Travel rage is nothing new, and we’ve even seen air rage on flights to Hawaii. But now it has even spread to sleepy Kauai’s airport, which we find disconcerting, to say the least. On the other hand, with all the hindrances visitors now face, together with what seems to be less travel patience than ever, why should we be surprised?
The Kauai police department has reported that two arrests were made recently for disorderly conduct at the otherwise tranquil garden island airport.
Just last week we wrote: Why Hawaii Airports Are A Hot Mess Now.
No finger pointing between residents and visitors. Rage is rage.
In the first of these two incidents, a Kaneohe man, aged 37 was arrested for screaming profanities and racial slurs at an airline employee. The accused still managed to board his flight after continuing to swear and holler through the airport. Police removed the passenger from the flight. He was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and harassment.
Just a day later, a Miami Beach man, aged 58, was arrested at the airport for disorderly conduct. Kauai Police said he was “recklessly creating a risk of alarming members of the public by engaging in violent or tumultuous behavior.” The man was charged with disorderly conduct.
Frustration at Hawaii airports leads to a multitude of problems.
Kauai airport, like Maui Airport, continues to have very long security screening lines. Did that contribute to these problems?
Kauai has been in the process of upgrading its screening process and equipment. In the midst of all that, two of its x-ray machines broke down. We’re told those have since been repaired.
Parking has also been very problematic. Kauai airport, which currently has only limited parking stalls, is prone to be sold out. That was the case again this past weekend.
While largely a problem for residents more than for visitors, no parking definitely adds to the stress of the airport experience. Visitors are also known to use airport parking short-term while gathering bags and passengers.
Inadequate staffing yields long wait times, even today.
There continues to be a lack of staffing such that TSA and others don’t have consistently adequate workers to keep things moving smoothly. That has been especially true on Kauai and on Maui where TSA lines have ranged from blissfully short to nearly 2 hours. As of this morning, the wait at Lihue TSA is about one-half hour, while on Maui it has been over one hour. Kona and Honolulu are operating normally with minimal wait times.
Problems are exacerbated by issues including peak summer travel. That should begin to ease even in the next week. Also, airlines tend to bunch many flights together at the most popular times, especially mid-day. Then these can be avoided, so much the better.
Flight delays contribute to Hawaii travel frustration.
Yesterday there was yet another spate of flight delays. At Honolulu airport 95 flights were delayed. Once again, a source of traveler frustration.
Calming Tips for hot Hawaii airport circumstances.
Stay hydrated with cool water. Stay nourished too.
Focus on what’s good in your life and in your Hawaii travels.
Be grateful. It always works.
Don’t be late. It’s a sure way to add to the stress, especially now.
Seek out the calmest places at the airport. Have you enjoyed the wonderful gardens at HNL for example?
Photo of Maui airport lines.
We are considering getting the interviews and going through the pre check line from now on, it makes sense for me as I am disabled. Glad that your renewal went fairly quick.
It has been a few years since I was in Hawaii but I can say when at the airport The employees there were the rudest people. It made checking in at the Kauai Airport very difficult.
I am sorry to hear about your apparent disappointment and dissatisfaction with the Airport Employees in Kauai, it sounds as if they Hire some of these rude Clowns/Clones hoping to chase Tourists away. Honolulu has some too, however, most of them are extremely pleasant and very helpful. To All of the Good, Hard Working, Pleasant and Helpful Airport Employees I am saying “Thank You!” To those “Others” I can only say Find Your Niche elsewhere and stop taking up space at the Airports.
Mahalo for always keeping us well informed. The best travel tip I can think of is this: Don’t.
People are just too rude and self-centered and have forgotten how to be civil and courteous to each other. Until we all remember that we are in this game together and act like decent caring human beings again, it is best just to remain at home.
Hi Debi.
Thanks as always. Interesting comment. Many of us have missed travel for almost three years now. Yet your point is well taken.
Aloha.
With Covid Restrictions we chose Not to return to Oahu until February 2022, Hawaii didn’t follow the “Science” and Ige made it known just how he felt about Tourists at Anytime. He Bites the Hand that feeds, for certain. The Restrictions allowed for us to get back into our routine of flying to other countries in the Caribbean, mostly, for vacations. Rediscovering destinations and finding New Ones while saving enough money for several more has had an positive outlook and effect, Beauty and Amazing Beaches can be found in many places and Happy, Friendly, Residents Are Very Welcoming and Hope that you come back. We Believe that the “Lost Aloha” from Hawaii has been Found and it’s Everywhere Else except in Hawaii, what a simple Truth and Shame!
Maybe the TSA should be arrested for inciting the rage that has been going on. With all of the Flight cancellations and delays, no wonder people are becoming upset at the Airports. Upgrading the TSA equipment now? They had almost 2 years while Hawaii was pretty much locked down due to the sham covid nonsense. That would have been the ideal time to “update” the TSA equipment. Instead, they wait until the bans are lifted and Hawaii is seeing one of the largest influxes of tourists it has ever seen, to decide to update. If they only had a brain!
The “Brains” of the operation are Politicians in DC that were too busy to consider doing something like that, busy trading stocks and making money. You’re correct about so much of what you’ve said, ever consider that the timing may have been planned to discourage tourism? The tension between TSA and passengers is more Authoritative, this Tense Situation is caused by Poorly Timed Legislation.
You may be right as well Ernie. Hope you are doing well these days.
Thank You Ed! Doing Okay my friend and as Always I do Hope that You Are Too! Best to You and Your Wife.
Unfortunately, it has not been a great month for us. On July 19th, my wife’s 64 yr. young Brother passed away of a Heart Attack and on the same morning, my sister in NY was rushed to the Hospital for emergency surgery on a tumor. Unfortunately, it is malignant and has spread to he lymph nodes. So her prognosis is terminal. We are hoping she still has some time left with us. But thank you so much for your well wishes. Life is not always fair. Have a good one Ernie!
Hi Ed.
Sorry to hear the such sad news. Sending best regards to you and your family.
Aloha.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your kind words. They are very much appreciated. Aloha.
Ed, my friend, my deepest and most sincere condolences, sympathy and sorrow go out to You, Your Wife and entire Family. Praying for Your Sister, as well as All of you. I hope that there’s time to be with her soon for Her Comfort as well as Yours. Love is Eternal, God Bless You and All. Safe Travels.
Thanks Ernie. I was up there to see her last week. Heavily medicated. They are doing all they can.
There’s no need for visitors to park in the short term lot. The trick my wife and I have used over the years is to gather our bags and find a place for them and my wife too sit. I then catch the shuttle to our rental car, get it and return to pick her and the bags up. Works fine every time. It also makes it easier for me getting on the shuttle. No bags to mess with.
We both go to the rental agency when picking up our vehicle so we can both present our drivers’ licenses at the same time. Yes, luggage is a hassle on the shuttle, but we have learned to pack light. Now that there are Target stores on the islands, we can buy what clothing we forgot, then donate it to resale shops when we leave the island.
“Seek out the calmest places at the airport. Have you enjoyed the wonderful gardens at HNL for example?”
Now if only the TSA lines wound through the gardens…I can dream can’t I?
Problems at the Kauai airport are exacerbated by the fact that there are not enough TSA agents. Although the airport has hired a number of new people, some from off island, a big problem is that these new hires can’t find affordable housing within a half hour drive of the airport. Understandably, folks are not willing to take a job when they have no place to live. Understaffing coupled with a huge influx in tourists coupled with standing in a long line in the hot sun is a recipe for airport rage.
Deciding to Not Expand the Airport by a few lines has caused much of the problems. Despite the cost of living, Authorizing a COLA due to the higher living costs could be given. An additional 2 or 3 lines would have brought with it more Equipment AND more TSA Agents to speed everything along. Ige and some Hawaiians are to Blame, toss in Hironno and the others Elected you’ve sent to DC.
I just discovered the cultural garden at HNL and enjoyed it by myself during a long layover.
We weren’t particularly happy to have to get up at 6:00am to catch our 8:10am flight last Friday (08/05) but now it appears it was a blessing. We were the only ones on the TSA Pre line and there were only two groups in the “regular line” when we went thru at 6:45am! Guess that’s the answer! Get up with the chickens!
Aloha and for anybody who has been through our quaint, welcoming and usually calm Kauai airport, reports of arrests are alarming. But no should be surprised. My interactions with visitors leads me to believe such “emotional” behavior is the new normal throughout The mainland. Everyone is on edge. That’s why the world needs Kaua’i and Kaua’i needs the world. People come here, in part, for the aloha Hawaii offers. Lucky live Kaua’i!
We were delighted to see a trio of musicians and a dancer at the Kauai airport while we waited to board our flight back to the mainland. Music soothes the soul and it was a welcome reminder of our relaxing trip and the quiet pace of Kauai.
When we visited Hawaii the first 2 times we were greeted by Hula Dancers and a Trio of Musicians, alas no more, but it was very nice. Recently we flew down to the Dominican Republic and as always we were greeted by Musicians and a welcoming trio of grass skirted young women, same thing when flying in to Antigua’s Bird International. It tends to make you feel as if you’re actually wanted and it’s fun. Aloha from foreign countries, not from Hawaii though, interesting debacle!
I Agree with you that You are lucky to be living there, as long as you are able to afford it. The mainland world, for as much as I see, isn’t uptight which makes me wonder if what you are experiencing is from the same areas of the country that were always “Edgy” to begin with, only now multiplied by 296! That, to me, would make sense of what is happening. If people are flying to Hawaii for rest and relaxation then they should leave their attitudes at home, if not then don’t come!
No excuse for bad behavior. This makes the case to get Global Entry or TSA Precheck. Even if there is only one TSA checkpoint open, those with Precheck go thru every other passenger. Plus quicker from there on since you keep your shoes on, etc. Bad news is I’ve heard it’s hard to get an interview due to backlog. My Global Entry renewal went through smoothly last year thank goodness with no need to interview again.
I have TSA preCheck and found that it didn’t make much difference time-wise when leaving Kauai on our last flight. My husband stood in the “regular” line and actually finished scanning before I did. My preCheck line agent was in charge of flight crew members, too, and they had priority over us preCheckers.
GlobalEntry or Precheck doesn’t make anything better except for you, particularly if there is one kiosk open. Ahead of the line just makes others wait longer. And madder.
There needs to be a better solution, spacing out the flights more consistently? As more employees is not achievable, dedicated, spaced out time windows for each flight….not 3- 4 hours before and everyone arrives at once. Triaging of sorts.
This was Preventable. Changing scanners during peak tourist travel was just plain dumb.
You tax dollars at work!
Or Not at work.
Kauai, wasn’t that the Airport that was going to be expanding a couple of gates to help with the process of getting passengers out quicker until Protesters backed by Ige decided not to? I guess that the Airport Board knows what is Needed despite others insistence otherwise. At the same time What was going through the heads of these people? They did get through the lines quicker, I hope that they enjoyed the ride to the police station, their moment before the Judge and posting bail, 1 @ $2000 and 1@ $20! Patience and a level head could have kept this from happening, why make things worse for everyone? Floor Shows are supposed to be Entertaining and done in an appropriate place. Rethink the Expansion and help the Travelers!
If the state goes ahead with expanding LIH it will mean the airlines will schedule more flights and result in more congestion. Exactly why the Mayor and council voted down the enlarging of the airport. There’s a point where one has to say STOP. Kauai also had the strictest controls during the pandemic.
Increasing TSA Checking lines will not increase the traffic in and out of LIH. Increasing the Airport itself, would increase the traffic. The increase in TSA Lines would only help to facilitate the traffic that is already coming through the Airport.
Airlines do need to seek approval for new and additional flights, it’s not just a matter of showing up and demanding to land. It is a controllable situation that can be handled effectively. If suddenly more flights begin to land, look at your Airport Comptroller and Board, they caved in to the money.
Sad. Of course none of these reports revealed the what set these persons off. But Imagine a first time visitor to the Islands. In high anticipation of all the great things they heard from others about Hawaii. Only to witness one of those incidents as described. What impression will it give that person about the kind of people they might encounter on the Islands?
It’s called the “SWA effect”….they jump into a market with a lot of flight and temporary discount fares to attract new customers, then gradually raise their fares over time. Wait till their inter island expansion starts. Boycot SWA.
Tourists should be honored .grateful and happy to be in paradise .
Even if leaving its still paradise at the airport.
I would be happy to stand in line for 3 hours etc to be there right now.
Why go in busy season. If you can’t stand crowds.
Go some where else.
According to the story it was also a local that was arrested.
Aloha. I can see that in the future over-tourism won’t be a problem. The airports are difficult to get through and long hot lines. Couple that with the airlines seemingly trying to get the other guys nickel by cancelling flights and destinations causing people to be unsure about their arrival and departure, I can see their dollars going elsewhere. Rejoice Islanders! You will have the beaches to yourselves.
It’s not just the tourists. We live here and flying to Oahu for a day trip medical appointment anytime other than the early early AM is a nightmare. Sometimes 3 hours in a TSA line. That’s 3 hours for a 45 min. flight. When you’re old this hurts. Then, they always pull me out for additional body check even though I tell them upfront about my TKR, pacemaker etc. etc. Have decided to forego the scan and routinely ask for a body check (as I will be subjected to one anyway). Spare myself extra radiation and upset – controlling the triggers because I always feel persecuted when they pull me out. Start profiling already!
Right up until the Japanese Flights begin bringing Tourists and then will begin the Tourism from the Asian Countries. How long before the Flights from India and Pakistan begin to arrive? It shouldn’t get too lonely for very long, enjoy your temporary solitude if it comes!