For the past year, I have been traveling in and out of OGG - typically the non-stops involving Denver and occasionally SFO
(the redeye OGG-DEN was nice - as was the late morning DEN-OGG that got me back at a reasonable time in the afternoon)
But now with the service cut-backs, the options are much more limited and complex
Yesterday, I came in thru HNL and wasnt too bad since it looks like HA still has hourly flights to OGG
- I didnt have to check bags which made it easier (I think)

What do others think about connecting thru LIH or KOA?

I do this for work and sometimes on a tight schedule where IRROPS and missed connections can be a real headache - especially if I'm connecting outside of a non-hub (which is often the case)