Exit to Courtyard

This is the door that leads to the courtyard right past the security checkpoint at Honolulu Airport.

Courtyard

This is the courtyard. This area is the Chinese Garden. It’s comforting to have a courtyard like this within the airport. In addition to the Chinese Garden, there are also Japanese Garden and Hawaiian Garden sections.

Apron

Since many areas of Honolulu Airport have no windows, you can enjoy an open-air view of the aircraft apron like this.

A JAL Boeing 767 is parked here.

Souvenir Shop

This is a souvenir shop. The character in front is a pineapple, saying "I Love Hawaii."

They also have Hawaiian cookies, a classic souvenir.

Senator Daniel K. Inouye

This display showcases the achievements of Japanese American U.S. Senator Daniel K. Inouye, for whom this airport is named.

JAL Aircraft

This is a JAL aircraft being prepared for departure.

It looks like in-flight meals are being loaded from a truck on the opposite side of the boarding gate.

Poster

This is a photograph of Honolulu displayed in the terminal.

The photo is of Diamond Head.

JAL Aircraft

Here you can see both a JAL aircraft and a Hawaiian Airlines aircraft parked on the apron.

The atmosphere feels tropical. The image quality is excellent—likely thanks to the clean Hawaiian air. There’s little dust or haze, which makes Hawaii feel remarkably pristine.

Moana Surfrider

This statue is said to represent the Moana Surfrider. Surfing has been enjoyed in Hawaii since the late 1700s. In the 20th century, when American tourists began visiting Hawaii, the appeal of surfing spread worldwide.

Wood-Framed Flight Info Board

This is the departure information board. Its wooden frame gives it a retro feel.

Hallway to Lounge

This is the view inside the terminal as I head to the lounge.

Because many parts of Honolulu Airport are open-air without windows, the space feels very open, and you can directly observe the aircraft on the apron.

Since Honolulu gets very little rain throughout the year, this type of design is possible.

Elevator

This is the elevator to the ANA lounge. Currently, Honolulu is the only overseas airport where ANA operates its own lounge. Back in the 2000s, there were ANA lounges in places like Singapore, but maintaining overseas lounges proved difficult and many were closed. With the introduction of the Airbus A380, ANA established a lounge in Hawaii. There is both an ANA Suite Lounge and a regular lounge here.

Entrance

This is the entrance to the ANA lounge, decorated with a sea turtle design. The operating hours are from 8:00 a.m. until the 1:25 p.m. departure.

So for seasoned travelers, while the location is a bit far, Star Alliance Gold members, ANA Platinum, Super Flyers, or Diamond members can use this ANA lounge even when flying with United Airlines, as long as it’s during these hours. It's quite a walk though, so not many people actually do.

Suite Lounge Entrance

This is the entrance to the ANA Suite Lounge, located further inside the lounge.

It was my first time here. I hadn’t returned to Japan from Hawaii during the COVID-19 pandemic, so I never used it until now.

Roll Sandwiches, etc.

This is the food counter inside the Suite Lounge.

Ahi poke is marinated tuna.

Hot Food Station

This is the hot food station. The lids cover everything, so it’s hard to see the contents, but the signs list:

Bar Counter

There’s a bar counter next to the food area, where the staff serve a variety of drinks.

There are also snacks available:

Soft Drinks

This is the fridge with soft drinks. You can see orange juice on the right side.

FLYING HONU Model Planes

At the reception of the ANA lounge, three FLYING HONU model planes were displayed.

Food Corner

I also briefly visited the regular ANA lounge. This is the food laid out there.

You can see sandwiches and salads.

Ceiling

This is the ceiling of the regular ANA lounge. It appears to be designed with Hawaiian wood as a motif. Many passengers were using the space.

Christmas Tree

This is the Christmas tree at the lounge reception.

Food I Had

This is the meal I had inside the Suite Lounge.

I also had udon on the plane, but the texture was different—this one had more chewiness. Perhaps the noodles were made in Hawaii.

Tuna, Shrimp & Avocado Salad

View of Lounge from Suite Lounge

This is the view of the ANA Lounge as seen from the Suite Lounge.

The Suite Lounge is slightly elevated and overlooks the entire regular ANA Lounge in an open space.

Since the flight was about to depart, there were very few guests left.

Gate for Airbus A380

It seems that from this lounge, you can board the Airbus A380 directly through a dedicated gate—there’s only one bridge, though.

On this day, the flight was operated by a Boeing 787, so this gate was not used.

From the Gate

This is the Boeing 787 aircraft I boarded that day.

From Another Angle

This is the same Boeing 787 aircraft, photographed from a different angle.

Business Class Seat

This is the business class seat I sat in on this flight. This particular seat is a pair seat with no divider between the two seats. Other seats have a fixed partition between them to ensure privacy.

On this day, the seat next to me was vacant, so I had both seats to myself.

Welcome Drink

I was served a glass of sparkling wine as a welcome drink.

Cabin Lighting

The cabin lighting was set to a soft emerald green.

Menu and Towel

This is the menu and oshibori (hot towel) I received after takeoff.

Amuse and Champagne

Amuse-bouche (pre-appetizer) and champagne.

Western One-Plate Meal

This was the meal for the day. On the Hawaii route, meals are served as a one-plate dish after the amuse, rather than in a multi-course format. Since the flight duration is short, serving one plate saves time on meal service. Despite being a single plate, the meal was quite luxurious.

Appetizer

A close-up of the appetizer.

Main Course

This is the main dish — meat.

Ice Cream

Haagen-Dazs ice cream was served after the meal.

Cheese

After the meal, I was offered cheese and happily accepted. It came with two types of cheese and fruit-filled bread.

Drinks

After resting at my seat post-meal, I had some drinks.

Snack

This was the snack served before arrival.

I had udon again because the one in the lounge was so good. The texture of the lounge noodles was more chewy. The in-flight version wasn’t bad at all, but the difference was noticeable.

Sake Menu

This is the sake menu.

Sake Enjoyed

This is the sake I enjoyed at that time.

It’s “Kamoshibito Kuheiji” Junmai Daiginjo from Hyogo Prefecture.

Thank-You Cookies and More

Before landing, the cabin crew came around to thank passengers for flying. They handed out Hawaiian cookies and candies, along with what seemed to be a white hibiscus, giving it a very Hawaiian touch.

Arrival Lobby

We arrived at Haneda. This is the arrival lobby.