Chaos at the Honolulu Airport for Hawaiian Airlines?
Mar 22nd, 2019, 09:54 AM
#1
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Chaos at the Honolulu Airport for Hawaiian Airlines?
On the Trip Advisor site there's a longish thread about major problems for people flying back to the U.S. on Hawaiian Airlines--crowds, slow screening, and so on. Has anyone had recent experience? I can see now why the 3-hour-in-advance arrival at the airport is recommended.
Mar 22nd, 2019, 02:21 PM
#2
maybe give us a link to the TA thread -- or at least tell us the dates. I saw lots about this a while back . . . but it was during the Federal Govt. shutdown which would be an important detail.
I've been through HNL a few times and didn't find it much different than any other airport. But I have PreCheck . . . and could have just been lucky.
I've been through HNL a few times and didn't find it much different than any other airport. But I have PreCheck . . . and could have just been lucky.
Mar 23rd, 2019, 08:25 AM
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Mar 23rd, 2019, 11:25 AM
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Oh - so it seems it has gotten worse because the airline has moved their desks (and not planned it well) and it has caused confusion on top of long lines. Do you have Pre-check? If so I'd think 2 hours would be fine. Without pre-check, maybe 3 . . .
Mar 27th, 2019, 08:39 AM
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I'm a local that flies Hawaiian regularly because they offer direct flights to Portland so it's the easiest flight for me to visit my daughter. I have pre-check and the line has never really been too bad. Getting to the airport 2 hours in advance should be fine if you have pre-check. However, "busy" times such as the end of spring break, late August when the college kids return to school, the holiday season does make the lines a bit longer.
The Hawaiian terminal has been ridiculous for years, mainly the lines to go through security, especially if you don't have pre-check. It is a common occurrence to see the line for non pre-check security to go outside the terminal. Some people have told me that they enter security on the international terminal and walk across, but I've never done that.
The procedure with Hawaiian is that you first send your bags through the agriculture screening if you're returning to the mainland. Then you go to to one of the kiosks, check into your flight, print your boarding passes if you want, print your baggage tags and attach to your luggage. Then you wheel your luggage to the baggage handlers at the back by the conveyor belts where they take them and check your boarding passes against your luggage tags. Then you get in line for security.
And sorry, just a small point - Hawaii is part of the U.S. - so you're flying back to the mainland, not the U.S. Not a big deal but we get it all the time.
The Hawaiian terminal has been ridiculous for years, mainly the lines to go through security, especially if you don't have pre-check. It is a common occurrence to see the line for non pre-check security to go outside the terminal. Some people have told me that they enter security on the international terminal and walk across, but I've never done that.
The procedure with Hawaiian is that you first send your bags through the agriculture screening if you're returning to the mainland. Then you go to to one of the kiosks, check into your flight, print your boarding passes if you want, print your baggage tags and attach to your luggage. Then you wheel your luggage to the baggage handlers at the back by the conveyor belts where they take them and check your boarding passes against your luggage tags. Then you get in line for security.
And sorry, just a small point - Hawaii is part of the U.S. - so you're flying back to the mainland, not the U.S. Not a big deal but we get it all the time.
Mar 28th, 2019, 06:16 AM
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My bad--I don't think I've ever done that before! Chalk it up to pre-trip stress and fatigue.
Sounds a bit like National Airport in D.C., bar the ag screening. But we're used to that on flights from France.
Thank you VERY much for the excellent information. Now I just have to search for dates of spring break--I suppose it varies.
Sounds a bit like National Airport in D.C., bar the ag screening. But we're used to that on flights from France.
Thank you VERY much for the excellent information. Now I just have to search for dates of spring break--I suppose it varies.
Apr 22nd, 2019, 08:15 PM
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No chaos at all on the day that we left. Security was actually mild, compared with what we went through in France and Chicago last year.
As for the day that we left...we arrived at the SMF airport 2 hours in advance and had more than enough time to sit and wait. It turned out that our flight was the first direct flight to Maui; so there was a TV presence and orchid leis all around. Our connecting flight from Maui to Honolulu went smoothly.
As for the day that we left...we arrived at the SMF airport 2 hours in advance and had more than enough time to sit and wait. It turned out that our flight was the first direct flight to Maui; so there was a TV presence and orchid leis all around. Our connecting flight from Maui to Honolulu went smoothly.
