This Kauai airport construction was supposed to be finished this fall. Instead, the disruption will stretch through Thanksgiving, the end of year holidays, the entire busy winter travel season, and into spring break, with completion now pushed to April 2027. Starting today, Lihue Airport is changing where passengers can meet their rides yet again.
As of Monday, October 19, passenger pickups move back to Baggage Claim A, while the curb outside B closes for the next phase of construction. The change affects private vehicles, hotel and rental car shuttles, taxis, and rideshares. The newly reopened A pickup area has received new pavement, curbing, and accessibility improvements. The baggage claim facilities themselves are not closing, but passengers and drivers will need to follow the new pickup directions.
The airport construction schedule has slipped by months.
When we reported the original Lihue Airport pickup changes in February, the state expected work outside Baggage Claim A to finish around June 15. The second phase, affecting Baggage Claim B, was expected to take another four months, putting completion around October 2026.
Instead, the first phase has taken approximately eight months, and work outside Baggage Claim B is only now beginning. HDOT’s latest announcement does not explain the schedule extension.
When we were at Lihue Airport in February, when this started, we saw how quickly traffic backed up during the afternoon mainland arrival period. Several flights landing close together can send hundreds of passengers to the same pickup curb, and the construction leaves fewer places for waiting vehicles.
The parking project behind the changes.
The curbside work is part of a $10.2 million employee parking improvement project that began earlier this year. The state is converting an existing 2.3-acre gravel overflow lot northeast of the terminal into a paved parking area with lighting, security cameras, drainage, and marked stalls.
When finished, the lot will accommodate 347 employee vehicles, approximately 117 more than before. However, those are not 347 new public parking spaces. The state says the increased employee capacity will give airport officials more flexibility to make some spaces in the existing 333-stall main employee lot available to the public during busy travel periods.
Parking has long been one of Lihue Airport’s problems, and it remains part of the larger airport improvement plans we examined following August’s public meeting. The immediate benefit of the current project will depend on how many spaces become available to the public once construction ends.
If you’re flying into Kauai or picking someone up, make sure everyone knows the meeting point is back at Baggage Claim A. Drivers should wait until passengers have collected their luggage and are ready at the curb before entering the pickup area.
Have you been through Lihue Airport recently, and has the ongoing construction made pickups noticeably more difficult? We’d especially like to hear whether the new curbside improvements make things easier or whether congestion remains about the same.
By Rob and Jeff, Beat of Hawaii.
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Ha! Just read this post after dropping off S and T. Was surprised to see people at the A baggage claim!! All seemed to be moving through pickup area without issue.
Honestly – Does this surprise anyone in any way? I doubt it will be done by the end of next year.