It was just a year ago we last reported on the disappointing state of Honolulu Airport’s Terminal 1 Mauka Concourse, a project that cost well over $300 million, and counting. Our recent visit this week, exactly a year later, was to see what had hopefully changed for the better. It revealed, however, that not much has happened, and unfortunately, the situation has worsened for visitors and apparently financially for the airport.
After spending a third of a billion dollars on construction and incurring ongoing costs to maintain, air condition, and staff this often-underused terminal, it remains a glaring example of the inefficiencies within Hawaii’s disappointing infrastructure projects.
Honolulu continues to rank among the worst airports in the U.S.
As reported in our previous article, “Hawaii Airports Rank Worst in US After Billions Spent,” HNL continues to struggle with operational efficiency and passenger satisfaction despite significant investments. This poor ranking further highlights the broader issues within Hawaii’s airport infrastructure and raises questions about the expenditure’s effectiveness in improving the Hawaii visitor travel experience.
Furthermore, in a time of contracting Hawaii visitors and flights, this stands out as a huge waste of money that might have been better spent on upgrading the existing airport facilities.
Despite the significant investments into modernization, such as the Mauka Concourse, Honolulu and other Hawaii airports continue to rank poorly in the JD Power survey of US airports.
Many commenters on Beat of Hawaii have echoed these sentiments.
For instance, Norvin emphasized that airport improvement should be a priority given Hawaii’s reliance on tourism, including the outdated infrastructure at the neighbor island airports like Lihue, Kona, and Hilo.
Others, like Kenish, described HNL as one of the most dysfunctional airports, highlighting issues like poor curbside column numbering and inefficient design. Airlines have told us off-the-record, that they concur about the design problems that render Hawaii airports highly ineffective.
Some commenters, such as Don, criticized the design of the new terminal, pointing out its impractical layout and lack of amenities, while others emphasized the need for better maintenance and cleanliness at Hawaii airports.
Still, others have pointed out the huge missed opportunity to highlight the best of Hawaii in this new terminal, which might include Hawaii food offerings and shopping. Duncan Donuts vs. Malasadas were one example given.
These comments underline a widespread dissatisfaction with the current state of Hawaii’s airports and a call for more effective management and thoughtful planning to enhance the traveler experience.
How big a role does the lack of a Hawaii Airport Authority play?
As reported in our previous article “Hawaii Airports In Disarray: New Appointment, Same Critical Systemic Failures”, Hawaii remains one of only three states in the U.S. without an independent airport authority. Stakeholders widely see this lack of independent management as a major barrier to effective operation and accountability.
Many commenters have expressed frustration with the outdated infrastructure and inefficiencies throughout Hawaii airports, pointing out that creating an independent airport authority is crucial for improving all aspects of airport performance.
This sentiment was echoed in user comments emphasizing the need for dedicated, professional management to address the systemic issues plaguing Hawaii’s airports, including lack of proper maintenance and unexpected and painfully long maintenance outages.
Hawaiian Airlines and Terminal Usage.
Terminal 1 was purpose-built for Hawaiian Airlines. Our visit on July 3rd (2024) showed a terminal virtually devoid of use. Hawaiian Airlines operates very few flights departing from this terminal. For instance, only Gate A12 was active during our afternoon visit, which had just boarded an international flight to Pago Pago, American Samoa.
The next flight wasn’t to be until 7 PM, to Salt Lake City, followed by an 8:20 PM departure to Los Angeles. Aside from these, the terminal appeared to remain unused for departures for the rest of the day.
As far as we can tell, Hawaiian Airlines international flights cannot arrive at that terminal, as US Customs and Immigration is located in Terminal 2. Busing passengers between terminals would make it possible, but we are unaware of any such plans or even the need for them.
Facilities and amenities are shockingly lacking.
The terminal’s facilities are severely deficient, contributing to its sometimes ghost-town atmosphere. Here’s what we found.
Restaurants and Bars:
There is one restaurant and a bar in the terminal, both of which were deserted. The restaurant’s menu was unappealing, and online reviews were equally discouraging.
There is a Dunkin’ Donuts, which was closed during our visit, and a small grab-and-go facility attached to the restaurant. While we intended to eat at the restaurant there, with the few choices offered, we reverted to otherwise not exciting Starbucks food options in the inter-island terminal.
Seating and Comfort:
The terminal’s main lobby is enormously large! Yet, it features only one row of seats along one wall, which we have captured in BOH’s lead photo above.
Access to Food:
If you want food, besides the dismal choices already mentioned, you must walk back to the old interisland terminal. There, you’ll find a Burger King, Starbucks, and other options. However, these start to close very early, and for the evening flights, your choices will be next to nothing. By 6 PM, only Starbucks and Burger King remained open in that distant interisland terminal.
Reflecting on the comments from our previous article, many of our readers expressed their frustrations and disappointment with the terminal. Here are a few notable ones:
User Feedback about the terminal:
One reader mentioned, “I travel frequently through HNL, and Terminal 1 feels like a ghost town. It’s baffling how much money was spent for so little utility.”
HNL Mauka Concourse amenities critique:
Another comment highlighted, “The lack of dining options and closed facilities make long layovers unbearable. The state needs to address these issues urgently.”
Operational Concerns:
A frequent commenter noted, “Despite being Hawaiian Airlines’ terminal, it rarely feels like it. Most flights still operate out of the other terminals, making Terminal 1 seem like a costly afterthought.”
Lack of Local Flavor:
Surprisingly, there are no shops or local vendors in the terminal. Many of our readers previously suggested that Terminal 1 could have embraced Hawaii’s rich culture by featuring local-themed vendors and selling Hawaiian delicacies instead of a mainland chain like Dunkin Donuts, which, by the way, was closed.
A frustrated traveler added, “Why isn’t there a malasada shop or local Hawaiian food? It feels like a missed opportunity to showcase our culture to visitors.”
These comments underscore the general sentiment of disappointment and frustration among travelers who expected much more from such a significant airport investment like this one.
The long-delayed Mauka Concourse was completed three years ago.
After years of problems, the state airports division broke ground on the Mauka Concourse in Terminal 1 on May 30, 2018, and completed construction on August 26, 2021. The first concourse expansion at HNL since 1995, the new concourse includes gates that can accommodate wide-body jets, and was thus intended to reduce the need for Hawaiian Airlines passengers to walk between Terminals 1 and 2 for overseas arrivals and departures, while freeing up remaining gate space in Terminal 2 for other airlines.
Honolulu Airport’s Mauka Concourse in Terminal 1 continues to disappoint.
The state of the Mauka Concourse continues to raise questions about the allocation and utilization of funds for Hawaii’s infrastructure. Despite the initial investment and ongoing maintenance costs, the terminal remains underused and poorly equipped to serve travelers. This situation is not just a disappointment for travelers but also a stark reminder of the challenges faced by Hawaii’s infrastructure projects.
We will continue to monitor and report on the developments of the Mauka Concourse, hoping for future steps to improve the situation. For now, we advise travelers to be prepared for a sorely lackluster experience at this terminal.
We invite you to share your experiences and thoughts about Mauka Concourse Terminal 1 in the comments below. Your feedback helps us understand the broader impact and keeps the conversation going about the improvements needed.
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Have you had the pleaser of staying the night at Lobby 4 if you missed the last flight from HNL to Lihue? A disgrace to Hawaii, visitors and residents. No aloha within Lobby 4.
I’ve traveled to Hawaii many times from the mainland and I have been frustrated to see that my late or early evening flight is on a concourse where all the restaurants are closed. Now, I just forget about buying any food from the terminal and pick something up from a restaurant or grocery store. That’s better because I can get more options.
The majority of fights Hawaiian operates do a turn and are there for just a few hours. This is so times are reasonable at destination cities. By the late afternoon/evening, there are only a few planes left for the night departures. I believe only Flts 9,5, and the the seasonal 77 from LAX terminate and stay overnight. This is for the overseas flights. All the interisland flights terminate at HNL so the gates should be full by the end of the day.
Food options probably revolve around the peak departure times. It does suck for those travelling off peak though. Just grab a Zip Pac on your way to the airport.
As mentioned by many terminal 1 is a ghost town for at least 14 hours each day
If one wide body jet is parked two adjacent gate are deemed unusable
During Covid shut down for 18 months no improvements were done till second half of 2023
Immigration counters had zero renovation nor the intro island Wiki Wiki. Bus service was updated
Rendering HNL more like a run down 1960’s airport
Complete waste of money. No 24 hour restaurants. Bathrooms only in one area. Complete waste. Need an airport authority that knows airports.
Kona needs a second runway. It was originally planned but cut. Kona needs better terminals and jet ways. More restaurants and fast food.
I flew out of it last month for the first time (usually I’m in T2 or inter-island terminal). I had an earlier flight to LAX and it was dead. Other than my flight, there weren’t any others. It could have been nice, but it’s so plain architecturally, zero ambiance. The palm tree lights throughout could be so cool if they weren’t white. If it’s supposed to be a plan tree, why the heck would you not paint them green? It would also give a cool vibe to the terminal. It all seems like it was built for any small to mid size airport on the mainland. Like you mentioned, the food options are non existent, I went to Starbucks in the interisland terminal. Such a waste of everything (space money, food options, aesthetics).
So very sad to see the new terminal, looks like a scary place, so bare. I was in HNL airport 2 times. Once in 1965 on a Military charter to Okinawa on Continental Airlines, only about 1 hr 20 minutes. The next time in 2010 flight from Tokyo to Seattle stopover HNL. The Second flight I was 6 hours, I saw nothing wrong then. Hope can do something with upgrades, new terminals, you would think with business to HNL, the terminals be more like Singapore style
Costs less for janitorial services if it is empty and the need to hire more airport security is less. The attitude I got from airport staff was to go to work and quickly go home. Somehow IMO supporting tourism in Hawaii is not a top priority or strong suit. Maybe Hawaii just don’t care. The buildings condition and not being kept up plus runway problems tells the whole story.
Just another in the long line of endless Hawaiian government failures…Gov Green and team will only make things worse across the board. Rhetorical question, when do Hawaiian citizens say enough is enough?
The Mauka Concourse is a strange design with a lot of space that could be put to (much) better use. A lot of walking to/from the gates with very little in terms of food and other things. Perhaps HNL could consider adding sleeping pods or some other commercial features that might attract flyers to this concourse. Also, don’t forget the check-in and baggage claim areas related to this concourse — both are among the worst I have ever encountered in the U.S. and beyond. HNL, if you are reading this, how about better signage/information for arriving passengers about where to go to pick-up their luggage?
Why make an airport welcoming if the goal is to cut back on tourism? IMO maybe the HTA just wants to know if it is so inconvenient that it could sway a tourist from traveling elsewhere and disposing of some good hard earned money at another vacation destination. I’m sure glad the HTA can rely on the tourist’s eye’s and ears (comments)in providing answers for all of Hawaii’s future problems. Nobody can be in two places at the same time.
Flying early morning to LAS in May I was amazed at how empty the terminal was. Cavernous misuse of space and resources. Only 3 HA flights were operating from what I could see – To LAS, LAX, and an interisland IIR… Great space, ridiculously poor use of it… Par for the course…
Best Regards…
No suprise to me. Since it involves tourists then Pay a lot and get little in return. Rent has to be super high at the airport because everything you purchase is at least 50% higher priced than example an ABC store. Vendors IMO can’t make any money so why even rent a space. No wonder a corporate Dunkin Doughnut store is the only thing on the new addition. I remember an ABC store asking $1.75 for a 20oz soda and leaving HNL in a vending machine it was $3.50 and that was in 2009. IMO Hawaii has adopted the “Pay a lot and get little in return” type of thinking for years. No wonder hotels, tour companies, restaurants, scenic fees, beach fees, parking and car rentals are all following suit. The apple surely don’t fall far from the tree.
I am a Hawaii resident. They have spent hundreds of millions on the terminals and there are restrooms with only two urinals and 2 toilets.
At an Airport! How stupid is that?!
And people Hate those stupid Dyson all in one sink fixtures. — Another stupid and expensive idea.
Mainland airport restrooms are great. They can’t do anything right here. Idiots in charge that’s why.
Privatization is the only answer for our airport problems. Our Airport Commission has demonstrated their incompetence.
Its not rude to say the truth: Same incompetent Hawaii government, different day! Does anyone think a separate authority (bureaucracy) will function better than the DOT or any other agency in Hawaii does? A fools errand to expect more from another unaccountable, unionized, taxpayer funded the State of Hawaii!
I have raised idea to the HDOT to take a lesson from other airports. Portland for example has established a ‘Food Cart Pod’ in the airside past security. The Mauka terminal is perfect for a ‘Food Cart Pod’ .. This concept will promote local kau kau vendors and offer kamaaina and malihini more choices. The dream is to have 10+ food carts offering everything from malasadas, plate lunches, musubi, sushi, pansit, lau lau and cake noodles.
It is insulting to have a mainland donut chain as the only vendor in an empty space. Donuts vs. local malasadas .. HDOT .. think about this more deeply please.
It is also interesting that the vendors in the state’s airports are tied to a mainland concessionaire. Is the HDOT taking the easy way out in their vetting process? or something else?
In summary, we need to promote our local vendors .. we are one “OHANA” and need to proudly showcase this .. the Mauka terminal is the perfect place to do this.
Somebody made out with this $300M+ investment. Follow the money and find out who. If there were any real independent news operations out there employing real investigative journalists (think Woodward and Bernstein or what 60 Minutes used to be like), we’d all know what happened. Alas, the powers that be are likely paying off those who would expose any impropriety. Situation normal in (politically) Hawaii.
The Kahului airport has been being remodeled for years and the remodel is substandard. There installed a thick caret on the floors in the areas that have been completed which make it difficult to roll bags. The restaurants open late in the morning leaving only Starbucks available with always a long line. The escalators are always closed for repair, the people movers only worked for a short time. Maintenance is not there strong suit, new facilities aren’t kept up making old before time. If the Hawaii government is involved it’s going to be a disaster, they hire friends and relatives that are unqualified for their jobs and it show
Aloha,
I like Terminal 1 Mauka Concourse, but I live on the Big Island. When catching flights to the mainland we dock in the A-gates, and it is a very short walk to Mauka concourse. There are several restaurants and Hawaiian Airlines Premier Club in the immediate area. Prior to the new concourse we had to travel all the way to C-gates.
It might be better if the agriculture inspection was done as soon as we enter the new addition. The current boarding process is cumbersome and difficult for many; we get into line by zone number and then get into a slow-moving line to the agriculture x-ray machine for carry-ons, retrieve our bags the meander around to the gate to scan our boarding passes…
The new addition is already built so let’s come up with ideas to best utilize the space. I would like to see a Las Vegas style casino filling the area, it would be great for travelers and all the profits could be used to fix all our state airports.
Mahalo
Big Island
Yikes .. we need to solve the basics first ! Not ready to even consider a casino in the airport. If you want gambling then go to Vegas ..
This terminal certainly looks nice but it’s definitely lacking. I ended up spending a few hours there last fall due to a canceled flight, and it was a terrible experience. We had to hike quite a distance to find any refreshments – the few options in the terminal were already closed.
I appreciate the natural lighting and the fact that it didn’t feel cramped, but it’s not really serving passengers well.
Talked to an architect on the way home,
he said, “It’s the worst airport design he had ever seen.”
Do you think the lack of food options in Terminal 1 could be from the cost of local restaurants to “rent” space from the airport? Much like leases causes some businesses to leave/close or relocate to other less expensive spaces.
Who should be contacted when we have issues such as these, we need to voice our concerns straight to the parties/companies in charge. Something needs to be done.
Hi Patti.
That would be the Hawaii Department of Transportation. That concession is all controlled thru them.
Aloha.
Good day~ I am amazed at the inefficiencies of HNL. When I first came in 1976, it was nice open airport about the right size for the visting population. Fast forward to today, and it has not kept pace. We were taken aback on a return from Australia at how cramped, hot it was with longggg wait times for customs/immigration. The desgin has not been updated since the origin/destination days of the 60s-70s to comfortably handle connecting passengers. I would rather fly from the Bay Area to SEA to get a non-stop to LIH or OGG, rather then connect @ HNL!
There a lot of succesfull airport operators out there that can bring it into the 21st century. I would knock on SFO’s door, as they have a world class airport, carries more passnegers than HNL and is at least 1/2 the termimal & aiport footprint.
Since these terminals are the portals to all the islands for a vast majority of travelers, both tourists and locals, it seems that local residents should be demanding that things improve, if for only a slightly greedy reason of making life better for themselves.
Wonder what difference it will make if/when Alaska takes over?
All aspects of airport infrastructure are very repeatable, whether it’s taxi ways and gates, check-in and baggage drops, security and customs layouts, seating, dining, parking, drop zones etc. So there is no need to re-invent any of these features, just copy success from any of hundreds of airports. Especially if you plan to spend $300 million +
It’s not the features. It’s the people ruining those features at HNL. Sheer incompetence at its best.
Unless a Port Authority is appointed by the Gov. HNL will remain an inadequate albatross around the neck of Hawaii. No useful phase of the airport’s constant remodeling since the early 60s has proven worthwhile.
HDOT needs to drop the airport division and concentrate on the seriously inferior other infrastructure.
Professional management, “YES”; an ‘airport authority’, not necessarily so unless void of political/other influences (reference the rail debacle). Gov. Green, here is an opportunity to make a positive contribution to the tourism industry. A lot of good ideas have already surfaced in how to make this newest terminal a true reflection of Hawaiiana. Hawaiian Airlines too must commit to utilizing this terminal as well as select destination arrivals/departures from and to locations, (e.g., Guam) requiring less stringent international monitoring. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out a cost-effective manner for efficiency in best getting international arrivals through immigration.
It’s as if it was built by folks who had never seen an airport. HNL is absurdly dysfunctional and even worse, nobody seems to care enough to do anything. Perhaps they simply don’t have the competency.
Who needs seats in the terminal when there aren’t any passengers???
Been though T1 Mauka on 2 trips. No shops a d so darn wide.
But it’s a good looking terminal. Perhaps shops will come when the concourse someday gets enough flights for businesses to make money. As it is, no one will invest in a losing operation.
First the rail, than this wasteful mess. Perhaps it’s time to learn the names of specific individuals in charge of this disaster, hold them accountable and fire them. Then hire competent people with lifelong experience running big successful airports and have them fix whatever needs to be fixed and can be fixed.
It’s such a beautiful modern building full of light and great potential. I’m sure there are people who can do better than the current incompetent decision makers. How do we get the ball rolling tomorrow? No more time to waste.
Amen, the same story in the One-Party State, people made $, the Contractor, and those involved in selecting same, with bids or whatever. For years I thought the C Concourse was the worst, being shuttled out there for Red-Eyes back to the Mainland, with little infrastructure as well, put a damper on the return. The Mauka Concourse should have been a no brained, but corruption and Politics are great bedfellows!
My advice to locals, get rid of corrupt politicians. Try something new for a change, and see how much better life gets for the locals.
I avoid Honolulu airport at all possible. Every time I have to go thru HNL I am reminded that nothing has improved for travelers .
Too few food choices ( did get one very good recommendation from a people mover on last trip) but it was not in the terminal where I needed to catch next flight , so to find another ride due to limited walking ability .
Plus the signage for directions poor and not enough locations to know where we are or where we need to go .
Hawaii doesn’t do maintenance. We pour concrete to keep the unions busy. Whether it’s useful or not doesn’t matter.
Everytime we go through that terminal, it boggles the mind! Huge areas of open (unused space) yet when you go to the boarding gate, you feel like you’re in a cattle herd where they attempt to fit 50 people into a space more comfortable for 10! Extraordinary who could possibly have thought that was efficient or even comfortable for the passengers. On our last trip, a passenger was stopped because they were trying to board with way too many bags. They had to stop the entire boarding process because the space was so tight they couldn’t get the woman out of the line to work with her on her baggage! It would have been almost comical had it not been so flagrantly badly designed!
Just used the terminal. The required walking distance is unreasonable. It has so much missed potential.
Aloha,
Our YYC original runway I worked at 1982/99 it’s falling apart..and their getting too it! maybe we need this crew to start and complete HNL in a confidant manner..and timely fashion! ..you know I get it..I was born in ’59 Kailua and ya’ wanna’ know what? I get why we seem lazy to everyone..its bureaucratic bs debacles like this that happen daily the regular Joe gets hit by that wave .. and for me..I’m happy for my bday in a Territory I remember 🌴🌊👣🙏🌺♥️