Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu is Hawaii’s largest airport and the state’s primary gateway, handling over 21 million passengers annually. As the primary hub for Hawaiian Airlines (with a secondary hub at Kahului Airport), it connects travelers to destinations across North America, Asia and Australia.
But this is more than just a launching point. The airport has beautiful gardens and open-air terminals that are favorites of aviation fans, with Hawaiian music often playing in the background.
Getting to and from the airport
Rideshare services like Uber and Lyft pick up from three dedicated areas on the second floor outside Lobbies 2, 5, and 8. An economical option is using shared shuttle companies like SpeediShuttle that take travelers from the airport to their hotels. You can reserve these in advance or arrange them on-site, where you’ll find lots of magazines and tourism materials to bring along for the ride. Standard taxis and public bus service (TheBus) are also available.
All major car rental companies have an office at the airport, but they aren’t in the baggage claim area. Instead, you’ll need to take a shuttle to the Consolidated Rent-A-Car (CONRAC) facility, though some Terminal 2 baggage claims offer a short walk to the rental center.
If you’re driving your own car, there are several parking options across multiple garages (Terminal 1, Terminal 2, and International). Some garages are farther than others, with lower-cost options requiring a longer walk. Be sure to take a picture of where you parked, because the garages can be a maze when you return from a long trip.
Security
The airport has dedicated TSA PreCheck lanes, which can still be long, but there are multiple entry points to the terminal. Sometimes, the security queues for one of the many inter-island flights can be quite lengthy. Walk to another checkpoint to save time when inter-island flight queues get lengthy. In my experience the busiest time for security lines is midday as well as between 5pm and 8pm when most of the red eye flights take off for the mainland.
Iconic terminals and gardens
The airport recently completed major reconstruction of Runway 8L and is continuing multi-phase airfield improvements with ongoing runway and taxiway shoulder rehabilitation. While the latest terminal addition is beautiful, it lacks the distinctive Hawaiian touches you’ll find in other parts of the airport. Another important consideration is that walks between terminals can be lengthy, and many sections lack moving walkways.
Several areas of the airport are open-air, so you can feel the island breeze and sunshine from the moment you step off the plane. I love snapping photos as planes pull up to the gate. While you can walk between terminals, hop the free Wiki Wiki Shuttle instead to save time. It runs between Terminals 1, 2, and 3.
If you have some extra time, go down one level to find one of three cultural gardens spread throughout the airport. There are Japanese, Chinese and Hawaiian gardens, each with native flowers, trees and water features. The Hawaiian garden even has luau torches that light up the exotic ferns and bird of paradise once the sun sets.
I love spending time in the gardens before a long flight as a way to relax. If you have access to the lounge shared between Japan Airlines and American Airlines, you can enjoy a bonus bird’s-eye view of the gardens.
A hub for the Pacific
Hawaiian Airlines is the dominant carrier here and maintains its primary hub at the airport, operating approximately 150 daily Neighbor Island flights plus nonstop routes connecting Honolulu with U.S. mainland gateways and international destinations including Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti, American Samoa, and the Cook Islands. The airline has consistently led all U.S. carriers in on-time performance according to U.S. DOT reporting, making this a critical hub airport in the Pacific region. Beyond long-haul flights, there’s a significant number of inter-island flights. Some people even commute to other islands for work.
Lounges
There are several airline lounges spread across the airport, but they vary in size and layout. The United Club has great views, while the Delta Sky Club and Hawaiian Airlines Plumeria Lounge are both shoe boxes with no views at all. Honestly, many people may prefer to relax in the open breeze rather than a windowless lounge.
Hawaiian Airlines offers The Plumeria Lounge with hot food, beer and wine, plus high-speed Wi-Fi and charging outlets. They also provide a purchasable Lei Greeting service for special arrivals.
If you want to surprise that special someone with a lei, Hawaiian Airlines offers a Lei Greeting service that provides a traditional fresh flower lei upon arrival. It’s a special way to start any trip to the Aloha State.
Interestingly, some hotels like the Four Seasons Resort Lānaʻi have their own airport lounges with complimentary meals and beverages before and after a stay. Most guests then take a private luxury transfer flight from HNL to the resort on the island of Lānaʻi via Lanai Air.
Local flavors
You won’t go hungry or thirsty at Honolulu’s airport, and I love how many local brands have set up shop inside. This includes Kona Brewery, Lahaina Chicken & Pizza and Lani Moo’s Tropical Treats. You can also buy everything from pineapple to floral leis to take home.
One thing to consider is that the Department of Agriculture will scan your bags to make sure you’re not bringing certain types of fruit, plants or other microorganisms back to the mainland. Eat that apple before it gets confiscated.
This also includes floral leis made from citrus-related flowers or leaves. I usually ask staff at the airport which flowers or fruit would be permitted (they sell delicious whole pineapples in gift boxes at the airport).
Interesting features at the airport
You won’t have to wait as long for your checked luggage as in previous years now that the airport has upgraded its baggage handling system. It doubled the capacity of bags it can handle from 400 to 800.
One of my favorite shopping options at the airport is an aviation-themed store that sells model planes, bag tags, airline memorabilia and other gifts. It’s a fun stop for airline crew, families and anyone that likes the magic of air travel.
Before you even head to the airport, visit the airport’s website for real-time flight information or to watch the flight tracker that shows all of the flights bound for HNL.
The airport also has a conference center located on the 7th floor of Terminal 1, which is convenient for folks who need to hold a meeting and don’t want to deal with traffic into town. The Terminal 1 Conference Center offers four conference rooms that can be rented individually or together by the hour or by the day.
How to enjoy a lengthy layover near the airport
If the cultural gardens don’t impress you, there are several tourist and shopping venues that are a short drive from the airport. Just be sure to allow enough time because traffic can sometimes be a problem.
A great amenity is the airport’s luggage storage service provided by Baggage Storage™ by Smarte Carte. This is ideal for travelers with an especially long layover who might want to go into town for a bite to eat or some beach time. You can store luggage for a fee in a secured area and pick it up when you come back.
You can visit nearby historic sites like Pearl Harbor National Memorial, which is less than ten minutes by car from the airport. I also like to do some shopping and visit the enormous food court at Ala Moana Center. There are food options ranging from Vietnamese to Hawaiian, and it’s one of my favorite spots for fast and cheap Japanese ramen.
Other options for a long layover include visiting the Bishop Museum or the Honolulu Museum of Art. There are more shops and restaurants at Royal Hawaiian Center, where I go for delicious acai bowls every time I’m in town.
This KAYAK-commissioned article is presented as-is, for general informational purposes only, and may not be up-to-date. The opinions contained in the article are original to the author and reflect their authentic experience, which may vary significantly from the experience of others.
