Not great news. We got to the bottom of Hawaii flight delays that may already have exceeded 30,000 flights since Spring. How to plan for this problem.
Get Breaking Hawaii Travel News
Not great news. We got to the bottom of Hawaii flight delays that may already have exceeded 30,000 flights since Spring. How to plan for this problem.
Get Breaking Hawaii Travel News
November 10
Flight 261 – ITO to HNL
Scheduled 12:55. Delayed 1:40, 1:45, 1:50
Pushback 2:04
Take off 2:20
Landed 3:08 at gate A15 instead of B2
Carousel 9 – flights 245, 295, 261, 281
Got bags at 3:30
husband rturned from Vegas on Thursday of last week. it was a full hour + from aircraft touchdown to passenger deplaning and luggage retrieval. 😢
Great. We live in Vegas and heading to HNL next month. Our patience will be tested.
Need to find a place at airport for Hawaiian Style Food trucks.
Leaving Honolulu, Oct 22 this year, We sat on the plane for nearly 40 minutes and flight attendants blamed labor shortage with luggage handlers loading our plane.
I try to limit my luggage to one carry one size piece.
This just means that no one should be coming here.
We landed in HNL on Oct. 26th from Dallas. Sat on the tarmac for more than 25 minutes to get to a gate invyerminal B. Eventually the plane was routed to a gate at terminal D. Long walk to baggage and then we waited forever to pick that up. Getting a rental car was faster for sure. But all the delays put us into afternoon rush hour traffic. Ugh.
Flew from Kona to HNL to connect with my mainland flight on October 20th. My Hawaiian flight was delayed by 30 minutes with a rare ground stop. However, I had 2 and a half hours for my mainland flight. Best advice, have a minimum 2 or more hours from neighbor island to HNL connection.
Heaven forbid if there are Kona winds and then 26R is closed. Wouldn’t that technically limit almost all larger aircraft to landing only on 26L (the reef runway)? Can’t have these aircraft fly approach over Kalihi, right to land on 22R and 22L?
Flew in from Sydney on Oct 29 around 10.30am with a connection to Maui 2 hours later. Terminal 1 was chaos. So many passengers that could barely walk. Queue at checkin desk so long, 150 yards plus, it would take hours to get served. Needed help to get boarding pass and onto plane. Plane left around 30 mins late as bags were being delayed. Arrived at Maui with both mine and my Wife’s missing. Eventually delivered to our hotel next day!! Sadly, Hawaii now off our annual list until HNL decides to enter 21st century.
Aloha — Is this primarily an issue when flying Hawaiian airlines? Or, does it effect all airlines flying in and out of HNL? We will be flying on American late May/early June 2023. Mahalo
Hi Joe.
It impacts all airlines to some degree. So do check your flight as indicated.
Aloha.
I’ve been traveling for years by plane. This is nothing new. Yes delays are all part of the process. I think we have just gotten a lot less patient in our new immediate gratification society. So that being said planning is the best approach to travel. If you can not deal with the loss of control in your travels for a bit then drive to your destination and avoid flying. Delays happen at every airport not just Honolulu international. Hawaii is a beautiful place trust me it’s worth the wait. If you are traveling back to the mainland then sit back relax and think about the beautiful time you had in the most beautiful place in the world.
Thank you for this wonderful information as I’m scheduled to fly to Hawaii at the end of this month so this info comes in very handy
Hi Laura.
Thanks. We hope it helps and that your travels will be uneventful in terms of delays.
Aloha.
My husband and I visited Hawaii a couple weeks ago and had no problems at all on our flight to Oahu or home last week. The hardest part of flying to Hawaii is the length of the flight and getting used to the 6hour time change.
We were in a 20 min gate hold yesterday around 1 pm. Not fun.
I travelled to Hawaii in June, 2022. I too was surprised that there no food vendors. I presumed that our flight was a red eye. Also even the souvenir shops are mninmal. Is that the norm?
On 10/18/22 we were delayed over 13 hours on our JFK to OGG flight. Told would be delayed 10 hours maybe less . Had 2 first class tickets. First time ever flying first class , was a 45th wedding anniversary gift for my wife. Always use Hawaiian Airlines when we fly to Hawaii from east coast. Was very disappointed with the way they handled the situation and the compensation. First they gave us a form for compensation with the wrong email address then after wasting a day finally getting it right I think what was given was too little. I am probably going to check other airlines for February when I go back to Hawaii.
Yes, we were delayed on this past Wednesday 11/2, we were 2 hours early to Lihue Airport for our connection to HNL – JFK. Unfortunately our flight was delayed so (without notice) that we were in Lihue airport for approximately four hours… delayed about an hour plus a few minutes. Finally get boarded and arrive at HNL , we literally ran to our gate Across the airport…. And good thing we did as he would have missed our long flight by ten minutes. Super stressful way to start our extremely long trip home! Can’t understand why if this is all due to planned construction, we can’t have some notice?
We flew out on Hawaiian #44 on 11/1/22 and were wondering about our 30 minute delay and the lack of food offerings in the new terminal. I thought it was business as usual at HNL as we usually try to fly directly to the island we want to visit. We were visiting Oahu this time. Hopefully the airport and Hawaiian will get their act together soon. The departure terminal for Hawaiian could use lots of improvement. It is a hassle just to drop off bags compared to other airlines & airports.
Flying every other weekend and encountered a handful of delays and they weren’t short wait either… should be able to receive some kind of compensation from hawaiian airlines (refund half price) or next flight free. Wasted time waiting and especially lose out on money when business is on the line and/or missing a appointment which requires urgent attention. Just a lot of time lost!
Aloha there!
As I was reading only solution came to my mind :
Bring back the Ferry for inter island travels, have all the time to renovate 8L, at least until the airport fully able to operate again.
My guess is, ferry would be so busy because others locals would visit as well as it was couple decades ago.
Just a suggestion!
God bless you all
Best regards
Eszti
As a retired airport manager I’m amazed on how dismal the food situation is at what should be the showcase for arriving passengers in Honolulu. This has been a problem for years. To say nothing about the lost revenue that restaurants could provide to the local airport authority. As for the runway closure and construction delays, welcome to Hawaii.
Sept 25, 2022. Island hop from Lihue to HNL. 11am flight delayed to 2:20pm. That was a shocker.
After my flight from Kona back to Oahu was going to be delayed by more than 2 hours, I was able to book another flight with an earlier departure time.
When it came time for my rescheduled flight time, They announced that my new flight was going to be delayed by an hour.
What is going on with Hawaiian airlines and the massive delays.
Hawaiian airlines used to be the most on time airlines.
Not any more!!!!!
The runway will not take a year to complete. My company is doing the project. We gonna be running crews 24 hours. If no rain outs, it will be done within 3.5 to 4 months max.
Aloha guys!
Our flight delay has been 10 months 🤪 and continues until vacation condos and car rental prices get back in line. Been following BOH on airfares and while we can get to Kauai for close to $300 from PHX the above issues wreak havoc with our budget. We’ll keep reading. Meanwhile Croatia 2 bedroom condo with pool $74USD nightly.
There’s a good amount of new construction going on at airports throughout the country.
Aloha
It sounds like the Hawaiian Fiscal Responsibility bug has bit HNL Airport. The probable reason for the October Start on the runway is Money, actually the lack of it. When will Hawaiian Government hire College Graduates that know how to do Financial Audits and Forcast 3, 6 and 12 months out? This Airport Nonsense keeps worsening by the moment and surely won’t be any better soon. HNL Airport needs Many Upgrades to make it Competitive and Appealing to Tourists and Others, those that spend the Money!
On a positive note,the new Hawaiian terminal wing is huge and vacant during by July visit.Amazing design and square footage😎
In 2015 I left the state and took up residency in Florida for two years. Upon returning to Honolulu in 2017, I was appalled by the condition of the airport. Mainland airports are all high tech and efficient. Honolulu International, however, is a whole different story. It was if I had landed on some desolate island in the Pacific with no modern amenities. Sadly pathetic to say the least.
Brought to you by the same folks who control Hart, the terrible roads and highways et. al.
Is anyone really surprised by the ineptitude of the Hawaii DOT? Keep voting the do nothing in power that has had a death grip on the state for decades and expect different results!
The alternative would be exponentially worse for the state.
Today’s flt 214 Hawaiian air. Left terminal on Kauai on time but as soon as tow vehicle disconnects captain comes on pa and advise we’re unable to depart until 11:26, time was 11:05.
So upon landing we were delayed waiting for “traffic “ to clear.
First time in awhile delayed so long.
I fly to the neighbor islands 2 to 3 times a week for work, just for the day. The flights back home to Oahu have been frustratingly more than 15 minutes late All The Time!
I would say, the problem was exasperated due to poor planning. They had to know years in advance of the runway repair project. They obviously hadn’t planned for the negative impact of flight schedules and delays! And they don’t have a completion date?!? This is considered an International Airport?
Very typical for the airports division of the state. They have never had foresight, hence a third world airport since the 60s.
Unfortunately “International Airports” aren’t all what their name represents, the title simply distinguishes them from the Municipal Airport ac⁶ross the Country. HNL Airport Board Members should Resign due to Their Dismal Performance. Absolutely Zero Confidence and Tolerance for Fools.
I recently arrived home from the Mainland on Hawaiian Airlines and all baggage carousels were down. It took 1.5 hours to get my luggage, during which time there was no communication from HA. No announcements, apologies, explanations or estimates of when our baggage would arrive. I sent them a follow up email and never received a response. Worst service ever!
We recently experienced delays. We were flying Hawaiian Air from Honolulu to Maui (OGG). Our plane was late arriving to our gate, then had a mechanical issue that required a mechanic. Then because of one runaway being closed We waited another 15 minutes to take off. (About an hour delay total). There were about 20 Hawaiian airline employees on the flight who were going to be late for the flights they were working from Maui.
As a result of all of this- baggage claim in Maui was quite a mob scene!
And there weren’t many food choices in the Honolulu airport.
I flew to Utah on Delta last month and I had no delays from the airport so I guess I was lucky. Not sure what this is all about but whoever thought of doing this type of work now, was not really thinking! A moron decision in my opinion!
I have a picture of the work if you guys want
Hi SK.
That would be great. You can send it to [email protected].
Thanks.
Aloha.
I flew my family Into Honolulu October 26th, 2022 our flight was delayed 1 hour and at our arrival we sat on the plane for 2 hours due to conveying belt issues and no gate to arrive. The flight home on October 31st was delayed 5 hours. My children missed Halloween unfortunately.
You should be getting all your money back from the Airline!
It seems like HNL Airport Management doesn’t want to recognize that airlines are being kept on holding patterns for longer than 10 minutes despite the Fact that the landing delays are Much Longer, the take-off delays are also. Last that I checked these Instances must be kept Accurately and are a part of Federal Requirements that carry Fines and Jail Time with a Conviction for Fraudulent Record Keeping. I tend to believe the Airlines, they are losing profits by the delays. HNL Airport needs to do Much Better all around, Antiquated is Fine for Certain Items but Not Airports! Lateness not fine when you’re attempting to take off or land an Aircraft!
Aloha!
Mahalo for the info…I hadn’t read anything about the closure until your email. I don’t understand why this information hasn’t been widely disseminated. If it had been, people flying to/from HNL, and the airlines, could plan ahead which decreases issues like getting to a connecting flight.
Again, mahalo nui!
Hi Lynn.
We concur. It seems very odd that no one has been talking about it before this.
Aloha.
The state is trying to avoid a drop in tourism, but ironically, by causing these disruptions they are facilitating it. Word will eventually get around and people will stop coming here. So much for the Aloha spirit.
The Aloha Spirit has become a “Wayward Ghost” according to Many people who vacation in Hawaii.
This is all made up. Why just yesterday, a local government official told me the runway will be finished the day after the light rail project… In the meantime, the mayor reminds us that vacation rentals are the worst problem plaguing Oahu.
I think it depends who you ask. I was told it would be finished the day before the light rail. Probably, but if not the day before then definitely that week.
That’s very strange, I was told an entirely different time-line for the completion of both of those projects. The Runway will be finished as soon as it’s done and the rail to nowhere project will be done as soon as hell freezes over and not a moment sooner! I now know why HDOT was spraying antifreeze on certain area’s.
Aloha,
Are you adding any additional time to your layovers in HNL? I always try and have 2 hrs before my mainland flight. Mahalo!
Hi Carolann.
Thanks. Good idea. We added that to the article.
Aloha.