HNL Connection Question
 

I am taking a trip to HNL in Nov. (was just able to book 2 BF rewards EWR-HNL :) ). I've never been to HNL before so I had a question about a potential tight connection I may have to book.

My ultimate destination is LIH (Kauai) and CO does not have any mileage seats available on the HNL-LIH segment. So I'm trying to buy the seats for this segment and the last flight from HNL to LIH leaves at 8:00pm. My CO flight lands at 7:20pm. I assume the answer is no but do you think there is anyway I can make this 40 minute connection? I realize if my flight is late at all I'm screwed, but it looks like otherwise I'll be forced to spend a night in HNL.

As always, any help is appreciated and thank you in advance!


-Jonathan

Did you try Go/Mesa Air? They typically have a 9:30pm flight from HNL to LIH. Last flight on Aloha/Hawaiian is 8pm.

You shouldn't have a problem at all. I was on that flight last week and had a 60 min connection and had half an hour to spare. Hnl is a very easy airport to get around. Plus your in biz first so you will be one of the first off the plane.

Have a great trip

Thanks for the reply. That flight actually existed on the schedule like a week ago but now it's gone for some reason. Doesn't even seem to exist. The latest flight currently leaves @ 7:35pm.

Have done this many times, however, to KOA not to LIH. If things run smoothly, then 40 minutes is ok. However, if your flight is just 15 minutes late arriving in HNL...might not give you enough time. Further, don't know if I would be comfortable with CO transferring my luggage within 40 minutes if arrival into HNL.

If you missed your scheduled interisland flight b/c of a late CO arrival, HA or AQ are not obligated to do anything (They probably wouldn't leave you stranded, but they would not be required to do something).

I always book a 90 minute layover and try to find an agent who will let me fly standby on an earlier flight for no charge. Chances are my luggage made the earlier flight as well...

Would CO allow me to check the bag all the way to LIH even if I'm flying another airline? I've never tried this before.


Thanks!

I'm not a CO flyer:), UA all the way...But I'm 99% sure they would to HA or AQ, not sure about GO. You would just need to have a copy of your E-Itin when checking in @ CO and ask them to check your bags thru on (insert carrier here) to LIH.

You CAN check your luggage thru to LIH at the CO desk in EWR if you fly on Hawaiian (HA) and poss Aloha, but not sure about GO or others. Works fine on HA, I've done it 3 times over the past 2 years.

But be warned: ground staff at HNL isn't the quickest. last year, I flew into HNL on CO, and on to LIH via HA, but my bags didn't make it on my flight into LIH. Waited for the next flight's luggage to arrive, and ours wasn't in that batch, so I filed a lost luggage report in LIH. The guy there said the bags could arrive on ANY airline's flight, not just HA, and then he promptly closed down the luggage office and left for the night. ( :eek: ). And just as my wife was starting to cry (last flight of the night had just arrived, and the pax were collecting their bags from the carousel) our bags popped out of the carousel.

So, I now take enough stuff in my carryon to get me thru to the next day if the bags don't xfer on time. But even if you can't do that, there's a Long's Drug just a couple mins outside the airport, and a WalMart up the road a few more mins, where you can buy any necessities.

Enjoy Hawai'i!

FWIW, this type of question has been frequently asked on the Hawaii forum (linked below). ;)

And, 40 minutes is a rather tight connection, but it's doable. If you do a little searching, you'll find a thread called "Connecting in HNL". It's got everything you wanted to know about connecting in HNL and perhaps more. Just remember that you do not have to exit the secured area if you check your luggage all the way through to LIH. Just follow the instructions listed on that thread for more info.

Okay, I went ahead and found the thread for you:
Your Guide to Flying to Hawai‘i/Connecting in HNL (Updated 7/20/06)

Also, FWIW, I'm not a big fan of go! having flown them a few months before. I took pictures of my flight experience and posted here:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=587343

Take the WikiWiki
 

I've been able to make connections as tight as that, although I've learned that the bags have a 50/50 shot of making it. (I've had a lot of problems with interline bags onto HA from CO -they usually arrive onto my final island a flight after my flown flight.)

But some of the worst TSA lines in the US are in Hawaii. Be sure to take the WikiWiki shuttle that keeps you within the secured side of the airport and do -not- leave the secured mainland terminal that you arrive in on and do -not- walk over to the interisland terminal. The shuttle runs quickly and frequently and is located upstairs/outside over the mainland terminal.

Wow... I didn't know that (my bad for not reading slippahs post).

Walking takes you out of the secured area?

I have a 90 minute connection and was going to ask CO to interline the bags to Hawaiian. Are you saying they might not make it on the same flight as I'm on?

No, you can walk to the HA gates airside - at least you could when I did so last year.

I too had issues with getting my bag that I interlined to KOA. We had a two hour layover and it it didnt make it (though it did make it later that night, so no big deal).

Thanks... but if it doesn't make it on my flight, will they deliver it or will/should I hang around the airport for it?

After flying in from EWR with a planned LIH arrival of around 6pm, well, I just may be cranky by then and don't want to deal with it. :) ;)

They delivered it to me later that evening, though I was already in bed and asked that the hotel keep it until the next morning.

As others said it is possible but I always plan a night in HNL. If you get the timing wrong on the shuttle to the interisland reminal you cna have a long wait, at least 20 minutes if not more. Walking over to the terminal is feasible, but it is a bit of a trek and if burdened with luggage not so nice.