Too Slow Hawaiian Sunday
Yesterday afternoon we had the opportunity to visit three of Hawaii’s airports, Kahului, Honolulu and Lihue. The reason is that we were returning from Seattle, and this was the only routing available.
Sunday afternoons are traditionally a very busy time at our airports. However, the photo is a frighteningly accurate depiction of what we found at the first two, though running though HNL quickly, there wasn’t time for another empty corridor photo. Lihue was somewhat busier and might reflect a slightly stronger visitor market.
The lack of reasonable airfares from California cities, plus economic uncertainties, have really put the kibosh on normally vibrant Fall travel to the islands.
Tip One: Autumn is in my opinion, far and away the best time of year to visit Hawaii. We are having our finest weather. It is usually still pretty dry (though it has been raining a bit this morning), and the edge of summer’s heat has passed. The more angled sun’s light is especially beautiful, something that Van Gogh might have related to.
Lastly, the number of tourists is always down in Fall (though not like it is now), which makes everything more accessible and affordable.
Tip Two: Hotel deals are better than ever. The net effect is that this is still a very good time to visit the islands, especially if you plan to stay for a week or longer. In that case, the higher airfares will be more than offset by the lower hotel costs.
Tip Three: If you find yourself in the Pacific Northwest, you’re in for airfare deals to Hawaii. Portland and Seattle continue to have the best deals, starting under $400 RT.
