Our plane leaves HNL for home Saturday, December 15 at 10:00pm. We will be on the Big Island that day and my choices for interisland air travel have me getting to HNL at 6:30pm (not crazy about sitting around the airport for 3 hours) or my other option is 8:30pm. Do you think an hour is cutting it too close? I'm hoping the airport is dead on a Saturday night and it shouldn't take longer than an hour to go through check in and security. If it matters, we're flying Delta and are gold medallion members, so we don't have to stand in the regular line to check in. Alternatively, are there any restaurants nearby so that if we do take the earlier flight, we could at least get out of the airport and do something enjoyable while waiting. Thanks for any advice.

Arriving at HNL from the BI at 8:30 should give you plenty of time for a 10 pm flight - especially if you're a travel club member with special check in. The area around the airport isn't someplace you'd want to be wandering around at that time of night. There are places to eat inside the airport - after you clear security - in case you want to get something before the flight.

ARe you sure your interisland carrier will accept your baggage for transfer
in Honolulu with only a 60 minute layover? They usually require 75 minutes to transfer luggage to mainland cariers. Make sure you ask!

The arriving-earlier-option gives you approx 2.5 hours to get out of the aiport for dinner. It is possible to take a cab to Sam Choy's on Nimitz, make sure you have reservation; tell them of your layover. Aloha Tower is also do-able with advance reservations. The ultra funky La Mariana Sailing Club is close to the airport, its a vintage tiki bar but it could be tough to find a cab to get you back to the airport.

greatceasarsghost, it's not as if youre in some sterile airport in ohio or somewhere; hnl is a wonderful place to spend time (even now that they've closed a cool air museum there). get a take out picnic at any of the many food places and take it downstairs to the huge garden complex surrounded by a triangle of departure gates. there is a lush hawaiian section, chinese section with temple, but best of all is to take your food across the bridge to an island temple in the gorgeous japanese section.

When making your interisland reservation, call the airline and have an agent help you. Tell them you are connecting to a mainland flight. They will tell you if they will connect your luggage ans will tell you the latest flight you can take into HNL. From myh experience, 8:30 is fine as it is giving you 90 minutes.