk informed customers that there were no meals or snacks available. The only thing to nibble on was the taro chips in a jar at the drink station.

The drink station had water, iced tea, fountain sodas (Coca-Cola products), a coffee machine, hot water, and multiple kinds of tea bags.

The lounge had a sign saying that all drinks were to be consumed inside, which is probably why there were no canned or bottled drinks available — nothing you could easily take out of the lounge. There were also no alcoholic beverages available here.

Given the lack of offerings, we left the lounge after a short visit to look for something to eat before a 6-hour United Airlines flight in economy that didn’t include a meal. We saw other visitors who left the lounge very quickly, likely for the same reasons.

Amenities

Given its space, the lounge didn’t offer much for visitors to enjoy. There were no quiet areas, departure boards, or showers. There weren’t even any bathrooms in the lounge (you had to use the public restrooms in the hallway outside), so forget about looking for a spa or sleeping pod during your visit here.

Other than seating and some beverages, the lounge’s sole amenity was Wi-Fi. There was a private internet connection guests could use, and the password was available on signs at multiple tables. Given that the airport’s public Wi-Fi still worked well for us inside the lounge (and given our short stay), we never connected to the lounge’s network.

The lounge also provided a place to escape the overhead announcements in the terminal, which were not broadcast here.

Service

The desk employee was efficient, but I wouldn’t call her anything synonymous with “friendly.” Granted, she probably has a tough job. The lounge offers very little, and she probably hears complaints about it constantly.

Thus, when people entered, she provided clarity up front. She told them there was no food, alcohol, or bathroom inside, which probably saved her from “Why didn’t you tell me …” questions later on.

With all of that, I couldn’t fault her for not smiling or being friendlier during our visit. However, she could’ve been a little less gruff when checking our tickets and telling us we couldn’t enter for another 15 minutes.

We did see a second employee as we were leaving. She came to clean the table after we got up, but we didn’t interact with her.

Final Thoughts

If you have time to kill and are passing by, the Hawaiian Airlines South Premier Club at Kahului Airport in Maui provides seating, a few beverages, and an escape from the announcements in the terminal. It doesn’t offer other perks, though, so you shouldn’t go out of your way to visit — or arrive early at the airport for the sake of this lounge.

There’s no food here, and members with a pay-per-visit lounge membership definitely shouldn’t pay to access this lounge near gate 15. Purchasing a soda at one of the nearby stores would be a better use of your money if you’re on a paid membership.