Update Friday morning: Regular power appears to be back at Lihue Airport, and early reports from travelers this morning indicate a dramatically different picture from Thursday. We will be stopping by the airport to check on it. Both regular and TSA PreCheck lines are reported to be moving well, airline self-tag machines are working again, and air conditioning has returned.
That’s exactly what we hoped to see after yesterday’s extraordinary wait times, although we’re watching this morning before declaring LIH fully back to normal. If you’re flying today, we’d still leave extra time until we see how the airport handles a full Friday departure schedule.
Conditions at Lihue Airport deteriorated yesterday far beyond the two-hour security waits HDOT warned about. BOH reader Heather wrote yesterday, “Currently at 6+ hours. Have been in line since 9:30 am.” Steve, who was scheduled on the 3:45 p.m. LIH-SFO flight, reported already spending five hours in line and said he expected perhaps two more before possibly getting through. As of this morning, FlightAware is reporting 16 Lihue flights either delayed or cancelled. Yesterday there were 55.
On Thursday, LIH was operating on a single generator backup in the aftermath of Hurricane Lowell, which itself wasn’t functioning normally; screening equipment was affected, there was no cooling, and what began as a warning about unusually long security lines turned into an airport operation struggling to move departing passengers through at all.
MyTSA had been showing totally incorrect information.
We checked MyTSA shortly after HDOT issued its morning warning yesterday and throughout the day, and the app showed a wait of only 15 minutes at Lihue. It became clear that the app wasn’t remotely reflecting what departing passengers were encountering at LIH.
LIH security can back up quickly.
This problem is the LIH checkpoints can under normal circumstances go from almost empty to crowded in minutes when several departures converge. We’ve experienced that ourselves, including coming uncomfortably close to missing flights even when we thought we’d allowed enough time.
Security and passenger processing were also among the issues discussed when we recently looked at what visitors and residents want fixed at Lihue Airport. Yesterday’s situation was different because emergency backup-power capacity is now affecting screening equipment, adding a new constraint to a part of LIH that can already become congested.
What happens next at LIH.
LIH is a state-run airport, while TSA controls passenger screening. By Friday morning, regular power appeared to have been restored, answering at least part of that question. We are still watching to see whether Friday operations remain stable as the airport handles a full day of departures.
When HDOT closed LIH ahead of Lowell on Monday, it said TSA was prepared to send additional staff and technicians to the airport when it reopened to facilitate screening. With passengers now spending much of a day waiting to clear security, we’d like to know what additional resources have arrived, what else is being requested, and what is being done to prevent a repeat on Friday.
A friend is scheduled to fly out of Lihue on Tuesday with a 40-minute connecting flight to the mainland in Honolulu. Yesterday’s situation concerned them enough to move their outbound flight from Kauai earlier, giving them and their checked bags considerably more time to make their connection. If things don’t improve quickly, they might leave Kauai the day before and overnight in Honolulu.
We still recommend allowing more time than you think you’ll need and checking directly with your airline before leaving for the airport. If you’re flying out of Lihue today, please share your experience with wait times, security, and the canine teams.
Lead Photo: © Beat of Hawaii at Lihue Airport gate on a prior trip.
By Rob and Jeff, Beat of Hawaii.
Some of the most meaningful parts of Hawaii are the ones visitors walk right past without knowing they are there. We’ve spent nearly 20 years finding them firsthand for BOH as full-time Hawaii residents reporting on travel, culture, and island life, and telling you what they mean for your trip. Join us →
Get Breaking Hawaii Travel News
TSA is normal ..
But a lot of flights delayed do to lack of crew.
I was affected tonight. The aircraft for my Kona to Honolulu flight went from Maui to Kauai first. And there it stayed, stuck. Fortunately Hawaiian Air gate agents did their usual outstanding job and got me on a “later” but on-time flight. My connection was tight but I made it. Moral of this story is check the prior stops for the aircraft you will be flying.
I was afraid that LIH might begin to experience outages once it had reopened, and those passengers who were scheduled to depart on Thursday were just out of luck unfortunately, because I sailed through TSA PRE on Wednesday.
Perhaps what I find hardest to understand is that once the hurricane or major storm hits why people keep coming. I can see leaving, but until power is restored , roads repaired, and such why come and basically interfere?
1) all generators should be regularly tested and verified. Someone failed and should be culpable. This is unacceptable, regardless of causation.
2) means notwithstanding, helicopters off the island and charted to another island, can get you home, assuming the cost isn’t prohibitive.
3) when are the feds going to show up to Hawai’i and start to help/assist/force getting things done? island time cannot be an excuse for not taking care of infrastructure.
It’s unacceptable —- regardless of causation?
Who knows what damage the storm caused to electrical circuitry. Things happen.
Maybe the generator was maxed out and the 60 hertz operating frequency changed to the point the screening equipment failed.
Who knows, I’m sure folks did their best in a really bad situation.
BTW: Get a grip on your Island Time nonsense.
There is no nonsense when it comes to Island time. It’s been here for a century. The Feds need to audit the entire state government which is rife with corruption.
I agree regarding the FEDS, as the military could provide generators in a heartbeat if Washington doesn’t play politics with Disaster Relief Aid!!!
Where’s Zuckerberg?……..crickets
6+ hours in a security line is absolutely ridiculous under any circumstance. This is where the governor of Kauai should have stepped in to get the National Guard to supply more generators and security assistance. TSA should have been honest about the situation so everyone could make alternate arrangements. How do you run airport operations when no one can get on their flights. When the crises subsides will be the time to fix the power issues and not let it slide as usual.
Kauai
Here we go again.
Another person pointing fingers expecting things to function normally after a major storm disrupts people’s lives.
BTW: TSA controls who gets on a plane, not the National Guard.
The governor of Kauai. lol
There is no governor for Kauai….only a mayor.
This is a problem that has occurred in the past. A local power failure can completely close down the airport. Would solar back-up be appropriate? Perhaps the “Green Fee” tax could go toward the solar installation.
As for the generators, perhaps a newer technology (and more of them!) would also be appropriate at this time. With all the taxes and fees our guests and citizens pay, we can do better.
I guess to the previous list of things that people would like to see changed at LIH would be more emergency backup generator capacity. It’s one of those things that go little noticed until you really need it. Airport grants are available.
Before you visit Kauai please watch the video posted today by Hawaii News Now-
“Kauai flood victims say tourists are treating disaster as sightseeing”.
In the video “Locals” are blaming tourists for their misery???
California ocean temps are 75 degrees today with no air travel needed for most and name brand hotels for $150-$200 a night. Dining choices are varied and reasonably priced and activites are all open. Why go where you are clearly not wanted?
@Tom… What PreCheck benefits are they taking away? None that I’m aware of. In fact, there are a couple that they might be adding.
It is an interesting thought of why we have TSA security lines in the first place. It is because of the attacks of 9/11. Why we don’t have meals in coach was because of 9/11 changes.
So, think about 9/11 and what happened in New York, Washington DC and Shanksville Pennsylvania when you are standing in a long security line. Security was minimal before we had to look for box cutter knives, shoe bombs and other threats to airline crew so that our jet planes cannot be used as large weapons against our nation.
They got power restored to the airport yesterday afternoon and are saying there will not be long wait times today.
Anyone at LIH today? TSA status? Thanks!
How is an elderly person or disabled person supposed to stand in line at TSA for 6+ hours? This situation needs to be fixed ASAP.
You guys should’ve left earlier or didn’t come at all. The only pity I feel is for all the TSA workers who live in the islands that have to deal with the entitlement of tourists who think they somehow offer anything of value to locals other than another source of stress they don’t need. Talk about haole derangement syndrome.
Hey Macapuno to locals isn’t the values to locals called job security and a paycheck. So it’s hard to believe tourism has no value to locals other than to degrade the situation with a haole comment. If the local TSA workers love what they do and their job then what does it matter where tourist’s live or where they are from.
Thanks for letting all these visitors remember the nightmare 6+ hour wait through TSA and then another 6+ minimum flight home. IMO this will be the talk of the town when they get home and everything else will be insignificant. Talk about paying for the Hawaii experience.
I read your multiple rants about being inconvenienced. I’m going to assume you’re just reading about this and weren’t actually there.
Here’s a clue:
When people are hurting, you help them out. You go out of your way to let others know you feel their pain.
What I read in these comments is basically whining.
There’s a saying I taught my children, when the going gets tough, you help each other out.
We are a team.
I would think a cruise ship could take people quicker than a 6 hour wait in TSA just to Honolulu where they could get a faster outbound flight.
We should have a ferry transport system between the major Hawaiian islands.
In fact, a Super ferry transport system.
Oh yeah, that’s right. Never mind.
… or the short-lived Super Ferry…………
Someone needs to be held accountable for this. And these people need to be reimbursed for their suffering at the hands of negligent incompetence by government officials.
We’re talking elderly, pregnant, and infants, with TSA PreCheck, spending 6+ hours in line and still missing their flights, and wondering if they have to do it all over again tomorrow. And here’s another kicker: zero hotels are accepting bookings. And I’m not sure rental cars are taking bookings either.
TSA’s primary concern is expanding their cushy government jobs. (That’s why now that everyone has TSA PreCheck, they’re taking away the benefits of it.) And someone seriously is screwing up here.
This is an emergency situation that is being exasperated by government bureaucracy. These people are not a threat. They need to get on their flights so they can go home. They don’t need to be screened with the walk through machines, they should be figuring out expedient alternative solutions.
What TSA precheck benefits have been taken away? I am not aware of any …
Absolutely. Someone should be held accountable for allowing a hurricane so close to Hawaii that the damage it causes disrupts daily life. This sort of weather event is unacceptable.
And here I thought our 2 hours to get through TSA precheck yesterday morning was bad. Luckily we had arrived 2 hours earlier than usual My prayers for all concerned.
Scheduled for LIH-SFO at 3:45. Been in line for TSA from 11:22. Five hours in line and we are probably looking at 2 hours more to get through. Hoping for more flight delays.
Currently at 6+ hours. Have been in line since 9:30am.