Qantas’ Honolulu Lounge is reopening with a new look

Qantas frequent flyers jetting off to Hawaii this month are in for an early Christmas present, with the airline’s well-worn Honolulu International Business Lounge finally reopening after being shuttered in March 2020 – and it’s doing so with a new look.

Unlocking its doors on December 16, the freshly-refurbished lounge will be the second to open since Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce teased a new wave of lounge upgrades in November.

Also on that list is an all-new Qantas Business lounge for Adelaide, alongside renovations for the airport’s Qantas Club and Chairman’s Lounge, and a Cinderella-like transformation for the much-maligned Auckland lounges, which will become a London-style premium lounge to serve as the linchpin for Sydney-Auckland-New York flights.

Specific details of the Honolulu refurb are yet to be revealed, but should go a long way to helping the space shake off its long-standing reputation as the worst in the airline’s network.

In addition, the Red Roo will boost its summer schedule with an additional two return flights between Sydney-Honolulu for six weeks over the season.

Honolulu remains a popular destination for Qantas, which until early 2020 flew a Boeing 747 from Sydney, and its low-cost arm Jetstar.

Until now, the airline has been issuing vouchers for food and drinks at the airport’s retail outlets to “eligible passengers and their guests” – including business class passengers, Qantas Club members and Gold, Platinum and Platinum One frequent flyers.

That said, savvy business class passengers and frequent flyers on QF104 have also been making 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. 

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 those at Auckland and London, and the Los Angeles Business and First lounges.

Additional reporting by David Flynn