My family recently enjoyed a wonderful visit to the island of Hawai’i. We connected through Honolulu — and had an opportunity to check out the Delta Sky Club airport lounge in HNL!
The club isn’t anything too fancy. But there were plenty of ample places to sit, the food and beverages were tasty, and the staff was very welcoming and friendly. This is what our visit was like!
Where is the Delta Sky Club in Honolulu?
You’ll find the HNL Delta Sky Club near gate F1 on the Main Concourse.
Most of the Delta flights were arriving and departing from the higher-numbered “E” gates. The club is about a 5-7 minute walk from those gates. (From the E gates: walk to Starbucks and then take a right. From the Sky Club to the E gates: mosey toward Starbuck’s and hang a left.)
If you’re connecting to/from a Hawaiian Airlines flight — especially an interisland hop — beware that the walk to the “A” gates is a good 15 minutes away. Make sure to factor that into your visit, if applicable.
Entering the Delta Sky Club in Honolulu
A Sky Club rep checked our COVID-19 vaccination cards and matching photo IDs before we entered the actual club. She also verified our four-year-old daughter’s negative COVID-19 test. Then we went inside the lounge and presented our boarding passes for formal admission.
My wife carries the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, which provides complimentary admission to Delta Sky Clubs when traveling on a Delta-marketed and operated flight. I hold its business flavor, the card_name.
We connected from a Hawaiian Airlines flight (read more about that here) and had HA-issued boarding passes for our HNL to LAX flight. The Sky Club rep printed new boarding passes on Delta stock and tossed our HA passes.
Inside the Delta Sky Club Honolulu
We entered the lounge around 10:50 AM; our flight home boarded at about noon. So we had a solid hour to hang out.
The club wasn’t very crowded at that time of day. I know there are a bunch of redeyes departing in the evening. If you’ve visited the HNL Sky Club in the evening, would you please comment below as to whether or not there were a lot of people?
This club’s interior won’t make you go “Wow!” or anything. But it’s certainly better than sitting in a gate area. And the artwork features some fun Hawaiian themes.
There’s a theatre-style TV area on the left side of the club (next to the buffet and bar).
And a much smaller TV on the far right end of the club.
You’ll also find a business area with a printer and some outlets.
Is charging your device important? Make sure to pack a portable battery with you. Several seats do not have USB or power outlets.
Food and Beverage at the Delta Sky Club Honolulu
The HNL Sky Club impressed the heck out of us when it came to lunch and drinks!
A Sky Club rep plated our food as COVID protocols were still in place.
The hot food selections were pulled pork and meatballs. You can get them over rice, pasta, or as sandwiches. Both meats were absolutely delicious. I love meatballs and was a little skeptical about these. But they were very tasty. The pulled pork wasn’t the best I’ve ever had — but certainly quite good.
If you’re a bread pudding fan, make sure to try the Sky Club’s. Strawberries and blueberries are served with it. Therefore, it’s a healthy dessert. Right? 😉
Sandwiches and salads were also available.
A variety of grab-and-go snacks were placed on a table.
Those were next to a freezer stocked with Bubbies Mochi ice cream treats!
Thirsty? There’s a self-serve drink station with beverages such as water and tea.
A staffed bar offers the usual array of complimentary and premium beverages. You can also get sodas and other drinks from the employees.
Here’s a special treat: the Delta Sky Club Honolulu serves complimentary Mai Tais and Tropical Blue Hawaiis!
As a blogger, I took it upon myself to try both and report back to you. (No need to thank me.)
My wife and I enjoyed both drinks. The Mai Tai was very good — and somewhat strong (and that’s me saying that). We sampled many a Mai Tai during our five days in the Aloha State. The Sky Club’s wasn’t the absolute best (that honor goes to the Lava Lava Beach Club). But it certainly is up there.
I look forward to enjoying another sometime!
The other specialty drink is Tropical Blue Hawaii. It includes vodka, white rum, Blue Curacao, and an orange liqueur. (Yup. There’s some booze in there.) Oh, and some pineapple juice.
Tropical Blue Hawaii is somewhat tangy — but nothing tart. (You won’t make a weird face when you sip it.)
And I do mean “sip.” Because here’s the potential problem with it: it’s smooth. Very smooth. (Which, of course, is the double-edged sword of many tropical drinks.) Enjoy all alcohol in moderation — especially this drink!
The One Feature On Our Wish List
There are no windows inside the club. So, no plane spotting or natural light. That’s a bummer. But that’s not necessarily anyone’s fault. Delta did what they could with the space.
That said, how great would it be for an HNL Sky Club to feature a Sky Deck?! The sunshine and light tropical breeze…
Final Approach
We enjoyed our visit to the Delta Sky Club in Honolulu. The interior isn’t anything extraordinary — and could use some upgrades (especially when it comes to power sources). But it’s a decent place to kick back before or in between flights.
The food and beverages are not to be overlooked! Arrive hungry and thirsty: I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
Mahalo, Delta Sky Club Honolulu!
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Nothing much has changed in the 3 years since we were there. That being said it was comfortable and functional and certainly better then sitting at a gate.
We were just there too. Great Delta Sky Club! We really liked the staff serving from the smorgasbord of food available to help keep safer/cleaner. The airport isn’t air conditioned therefore it was really nice to get some ‘cool down time’. Staff was awesome! Highly recommend!!!
Food has definitely improved. Evening fare before flight to LAX included a Japanese curry over rice and poke. The location is a big improvement over the old location in the garden area. Evening crowds were manageable (half the seating occupied) but depends on the day of travel, Sat & Sun evenings tend to be more crowded because of visitors returning home on red eyes.
What stood out to me the most at the HNL Sky Club was the service. When I last visited in 2018, everyone was exceedingly warm and friendly. It felt like going to my grandma’s the way they insisted you eat (and drink) more. As far as Mai Tais goes, I encourage you to check out Bar Leather Apron next time you’re on Oahu. From a local perspective, BLA is the best bar in the state. They’ve also won a few global awards for their 100% made-from-scratch Mai Tais. You won’t get any beach views or anything like that but the quality of the drinks can’t be beat!
Chris, thanks for the review. I will be visiting there in February with a 3+ hrs Layover. ( waiting for a red eye) I was wondering what to expect. Looks like I should be ok!
We took the redeye to SEA on November 2nd, our experience mirrored yours. People were really friendly, the food was great, and service was sterling. Even just before our 10-ish departure the club was not near full.
We were there last week and I can’t say enough about the staff in this lounge. These people went above and beyond to make your time there more than pleasant. The food and service were excellent!