Beautiful as it may seem on arrival, where are the food and the tropical fragrances at the new Mauka Concourse at Honolulu Airport (HNL)?
Beautiful as it may seem on arrival, where are the food and the tropical fragrances at the new Mauka Concourse at Honolulu Airport (HNL)?
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.