Hawaiian Airlines has two elite levels (Pualani Gold and Platinum) and Club status, which you have to pay a yearly membership fee to join.
Hawaiian’s elite status is quite good compared to other U.S. Airlines. It seems fairly easy to achieve, and even Club status gets lounge access. Top elites at other airlines generally do not get that benefit.
Earning Hawaiian Elite Status
Only travel on Hawaiian Airlines, not partner airlines, counts towards elite status.
The requirements for each status to qualify for 2021 were lowered due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The current levels are:
Club- Pay an annual membership fee of $299 OR 40,000 miles.
Pualani Gold- 15 segments OR 10,000 miles (normally 30 segments OR 20,000 miles)
Pualani Platinum– 30 segments or 20,000 miles (normally 60 segments OR 40,000 miles)
Hawaiian Airlines is unique with the requirement to pay for Club status each year, but you get a good amount of benefits including lounge access and free checked bags.
I also like that you can achieve Pualani Gold for 2021 with two round-trip flights to the west coast or one round-trip flights to the east coast.
Hawaiian Elite Status Benefits
All three elite levels get the following benefits.
Flight Benefits– Better seat selection at booking, priority check-in for you and two guests, priority security, priority baggage handling, and a 500 HawaiianMiles on any Neighbor Island flight.
Lounge Access– You also get Premier Club lounge access at
- Honolulu- Below Gate 6
- Hilo- Near Gate A18
- Kona- Near Gate 17
- Kahului- Near Gate 10
- Lihue- Near Gate 5.
Premier Club Benefits
In addition to elite benefits above, Premier Club members also get:
- Two free checked bags.
- Zone 2 boarding.
Pualani Gold Benefits
Pualani Gold members get several other benefits including the benefits listed above.
- Two free checked bags.
- Zone 2 boarding for you and two guests.
- 50% points bonus on Hawaiian Airlines flights.
- Free Neighbor Island same-day standby for an earlier flight.
- One free “Fare-Hold” at any given time. This allows you to lock in the price of a specific flight for a period of time.
- Discounted First Class day of departure upgrades. You will have to log in to your account to view the discount.
- Complimentary Upgrades to Preferred Seats or Extra Comfort seats based on availability.
Pualani Platinum Elite Benefits
Pualani Platinum members enjoy the benefits above plus:
- Three free checked bags.
- Zone 1 boarding for you and two guests.
- 100% points bonus on Hawaiian Airlines flights.
- Guaranteed economy class seat up to 72 hours before departure.
- Free Neighbor Island same-day standby for an earlier flight.
- One free “Fare-Hold” at any given time. This allows you to lock in the price of a specific flight for a period of time.
- Discounted First Class day of departure upgrades. You will have to log in to your account to view the discount.
- Avis Rental Car President’s Club elite status.
Platinum Complimentary Upgrades
Platinum members also earn complimentary upgrades on Neighbor Island flights to Preferred Seat or First Class when available, and upgrades to Extra Comfort on longer flights when available.
Plus, Platinum members receive two one-way system-wide business/first class upgrades each year for international flights or flights to North America.
Platinum members who earn 75,000+ qualifying miles will receive an additional six one-way system-wide upgrades.
You also earn an additional system-wide upgrade for every 10,000 miles after 75,000 miles flown.
Two round-trip flights from the west coast or one round-trip flight from Boston would net you one of these additional upgrades.
These upgrades can be a great way to score a lie-flat seat in Hawaiian’s very nice business class.
The two disadvantages are that both Boston and New York-JFK flights require two systemwide upgrades, and you cannot request an upgrade until 30 days before departure.
