We will be traveling to Hawaii next year and was wondering if anyone has had any experience with using the inter-island flights. Best way to book them, best airline, can you do a 1 day trip and come back the same day and make it worthwhile? We will be staying for 14 days total and don't want to spend all our time at the airport yet want to visit the best of Hawaii. We have a reservation at the Westin in Maui for 6 days. Any suggestions. Thanks in advance.

The 2 major inter-island airlines are Aloha and Hawaiian. Both about the same
cost wise. I generally use Hawaiian but think Aloha is fine too. Yes, you can get from one island to another island in one day. Most inter-island flights are under 30 minutes. The major problem with trying to do one island in one day is the hassle of having to check into the airport and wait for your flight and then wait for rental car or other transportation. But it can be done if you want and you can see part of an island if you take an early morning flight and return on the latest evening flight. I wouldn't recommend just a one day trip to one of the islands, but I have known people who have done so. You just don't get to see much. I would recommend booking your flights in advance as much as you can, but you can do so when you get to Hawaii, but stand a risk of not getting the flight or time you desire. Recommend you consider Kauai and Big Island as another island to consider for your trip. Have a great trip.

When I took interisland flghts, I took into consideration both the schedules, costs and whether they were linked to the airline where I had most of frequent flier miles. I eventually settled for the best schedule as I felt that my time was more important. I made all more reservations before going but picked up the tickets at the airport. I believe either airline is okay to use. Make sure that the ticket you to the correct airport as I would have ended up going to Lihue when I wanted to go back to Honolulu from Kona if I wasn't paying close attention to what the clerk was saying.

Cheryl,

We did inter-island flights on Hawaiian Airlines when we got married in Maui. We used Maui as our base & flew to the Big Island & Kauai for the days. The flight schedules are plentiful & flights are fast. Checking in isn't a big deal at these small airports.

It was a good way to get a taste of the different islands. We ended up going back to Kauai last year because we liked our 1 day trip there so much.

Enjoy.

i've flown both aloha and hawaiian and they're about the same. only difference might be if you have a freq. flyer acct. w/one of their partners and want miles. they sometimes have discounts if you book on their websites. also you can try www.pandaonline.com which is a local agency for their packages and rates. IF you do a one day thing, which i wouldn't recommend unless you went to a small island like molokai or lanai that doesn't have as much to see, then i would consider a package. there a ton of companies who offer one day packages that you'll see advertised in the "this week oahu" or other tourist booklets when you get to the airport in hawaii. i think 6 days in maui is good enough to give you a taste of the island. you didn't say where else you were going to, but kauai would be good if you're more of a laid back and nature-type person and oahu would be good if you're more city-folk type.