Beautiful as it may seem on arrival, where are the food and the tropical fragrances at the new Mauka Concourse at Honolulu Airport (HNL)?
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Maybe food trucks, or dimsum trolleys? Or express waiters, like door dash or Uber eats, with a dedicated kitchen for the terminal?
Thank you for this report…I wondered where the food concession was…Hawaii has such a diverse culinary palate it’s a shame that someone can’t step up and represent what our culture can do.
Aloha
When we flew home to SMF back in May, the Dunkin Donuts small kiosk was open. The small store in the middle of the new concourse was packed as people buy last minute souvenirs or roll the dice with their pre-packaged sandwich options. Hopefully they will add either more kiosks with food options or a few restaurants in the near future.
We need local plate lunch venue at new airport terminal. Or local lunch wagon to add Hawaii flavor/flare.
We would like to set least s coffee shop in the new area.
It would be really nice to see native Hawaiian cuisine at the airport, even the local fast food chains. All of the west coast airports are moving to local restaurants only at the airport which makes it so nice as a goodbye to your stay.
I agree completely. It was such an inspiring way to start a stay in Hawaii — walk off the plane, take a few more steps, and you’re in the warm, fragrant air of Hawaii. Sure, the fragrance is jet fuel, but still..
The new terminal just doesn’t say Hawaii. It could be anywhere. Were these the same planners working on the light rail?
Was just there and only issue I’d agree with is the loss of the plumerias. My mom was relieved at the AC; she’s local-born, but it was always a gripe for her that the airport was hot and smelled of diesel.
As for food, we rather fill our stomachs with the amazing local food than any airport or airplane food any day. We got each got a Zippy’s KFC bfast but could very well have replaced it with manapua or a musubi. If you don’t have a fridge at your hotel, Ani’s sweetbread with some Mac nuts and jerky chips would be yum too. And you can buy those ahead of time.
To the outdoors and seating, they were there just outside the Burger King/CPK foodcourt. I did find it odd how close together they were when there was room to spread out.
Back in sixties the strawberry shortcake was to die for. We used to ride bike from Makalapa to get treats.
The Daniel K Inouye airport can now boast about having the world’s most confusing passenger pickup area. Every pillar at the pickup location now has an emergency number that differs from the baggage claim number. Arriving guests and those who pick them up are constantly confused.
I was surprised at the lack of dining options in the new terminal too. It’s beautiful, and the A/C is appreciated, but if you arrive hungry, the only option is sandwiches from one of the sundry stores. We always carry our own food because of food allergies, but now and again, it would be good to find a nice place to have lunch before boarding our flight home. We often frequent Stinger Rays when we land in Honolulu and wait to board an inter-island flight. The prices are pretty high, and the food is so so, but it beats food court. Hopefully there will be more and better options in the not so distant future. On the up side, a nice, new, clean concourse is always appreciated–sure beats the dreaded, old concourse C we used to fly out of.
We have found Stinger Ray’s to be the best bet for food at Terminal 1 – really worth it for a place to sit and even have a beer. The servers are always friendly and efficient.
Recently between Kauai and Kona we had time for lunch and the food arrived incredibly fast.
It mazes me that restaurants at airports are not open 24/7. Not everyone has a 9-5 flight. And with the crappy airline food a decent meal during a layover or flight delay would go a long way.
We just returned from that airport and to say it was a disappointment is an understatement. The only place to get something to eat was Burger King. Forty two dollars for 2 Whoopers,fries and 2 drinks.
Do better Honolulu, do better.
There was a pop up bar in the new terminal, but seating is limited.I sat on a window ledge. I,too, miss the scent of plumeria upon arrival.
Ah, such is the legacy of not only our airport, but basically all major projects in our state. The best people to ask our those of us who have worked there. We can do much, much better. After many travels through many airports, domestic and international, we can and need to do better. It’s embarrassing!
Nobody living here cares what the tourists think of the airport.
IF tourism is of No Concern to you and others then why do you 🤔 not protest at the airport daily? The Airport, the first impression of each Island, should be a Representation of what a tourist should expect from the rest of their visit and vacation. If the airport is like Honolulu the Tourists can only Hope and Pray that things will be better when they leave it. Your problems with Tourists, they Pay Your Freight through Their Spending and You should remember that. Everything can go Downhill Quickly without them. Watch what you ask for, you may just get it. Hawaii is in a Financial Crisis, Who will be Paying for That?
I live here and I am embarrassed by the Airport. It may be the worst airport in the US. It’s def the worst airport in Asia. Even Kathmandu has better food options and that’s a 3rd world country.
I haven’t been to the new concourse yet, it sounds more like an Enormous concert hall without the ushers or adequate seating. It should probably be renamed to the White Elephant and possibly they can build a miniature Taj Mahal within the spacious confines,at least it would have a purpose. When I hear about the deficient manner in which this is approached I begin to think of major East Coast Projects that seem to be forced to backroom deals and money changing hands for Approvals, hopefully this isn’t the case. Dormant space costs taxpayers money.
When people always vote for the same politicians and expect different results… That’s called stupid.
My wife and I are fairly frequent visitors to the islands, and this is always something that has stood out to me. For as much as Hawaii has to offer the world food wise, the options at the airport are depressing in terminal 1 and non-existent in terminal 2. Chain restaurants have their place, but the locally owned restaurants in Hawaii having locations open in the airport would be a great way to head out for folks about to leave on a long flight.
Why, the change at airport? Should of still had open air. Oh, I see it is all about money. Who, got the kick back for including the airport. Just, like in Chicago O Hare. All, glass building in the Midwest. Exstream cold and heat. Another, bright Idea. It’s all about money. People
Oh the food choices and locations at HNL are awful still. Arrived on red eye early morning and Burger King was not open until 9am. Kudos to the gals next door at the Asian food place for working early and having breakfast at a reasonable price. Departing , we thought we would run into several choices but absolutely zero restaurants in the terminal going back to the mainland. Really thought we wouldn’t still have to pack food and don’t get me started on Hawaiian Airlines food !
One additional thing…you can’t buy pineapples to go either!
I would like to add I am scheduled to return in March of next year. I am not looking forward to my arrival which will be awful at the new terminal. My husband and I have visited Hawaii for the last 30 years once or twice a year extending our stays up to 3 months. I am not looking To a gleeful arrival. I don’t even know if I have a place to stay because of the Gold Coast condo restrictions to 90 days. Even though I made the reservations before I left in March of this year.
I used the new concourse in March of this year.. Did not know you needed to walk and walk and walk and walk to get anywhere once you got off the plane or had to walk getting on the plane.. It was not well marked at which direction to go to get to baggage or any other place.. I hope there is innerterminal transportation once inside that concourse your sunk unless it’s changed. My kids took me to the airport to come back to Oregon and we drove around for 30 minutes looking for a parking place.
Also it was a surprise you couldn’t get a sandwich or anything as you waited for your plane since you have to get there hours ahead of time.
Head to Tampa… best rated airport in the country. The people running the terminal nEd to get off th rock.
Arrived from Oregon on Hawaiian and had to walk to farend of the baggage claim. Made no sense and was very irritating. Why can’t the closer baggage claim used. Just made no sense.
As a Hawaii resident I can say “good riddance to overpriced, unhealthy, terrible food”. I will not miss 150% marked up restaurants nor the disgusting mini store sandwiches. The real story would be a class-action law-suit against purveyors gouging travelers a 200% markup for a bottle of water. Having to walk past establishments with miserable, underpaid employees is in itself an eyesore. The uncluttered, new terminal is a welcome change.
The sandwiches are still there and the only option. Keeping your head in the sand only keeps you from seeing reality.
This makes perfect sense. Since Hawaii is trying to reduce tourism, why would it provide good food, outdoor ambiance, and wonderful natural fragrances at its primary airport? That would defeat the purpose.
Spacious but yes a long walk to the far end baggage. Again poor planning also with the no food concessions. No building permits because that office has had scrutiny issues possibly. HNL does not greet with an Aloha tropical ambiance. Poor execution.
Yes! After our miserable experience last week at HON I tend to think the new governor should be happy about this as well as $1000 fines for using the wrong sunscreen.
Hawaii airport has to be one of the absolute worst Honolulu the one I’m referring to. I’ve been to the new terminal and yes I completely agree with the review.
Funny that this topic came up. My husband and I landed on Saturday and we talking about what a wasted space that was. No food options. We figured more was planned but for now it’s just wasted space. We fly in four times a year. We miss the open air spaces. As soon as you stepped off the plane you new you were in Hawaii…🌺
People griping about the food quality and having to walk a bit more. No sympathy from me. Can’t stand the transformation of airports into malls. Eat at home before you drive to the airport or wait until you arrive at your destination. Or pack few snacks. The human body was designed to survive without consuming calories every two hours, trust me on that. No wonder >50% of us are obese: food, food, food.
Agreed! The only reason I could see a demand for restaurants inside the terminal would be for travelers continuing on to another island after arriving in Honolulu. Let’s say you caught a 6 AM flight out of LAX, it’s now 5 hours later, maybe you have to wait an hour before your connecting flight to Kauai; that would be a good time for a meal, and I wouldn’t blame somebody for getting hungry. But if your final destination is Honolulu, for Pete’s sake, just leave the airport, and go a couple miles and get a real meal at a real restaurant!
It’s such a shame of how bad our airport is. I just got back from Koreas inchun airport where it was rated one of the best. Awesome food dining and entertaining.
We have to start moving forward and learn from the other countries
How sad. We always enjoyed taking a nap in the outside courtyard coming home to Maui from Tahiti during our layovers. It was like, we’re home… almost. We arrived rested and relaxed.
I’m haven’t detected the scent of flowers in Hawaii in over 30 years… much less at HNL… in any concourse.
Was very disappointed in the lack of not only restaurants and bars but there are no vendors. I miss the vendors selling g plumeria shoots to take home. I found it too antiseptic.
The airport and Hawaiian Airlines have an apparent severe shortage of ground personnel. Most of the airport food options were closed by 2:00 PM on 10/26. There were long delays of multiple hours due to shortage of gate agents and baggage handlers. Signage did not update to indicate accurate flight information. The PA system is an echo chamber. We could understand what they were saying and we were not alone. 28 minute walk due to gate change and 3 agriculture inspections in one day.
Consider these issues when passing though Honolulu.
Went thru this terminal last year. What a warehouse! It’s got lots of space, but so what? And yes, it’s like a shiny wasteland, so bring your own snacks/food, cus there ain’t any out there!
not only is there no food but you better be prepared to lose some shoe leather because there are no moving sidewalks. one of the worst.
That is so sad to hear. The bureaucracy in the beautiful state of HAwaii seems to be among the worst in the country. And that’s saying a LOT! Why on earth would decision makers spend so much money on a copy of any mainland airport?? As much as I loathe the terrible luggage service I’ve experienced at HNL, I have very much loved landing and walking through the open air airport that seems to transport one right back to the 60’s. So reminiscent of the golden age of travel. And the lei vendors! How could they build such a sterile, unwelcoming, inhospitable addition to HNL??And at such a price to boot?!!
After flying to and from Honolulu, I must say Hawaiian Air has the worst food I’ve ever had on a plane. Both ways was a weird sub-like bun stuffed with cheese. It tasted horrible. The extra appetizer each way was a bag of very salty potato chips. Hawaiian Air needs to upgrade their food service!
What a sad state of affairs. Just points to the lack of leadership in the state, and lack of engagement of the citizenry.
Hawaii is too beautiful and too rich in culture to allow for such travesty…
Worst Airport my Wife and I have ever been in. We landed at the Honolulu airport on a Delta flight from Atl this past Sept 15. As we disembarked the plane we needed to find Terminal 1 to catch a HA transfer to Maui. We had no idea what terminal we were in and there were no signs anywhere. TV info screens had no info on our connecting flight. As we walked thru the airport asking various employees (of other airline) where HA gates are located we eventually found terminal 1. No one was at any of the information desks, no signs anywhere indicating anything. When we got to terminal 1 Not a single employee at any of the HA gates. More astonishing was a complete lack of Flight #s or destinations at any gate. Just 1 person checking boarding passes.
Discovered the lack of amenities in the “New and Improved” concourse earlier this year and it is everything and worse than what you described. That wide open area is like a McDonalds playground completely out of control as somehow the concept of getting control of the children completely escapes the so called parents that just sat on their collective okoles doing nothing to prevent the kiki from disturbing those of us that just wanted to wait quietly and patiently for the flight to LAX. Maybe some signage for passengers going from the old to the new telling passengers that there is No food options in the new terminal. And is anyone really surprised by the bureaucratic holdups!?
Hi Rob +Jeff. On our connecting flight from Hnl to Lihue, we too were wandering looking for Gate B. Along the way no signs were visible and of the regular few stores/food options, only Starbucks and a bar were open. This was at 5:30pm. You had to go down one level to find a restroom. The restrooms are very far apart now. For an international airport, it’s surprising that there aren’t better food options available.The gov’t/ bureaus is really behind the current needs and desires of the traveller. Stay well.
Wow, last I checked it is a minimum 5 hour flight to the mainland.
Have you ever considered that children will be much better behaved on the plane if they get a little exercise before they start the journey.
Totally agree!! I”ve been flying in and out of HNL for the 21 years I’ve lived here and for 10yrs before I moved here. When I stepped off the plane I looked forward to the beautiful plumeria fragrance and the warm breeze that would greet me. None of that exists in the “new” terminal. Not sure what the designers were thinking but currently looks like a big sterile hospital. So sad!!
Well that’s a bummer. That was what I always looked forward to when flying into HNL. The breezes and smell. Sad that it’s gone.