TSA said it would allocate adequate staff at security checkpoints based on the anticipated number of travelers on any given day and time. Recently, over 200k travelers departed Hawaii airports during the Memorial Day holiday weekend. Of those, over 113k were at Honolulu Airport alone.
The busiest times at Hawaii Airport TSA checkpoints.
Hours: 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Days: Thursdays, Fridays, Sundays, and Mondays.
TSA screening goals for Hawaii airports.
General security screening: Less than 30 minutes.
TSA PreCheck screening: Less than 10 minutes.
“The rest of the country is finally catching up to what we have been seeing in Hawaii for some time. Air travel is back and it will continue to grow. That is why TSA began working on its summer travel staffing plan months ago to ensure that we would be prepared for high numbers of travelers – whether residents or tourists – who will come to our security checkpoints and expect high levels of security, efficient operations and a dose of Aloha. TSA will keep our security checkpoints staffed and utilize a variety of security assets including our explosive detection canines to ensure smooth travels for all.” — TSA Federal Security Director for Hawaii and the Pacific Nanea Vasta.
TSA warning to Hawaii travelers.
Sometimes, those awaiting screening may exceed the capacity of security checkpoints. As a result, “TSA is advising all travelers to plan ahead and arrive early to complete every step of the airport travel process.” Read on for more tips to know what you can expect at your Hawaii airport.
New! TSA lets teenagers PreCheck with parents.
While children 12 and under were previously permitted to use TSA PreCheck when traveling with a parent or guardian on the same itinerary, now, teenagers aged 13-17 may also accompany TSA PreCheck enrolled parents or guardians through screening. Everyone must travel on the same reservation, and a TSA PreCheck indicator must appear on the teen’s boarding pass.
Read TSA’s Hawaii summer travel tips.
Pack smart. TSA says to be aware of what’s in your carry-on bags to avoid problems with non-permitted items.
Download MyTSA app. It’s highly recommended to see the anticipated wait times for TSA before you leave for the airport. You can also use the “What Can I Bring?” feature. If in doubt, take a photo of an item and send it to @AskTSA on Twitter or Facebook Messenger for real-time assistance. You can also ask questions by texting “Travel” to AskTSA (275-872). We’ve contacted TSA before and found them helpful and timely with their response.
Empty pockets. This will speed up everyone’s experience through the TSA process. TSA warns against leaving items in bins and suggests everything go in carry-on bags to avoid leaving something behind.
Listen for changes to TSA procedures. Hawaii airports may use technologies that change the rules that are in effect. At times, a boarding pass may not be required. And at other times, all items may be left in carry-on bags. TSA suggests listening to the current requirements from its officers.
Continue to follow the rules on liquids. That includes a 3.4-ounce maximum on sunscreen, creams, bug spray, and other liquids and aerosols in carry-on luggage.
Get your TSA PreCheck if you don’t already have it. We can share from our experience that it regularly saves us a lot of time at Hawaii airports.
Be sure your TSA PreCheck’s Known Traveler Number (KTN) appears in your reservation. Download the airline app and check your boarding pass for the TSA Pre-Check emblem. If it’s not there, you can add the KTN on the App, and it should update the boarding pass immediately.
I fly regularly between Honolulu and Lihue. Between the runway construction in Honolulu and Hawaiian Airlines being too chintzy to hire enough staff to greet the planes anymore, the flights have all become reliably very late. But since they opened the new checkpoint,TSA there a few months ago, TSA has always been great – a breeze. But Lihue on the other hand, while lacking the airport delays, always has a total and complete cluster***k at TSA. One of them recently admitted to me that when they open a second checkpoint, all they really actually do is split the original checkpoint crew in half and move some. At least they’ve become more effective at public relations, sneaky so and sos.😂
A real possibility is that Hawaiian Air is unable to find more workers for their ground crew.
Have fun!
TSA precheck is about 90 bucks and I dont plan on flying much this year, so hopefully wont have to deal with this line only once or twice during the trip. It gives me the willies though looking at the tsa lined down the street at airport.
Thanks for the info Guys, it’s all good.
Hi Roy.
Thanks. We really appreciate your 500 comments over the years!
Aloha.
While shopping in Duty Free, please beware that if you buy liquid greater than 3.4oz and you have to change flight and your gate is beyond the secured area, you are required to go through TSA again and the item you purchased will be confiscated unless you can check it in. We were also told that we should have been advised by the flight crew that we can check out item in before we left our gate but unfortunately we were not notified.
Would it be asking too much to mount some high speed fans while waiting in those long lines?? I’m Maui a few weeks ago with close to an hour to get thru and brutal. Some moving air would be inexpensive.
Last fall also in Kona
There is now a fee for that. You need to reserve some moving air on the State of Hawaii website. I believe it is $10 for 20 minutes at 6 cubic feet per minute.
I must agree with Pat G. Conflicting articles about tourism numbers. Are they really down or are they really up? My prediction is that those who made and paid for reservations a year or so ago will still come, but the economy is bound to have a negative affect on the number of future tourists and/or their length of stay, if they come at all. Even the so called “elites” are being more cautious about how they spend their money and the effects of the “lets price gouge the tourists” attitude may just be coming home to roost. Hawaii may not like the consequences of their actions. Biting the hand that feeds you is rarely beneficial to the biter.
An article or two about reduced Hawaii visitors, followed by an article saying the numbers have surpassed 2019. Which one is it?
You beat me to it!
As a resident of Maui I can tell you that the tourist population is still very healthy.
Hi guys.
Arrivals are up over 2019 while those from the west coast are down compared with 2022.
Aloha.
Thanks for the update! Great news for teens! But, what do you do with toddlers under two who have no ticket to show TSA PreCheck? I’ve searched on their website but came up with nothing about toddlers flying without a ticket. Thanks!
Hi Jan.
Great question. We suggest using one of the TSA contact us options indicated. They want travelers’ questions.
Aloha.
They know the issues and aren’t doing anything about it. Customers, just prepare…
The one bright spot in Hawaii’s airports is Hawaiian’s terminal in HNL. Can you imagine the lines if it wasn’t for their new TSA. checkpoints?
Auwe!