We want to visit 3 islands during an upcoming Hawaiian vacation. How easy is it to get from one island to another? Do you make reservations in advance just like on the mainland? Has the ordeal become more time consuming since Sept 11th? Any advice will be greatly appreciated!

I was wondering the same thing. Also, to any potential responders, how much time does one need to allow for interisland transport? Is it really 2hrs like on the mainland?

There are two airlines flying interisland. Aloha and Hawaiian. There's little to chose from between the two. There are many flights, but it's surprising how often they have a stand by list. It's a good idea to make reservations.

The often have specials where you can buy a packet of tickets at a discount. You might be able to get the tickets cheaper in Hawaii. But hey you're on vacation, not hunting for airplane tickets.

On either airline, you can make advanced reservations, that does not have to be prepaid. When you get to the Hi airport, you can buy a bookof 6 one-way tickets that are good for ANY inter-island flight. this is the best, and most cost-effective way to travel between the islands. I would suggest making advance reservations, especially since you don't need to pre-pay.

Aloha airlines recommends 90 minutes interisland.
Check the Honolulu Advertiser travel sections for agents selling coupon books. Aloha sells the books at their counter- $300 for 5 tickets (one way). They can be sold or transferred, but make sure to check the expiration dates. The flights are run like shuttles, but they are often filled these days, as the schedules have been modified/ compressed to maximize profits. Hawaiian & Aloha are talking merger, so who knows???

I've also gotten good deals from Roberts Hawaii in Honolulu.

Plan on 3 hours (or more) for each inter-island trip, and that may be even longer now with increased security and having to get to the airports so much earlier. By the time you get to the airport, check in, wait for flight to leave and then actually fly, you will be surprised at how long it can actually take for a flight (between islands) that lasts less than a half hour. Also some inter- island flights will not be direct, and you will have to pass through Honolulu, and may have to even change planes. Ask when you make inter-island reservations if you can get a direct non-stop flight. So....those of you who want to do more than one island, keep in mjind that you will blow off the better part of the day in transit to another island.
I have secured discounted inter-island tickets on line at http://Travel-Hawaii.com. Check their prices against the airlines. I had no trouble with them and the tickets were delivered to me at my home before I left for Hawaii. Do make your reservations however.

traveling between the islands is pretty easy. hawaiian airlines has frequent flts between honolulu, maui, hilo, kona, and kauai. if you plan to go to molokai or lanai, try aloha island air. they fly props but have more flts to those two islands than hawaiian which flies jets. make reservations in advance especially since weekends get pretty busy. both airlines offer interisland coupon books which are more cost efficient and flexible than purchasing the over the phone fares. coupon books for hawaiian are 6 for 391.50. security is fine, but on occasion has caused slight delays.

My husband & I are going to Hawaii for 2 weeks in March. Our ticket is into Honolulu, so we are purchasing inter-island tickets as we are only staying in Honolulu a couple of nights and then over to Kauai and Kona. Aloha has a fare called FLEX FARE for $49.99 plus tax one-way, as does Hawaiian Airlines which calls the fare Z-fare. These fares have to be booked & purchased at least 7 days in advance. I called Aloha's toll-free #800/367-5250(in the US) and booked our flights from Honolulu-Lihue-Kona-Honolulu for a total of $162.00 per person, including tax. This worked out the best for us, since we didn't really want to "island hop" to too many islands in two weeks. We felt two islands in two weeks was enough. So, you might give Hawaiian or Aloha a call and check out their available flights. I gave them a credit card and they are mailing the tickets. But you can do it over the internet and get an E-ticket too.