We have a 10:00 p.m. flight out of Honolulu to the mainland. We will be on the north shore of Kauai (I will pay for an extra night so that we can have our accommodation for that day and spend our last day relaxing and enjoying the beauty).

How much time would you plan for returning the car and catching a flight to Honolulu? We want to get as much out of our final day, but don't want to cut things too close. And we don't want to sit in the Honolulu airport longer than necessary.

I plan on booking our inter island flight thru Hawaiian Airlines. Our flight home is via USAirways.

Thanks!

When I booked our trip through Hawaiian Airlines, they recommended 90 minutes between flights.

Lee Ann

Thanks, Lee Ann.

If you are leaving North Shore when "rush hour" hits Kapaa - plan about 10 more minutes than the normal hour or so it takes to drive to the airport from the North Shore.

I have made it in about half an hour - but once did get a ticket as I was coming down the hill a bit south of Anahola?.

Dang guy was waiting by the side of the road at the bottom with his radar gun and no island mercy that day.

Note - there is also a small detour around Kapaa's center that saves a few minutes if the traffic is bad. Check the rental car maps.

Thanks Tomsd.

I have another question (may sound like a dumb one, but it won't be my first time). I have no idea what the Honolulu airport is like or the terminal for Hawaiian Airlines. I assume I'll pick up my bags at the Hawaiian Airlines carousel then check in for USAirways and go thru security again? It's been many years since I've taken a trip using two different airlines, so forgive my ignorance.

BuffaloGirl, that is exactly what we did when we flew from the Big Island to Honolulu to catch a flight home this past January. You have it right.

Re: Baggage: Go through Agricultural Inspection at Lihue (Kauai) airport and check your bags through to your end destination with Hawaiian Air. Airlines have baggage agreements. Passengers should not have to pick up and re-check luggage. You can walk or take Wiki shuttle from Inter island terminal to main terminal in Honolulu. I agree 90 minutes is about what you need, I would not try to get by with less. You will have to check in with US Air to get boarding pass (unless you have ability to print at your accommodation) then go through the main terminal security check.

The only way we have avoided leaving security at HNL, then claiming and re-checking luggage is by having the interisland flight on the same ticket as the mainland flight.

We go through Ag check, then through-check luggage and pay the $25 bag fee to HA, get both boarding passes, sit at HNL two hours, board our flight home. (We through-check luggage this way Chicago-Maui, flying AA and HA.)

I would double check on this with both Hawaiian and US Air.

Thank you all - I will check with the airlines this weekend. It would be great to check the luggage once and forget about it.

Hawaiian will not check bags through to other airlines.

"As detailed in our Contract of Carriage and consistent with the policies of the majority of other carriers, Hawaiian accepts responsibility for transporting baggage between the origin and destination listed on the guest’s Hawaiian Airlines ticket only, or for connecting flights on other airlines that are booked and ticketed on the same reservation...
In the past, we often allowed customers to through-check baggage for connections booked on separate tickets as a courtesy. However, the associated customer service challenges have prompted us to discontinue this practice, effective June 1, 2012.

If you are booked on separate tickets with another airline connecting to Hawaiian Airlines, you will need to collect your bags from the baggage belt upon your arrival at the connection airport and re-check the bags with a Hawaiian Airlines agent. At that time, baggage fees may apply."

Hawaiian Airlines changed their baggage policy a few months ago and will now only check your bags all the way through if both tickets were booked together. If you booked your mainland to HNL on one ticket, and your interisland on another, you will have to claim and recheck your bags.

USAirways is a codeshare partner with Hawaiian Airlines, so you should be able to check in for both flights in Kauai and check your bags through. However, if you are traveling on two separate tickets, that can complicate things. Two different airlines is not the issue; two separate tickets is.

What is, is...they want to get that $25 per bag as you come INTO HNL and go on to another island. The 'we can't be responsible' wording is just cover.

It will be two separate tickets so I guess I'll have to give myself enough time to take care of my luggage, etc.

You guys/gals are great. Thank you!!!

I agree that you should be able to check your bags all the way thru without have to recheck them yourself. I would sure check with both airlines to make sure. time from Northshore to Lihue at 9 in the evening should take at least 1 hour and you want to be at Lihue at least 1 hour before flight so plan on 2 hours total to turn in car, etc...You also might want to consider leaving the current hotel and checking into a hotel closer to Lihue like The Marriott at Kalapaki Beach which is less then 20 minutes away

Thanks, Shar. I'll consider that.

The Marriott in Lihue also has a free shuttle to and from the airport in case you want to drop off your car early, up to you, just an FYI.

Thanks, jamie99. I will look into that as well.