Connection Time - KOA
 

What is the minimum connection time (actual, not recommended) between a mainland arrival and a departing interisland flight at KOA?

It's a really small airport, so you don't have to worry about things like shuttles to take you to other terminals. I guess it would depend on if you're checking bags and they need to be transferred. Otherwise not much. I think the minimum legal is an hour, but less should not be a problem if your arriving flight's on time.

There's an understatement! My girls just loved the airport - it's a bunch of fake grass huts, you exit the plane from a stairway ramp onto the tarmac and it shouldn't take you more than 30 seconds to walk from one side of the airport to the other.

The interisland flights are open seating, meaning you get in line and take whatever seat is available so when you get off the first flight, get in line for the second as soon as you can - they start lining up 15-20 minutes in advance.

If you can get checked through all the way to your destination, it's a breeze going through KOA (probably the world's only international open-air airport). Check in for the inter-island flights can drag as you have to deal with ag inspection and so forth. Waiting for inter-island flights is fun. You're actually standing (at a turnstile) on the edge of the tarmac. You can watch all kind of interesting planes going by. We saw an Air Force spy plane (similar to J-star) doing touch and go while we waited for a flight to HNL last April.

Ag inspection is for departing flights to the mainland or overseas.

Thanks for the correction, letiole. I forgot that it was when we were going home that we got ag checked.

Will be arriving at KOA on a UA (award) flight. One hour connection to a flight to HNL (a separate AQ award, paid for with UA miles). Even though the two flights are on separate PNRs, I am told that checking luggage at the origination airport (DCA) all the way through to HNL is no problem (with a copy of the confirmation for the Aloha award).

HOWEVER, can the Aloha boarding pass be issued at DCA? If not, can it be obtained "inside security" at KOA? (Have no idea how big a deal security is at KOA). Or does one have to go "outside security" to get a BP for the AQ flight?

Thanks for any info you can provide.

You can always check in online for your Aloha Air flight 24 hours prior to departure. That should take care of the worries of having to get a new BP... However, IIRC, there are desks fronting the gates where you can receive a BP for the Aloha connection. Then again, the last time I flew through KOA was 3 years ago, so my memory might be a bit foggy.

Online check-in is your best bet. However, you must get Aloha's record locater number for this to work. United's PNR won't work to check in on Aloha's website. You'll need to call United and ask them for the Aloha Record Locater. If you get a clueless UA staffer, then call Aloha and tell them what flight you're on and your name and they can look it up for you.

IF when you try the online check in and it doesn't work, even with Aloha's Record Locater, then call Aloha back and ask them for their (not United's -- which they probably won't have) e-ticket number. (It's not -- like UA's -- 016xxxx but I forget what the opening designator is). Every once in awhile when on an AQ award using UA miles I couldn't do online check in, even with the AQ Record Locater. But the e-ticket number worked fine. (Or Aloha Pass FF #)

You don't have to exit security to go from UA to AQ in KOA. You should be able to get your boarding passes from the AQ gate agent.

But if you want a few extra minutes to not be standing in a line, do your Aloha boarding passes online.

One more hint: AQ's FF tracking system is so archaic that if you sign up for AQ frequent flyer program, and have them put your AlohaPass Miles # in the record when you call (which is also another way you can do online check-in) you'll probably get Aloha miles for the interisland award segments.

I have learned to do this every time I redeem a UA interisland ticket on AQ: I call Aloha and have them put our AlohaPass number(s) in our record (which, as I say, you can also use for online check in). I have gotten AlohaPass miles every time. They seem to take four months to show up, but they do show up.

Hope that helps.... Feel free to ask any follow-on questions :)

cblaisd & slippahs--

Thanks for the rapid and very helpful responses.

However, a point of clarification, please: Based on your recommendation for online checkin, I infer that UA would not able to issue a BP for AQ when checking in at DCA, correct?

UA can see AQ's e-tickets, and since it's a UA-award, the answer is: possibly. :)

Sorry I can't be more definite.

I suggest you call the UA Domestic Award Reservations line.