167 thoughts on “This Hawaiian Airlines Terminal Is A Traveler’s Nightmare”
Jim T
Long Beach airport all the way! Both my wife and I love the A-330 out of LAX but when HAL was moved to the Tom Bradley west gates it is a pain in the behind! To be honest, it does not bother me so much when we leave for Maui on flight 33 but when we return in the evening it just seems that walk goes on forever! Check out Youtube videos that compare flying HAL from Long Beach or Los Angeles. The one I posted was done prior to the move to the Bradley terminal.
Everything said is true.a w/c doesn’t help cause u transfer to carts and that’s long and disorganized.after 40 yrs I even considered another airline please fix this.And shuttle in drop off is inconvenient also
I wish I had read this before today. Due to the construction, the shuttle left us like 200 meters from the airport entrance, then there was the “maze” mentioned in this article. Anyone traveling HA out of LAX should add 45 minutes to their accustomed arrival time. In addition, wear comfortable shoes & bring a light carryon because the walk / maze can be challenging. If you are travel with elderly people and plan to use their little golf carts, add another 30 min, I saw a line of elderly people waiting for the carts.
We’re heading to Kona in October, and I had to go with Delta for KC to LAX, Hawaiian LAX to KOA (separate bookings, not connecting). So we will have to pick up our luggage at LAX, then change to the next carrier.
Any navigation tips/info for:
1) Our trip out includes a stay at the airport Hilton overnight; this gives us a ‘normal’ departure from LAX to KOA the next morning. Is 2 hours prior to the flight enough time to check bags and get to the terminal?
2) The return trip, we’ll have to go to Hawaiian’s baggage claim, then check bags on Delta for our next leg. Is this possible without going back through security? My girlfriend is officially ‘disabled’ so I’m guessing the carts are the best option for the ‘trek’.
Two hours should be enough time. Be sure to check the MyTSA app to see what that delay may be. On Tuesday, TSA was under 10 minutes. There was a line at Hawaiian for check-in/baggage drop however. Then add the 15-20 minute walk. And be sure to pick up anything to eat in the main terminal before the walk.
Some people are reporting in comments that carts aren’t always available, and we noticed them in the morning when departing but not at all in the evening on arrival.
Regarding your security question, we don’t know the answer. Try to get DL and HA to interline the luggage. They absolutely still can do it. You just need to get someone to help. Hopefully, a disability will play in your favor in that regard.
Be sure and add an additional hour for catching the shuttle at the Hilton. They allow parking/shuttle service to the general public which adds a lot of travelers in line to catch one of their free shuttles.
I missed my flight to Kona in August! After the TSA checking, I remember a flashing message when I printed the boarding pass, about allowing 15 mins to the gate, but I wasn’t expecting such a long hike! And I didn’t know they had shuttles. My flight was at 11 AM, and I ran to the gate, it was 10:35 AM when I got to the terminal where the gate was, but I made a left turn instead of a right! By the time I got to the gate, they had closed the door, and It was 10:50! They put me on the next flight to Kona the following day. I love Hawaiian Airlines, they have the friendliest on-flight staff, and they feed you! but I’ll be looking at other options for my next trip.
Y’all realize that this was not a decision made by Hawaiian Airlines right? Hawaiian got kicked out of terminal 5 because American is planning on buying Terminal 5. LAWA made the Tom Bradley West extension to increase gate availability, but that would sacrifice convenience for many passengers. Luckily, Hawaiian was able to persuade LAWA in making a Domestic baggage claim in Tom Bradle, otherwise passengers would have to catch a bus to terminal 1 for baggage. Obviously it sucks that it happened, but that’s what happens when you don’t have money to throw around.
It wasn’t that bad. We flew to/from Kona in August 2022. Our 3 and 5yo loved all the escalators and moving walkways. It was a good walk but it got some of their energy out and they weren’t complaining.
We flew LAX to KOA, soon after Hawaiian moved to the Bradley Terminal. Never again! Our last two HNL flights were on UA. Terminal 7 is great, and the new UA lounge is too. Also, UA has a much better lounge at HNL. Sorry to say it’s UA for our future flights, even with the possibility of HA 787-9 flights in the future.
I thought your article was sad. I travel back-and-forth from Maui to California every other month. It’s not as bad as you make it out to be. It’s just different. If people wait till the last minute, sure they are taking a chance on missing their flight. Otherwise, I think it’s much nicer. As you mentioned there are carts to transport you as well as elevators. These will cut your time in half as well as your physical exertion. also, there are coffee and snack options very near the gates to fly out. Why don’t you try writing a article that’s a little more positive instead of sounding like a bunch of whiners.
Long Beach airport all the way! Both my wife and I love the A-330 out of LAX but when HAL was moved to the Tom Bradley west gates it is a pain in the behind! To be honest, it does not bother me so much when we leave for Maui on flight 33 but when we return in the evening it just seems that walk goes on forever! Check out Youtube videos that compare flying HAL from Long Beach or Los Angeles. The one I posted was done prior to the move to the Bradley terminal.
Everything said is true.a w/c doesn’t help cause u transfer to carts and that’s long and disorganized.after 40 yrs I even considered another airline please fix this.And shuttle in drop off is inconvenient also
I wish I had read this before today. Due to the construction, the shuttle left us like 200 meters from the airport entrance, then there was the “maze” mentioned in this article. Anyone traveling HA out of LAX should add 45 minutes to their accustomed arrival time. In addition, wear comfortable shoes & bring a light carryon because the walk / maze can be challenging. If you are travel with elderly people and plan to use their little golf carts, add another 30 min, I saw a line of elderly people waiting for the carts.
We’re heading to Kona in October, and I had to go with Delta for KC to LAX, Hawaiian LAX to KOA (separate bookings, not connecting). So we will have to pick up our luggage at LAX, then change to the next carrier.
Any navigation tips/info for:
1) Our trip out includes a stay at the airport Hilton overnight; this gives us a ‘normal’ departure from LAX to KOA the next morning. Is 2 hours prior to the flight enough time to check bags and get to the terminal?
2) The return trip, we’ll have to go to Hawaiian’s baggage claim, then check bags on Delta for our next leg. Is this possible without going back through security? My girlfriend is officially ‘disabled’ so I’m guessing the carts are the best option for the ‘trek’.
Any tips? Thanks!
Hi Ken.
Two hours should be enough time. Be sure to check the MyTSA app to see what that delay may be. On Tuesday, TSA was under 10 minutes. There was a line at Hawaiian for check-in/baggage drop however. Then add the 15-20 minute walk. And be sure to pick up anything to eat in the main terminal before the walk.
Some people are reporting in comments that carts aren’t always available, and we noticed them in the morning when departing but not at all in the evening on arrival.
Regarding your security question, we don’t know the answer. Try to get DL and HA to interline the luggage. They absolutely still can do it. You just need to get someone to help. Hopefully, a disability will play in your favor in that regard.
Please let us know how it goes.
Aloha.
Thanks–will do!
Be sure and add an additional hour for catching the shuttle at the Hilton. They allow parking/shuttle service to the general public which adds a lot of travelers in line to catch one of their free shuttles.
I missed my flight to Kona in August! After the TSA checking, I remember a flashing message when I printed the boarding pass, about allowing 15 mins to the gate, but I wasn’t expecting such a long hike! And I didn’t know they had shuttles. My flight was at 11 AM, and I ran to the gate, it was 10:35 AM when I got to the terminal where the gate was, but I made a left turn instead of a right! By the time I got to the gate, they had closed the door, and It was 10:50! They put me on the next flight to Kona the following day. I love Hawaiian Airlines, they have the friendliest on-flight staff, and they feed you! but I’ll be looking at other options for my next trip.
Y’all realize that this was not a decision made by Hawaiian Airlines right? Hawaiian got kicked out of terminal 5 because American is planning on buying Terminal 5. LAWA made the Tom Bradley West extension to increase gate availability, but that would sacrifice convenience for many passengers. Luckily, Hawaiian was able to persuade LAWA in making a Domestic baggage claim in Tom Bradle, otherwise passengers would have to catch a bus to terminal 1 for baggage. Obviously it sucks that it happened, but that’s what happens when you don’t have money to throw around.
It wasn’t that bad. We flew to/from Kona in August 2022. Our 3 and 5yo loved all the escalators and moving walkways. It was a good walk but it got some of their energy out and they weren’t complaining.
I have actually changed flying from Kona to LAX on Hawaiian to United due the awful terminal change.
We flew LAX to KOA, soon after Hawaiian moved to the Bradley Terminal. Never again! Our last two HNL flights were on UA. Terminal 7 is great, and the new UA lounge is too. Also, UA has a much better lounge at HNL. Sorry to say it’s UA for our future flights, even with the possibility of HA 787-9 flights in the future.
I thought your article was sad. I travel back-and-forth from Maui to California every other month. It’s not as bad as you make it out to be. It’s just different. If people wait till the last minute, sure they are taking a chance on missing their flight. Otherwise, I think it’s much nicer. As you mentioned there are carts to transport you as well as elevators. These will cut your time in half as well as your physical exertion. also, there are coffee and snack options very near the gates to fly out. Why don’t you try writing a article that’s a little more positive instead of sounding like a bunch of whiners.