4 hour Layover in HNL
 

We have a 4 hour wait in HNL before catching our Northwest flight to SEA. Is it worth leaving the airport to do some sightseeing or should we just stay put.

Thanks for your suggestions.

That is a tough decision... you have to get back and get through security... are you coming from another island?

Anyway to get over earlier?

It is so worth it to go to Pearl Harbor.

William

We have an 8:30 am flight from OGG on Aloha. Our flight to SEA on Northwest leaves at 1:15 pm

We were originally flying from YVR to KOA, returning OGG to YVR on Aloha. Found out two days ago that Aloha has cancelled these non-stop flights. They rescheduled us via HNL one day prior to our travelling dates and returning one day later. The problem is we originate from YYZ and would have cost us over $2000 to get new tickets as reward tix on AC are no longer available.

To make a long story short, after much debate and persistence on my part and the willingness of a great customer sevice manager to go beyond the company line, Aloha found flights on 3 different airlines to accomodate our original travel dates.

Along those same lines, I have an 8 hour layover.

Arriving NRT-HNL at 9:20 am and departing for MSP at 5:30 pm.

Clearly, we're going to want to leave the airport. My questions then are:

1) How long would it take to clear customs?
2) How easy is it to get into the city and what are the best options for doing so?
3)How long does it take for getting from the airport to the city?
4) What do you recommend doing?
5) Any places you recommend for lunch?

Sounds like a beach day in Waikiki to me. Stash your luggage somewhere at the airport and take a shuttle or the city bus directly to Waikiki (30 minutes on the shuttle, 45 minutes on the bus). Lots to do around the Hilton Hawaii Village or further down the beach. Duke's is an acceptable beach bar and restaurant right on the beach.

Although HNL is not the best of airports, a 4 hour layover isn't so bad! But... 8 hours is probably great. Either way, i'd consider leaving the airport for a bit. Pearl Harbor tour is great if you havn't done so already - and close to the airport. For a nice lunch in the warm afternoon sun, try Kaka'Ako Kitchen @ Ward Center in Honolulu.

Transportation wise.... "THE BUS" is a great transportation option island-wide, provided you have TIME to spare. It's like 45 minutes from airport to Waikiki I believe. Consider a rent-a-car for the day?

Have a blast =)

A 4-hour layover is right on the border of being able to do something outside the airport.

In looking at the schedule, my guess would be that you're on the 8:25am departure, which arrives at HNL at 8:56am.

If you leave the airport, you'll have to clear security again on the way back in. Assuming that you already have your boarding passes for the NW flight, I'd want to arrive at the airport no later than 12pm for a 1:15pm departure.

Assuming you took the quickest mode of transport, which would be a taxi to either the Arizona Memorial or Waikiki, you'd have about 2 hours to spend at your destination. The problem with the Arizona memorial is that you get a (free) ticket at the visitor's center when you get there that lets you into a movie at a given time on a first-come, first served basis. There is often a wait unless you get there first thing in the morning. Once the movie is done, you take the Navy boat out the memorial itself. There's no guarantee that you can get this done in 2 hours.

In your situation, I'd recommend to you that you take a cab to Waikiki. You'd have time to have a quick lunch and just walk around for an hour or so. If you've never been there before, it would give you a chance to get a flavor of the place. To add to what someone else already said, I'd probably recommend Duke's as opposed to the Hilton Hawaiian Village, as you'd be more in the center of things once you're done eating.

One option available to you if you plan to stay at the airport is to visit the aviation museum. It's not all that large, but I think it's a unique airport amenity - I can't think of another airport that I've been to that has such an exhibit. It's airside in the main terminal, so you don't have to exit the terminal area and go back through security.

I've only cleared customs once at HNL, and I don't remember how long it took. It probably wasn't terribly long, or I would have remembered that. Keep in mind that you will be doing this in HNL regardless of whether or not you leave the airport, as it is your first port of entry into the US. With a 9:20am international arrival, I'd say that you could be at the curb no later than 10:30am.

As others have pointed out, it's about 30 minutes by shuttle, or 45 minutes by The Bus. The problem with these numbers is that they don't take into account the time it takes to figure out the route, buy the ticket (in the case of the shuttle), or wait for the next scheduled service.

I'd probably recommend a taxi, as it will be a faster than the shuttle as it will go directly to where you want to go, no advance ticket is required, and most importantly, it will leave immediately on your demand in either direction. It's about $25 each way via taxi between the airport and Waikiki.

As others have recommended, the Arizona Memorial and Waikiki are two great options.

Normally, I'd put the Arizona Memorial as a "must see" item for any first visit to Oahu. You would definately have enough time to get there, wait in line for your time, see the movie, and visit the memorial itself. But you'd probably not have time to do this, and get somewhere else like Waikiki, and make it back to the airport in time for your flight.

If you choose the Arizona Memorial, there's also two other adjacent WWII exhibits that could fill the rest of your time: The USS Bowfin submarine museum (where you board the actual submarine in addition to walking through the museum), and the Battleship Missouri. The Missouri is a very interesting ship. It served in WWII, and the formal papers for the Japanese surrender were signed on its deck while anchored in Tokyo Bay. It also served in the first Gulf War, and launched Tomahawk cruise missiles into Iraq. So, it has certainly seen a lot of service in terms of US military history. I would see the Arizona first, then see the Missouri (spend the extra money for the guided tour - it's highly worth it), then the Bowfin if you have any extra time. If by chance historical stuff totally bores you, or if you've been there before, I'd opt for Waikiki (but I don't think that a particular interest in history or WWII is necessary in order to greatly appreciate the Arizona and Missouri).

[This message has been edited by Steve M (edited 07-20-2003).]

This was cross-posted in the Hawaii forum:
http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttr...ML/000303.html

The aviation museum has been closed (for security reasons), which is a bummer, but oh well, it was a nice place to visit.

Like I've said in my other post in the HI forum, 4 hours is really not enough time to do much outside the airport. Northwest will begin boarding your flight to SEA about 50 minutes prior to departure and flights from HNL usually are about 90% on-time, since air and ground traffic is sparse. Since you'll be departing mid-day the security lines will not be that long. If you were departing around 5-9 p.m., that's where all the wait is, since most domestic flights from HNL leave at night.

Clearing customs at HNL can be a bummer, depending on the time of day you arrive. The mornings are especially crowded because most of the international flights arrive between 6 and 9 a.m. However, Steve M's approximation of 50 minutes in customs sounds good. TheBus (as it's actually called... thank you Mayor Fasi.. http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttr...orum/frown.gif ) can be unpredicatable, however, the airport routes are a lot better than regular services because it caters to visitors.

My advice for the four hour layover can be found in the other post (including visiting an airline lounge -- President's Club is nice). However, for an 8 hour layover, there is a lot you can do. Pearl Harbor is an excellent idea. There is an Entertainment Book coupon for the Mighty Mo (USS Missouri), 50% admission up to 4 people. Arizona Memorial is out of question, as stated by others because of the wait. You could, if you have friends here in HNL, have someone get tickets for you at 7:30 a.m., but they better be great friends because I sure wouldn't want to do that.

A cab to Waikiki would be a nice idea, given an 8 hour layover. There is no place to stash your bags in HNL given new security measures, so you might have to lug your stuff around, of just check-in and check your bags, if possible, before leaving for Waikiki. I would not suggest other alternatives, such as a shuttle because they can be time consuming. A cab will cost you about $25-40 dollars depending on where in Waikiki you get dropped off + tip.

In Waikiki, with your international boarding pass, you'll have access to the DFS Galleria, which is a nice, new shopping facility located on Kalakaua Avenue near the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center. There you can purchase duty-free items to take back home with you. Another nice place to hit would be Ala Moana Shopping Center, that is, if you love shopping. Largest open-enviornment mall in America provides you with good shopping alternatives. If shopping isn't your thing, you can just check out the neat things to do in Waikiki, or hit the beach! There are public showers and restrooms at your disposal. If you truly want a great beach experience, rent a car (use priceline or coupons to get a good rate) and drive out to Kailua Beach. The drive will take about thirty minutes each way, so it'd be a day trip kinda thing.

Depending on how much you'd like to spend for lunch, there are a lot of restuarants in Waikiki. Most of them are tourist themed, however, which means overpriced (Cheeseburgers In Paradise comes to mind). Believe me, there are a lot of ono grinds (delicious food) outside of Waikiki that will cost you less, especially a few mom and pop type stores that are famous here locally. What types of foods would you want to eat? Kaka`ako Kitchen at Ward is a nice idea, but it's not in Waikiki and can be a pain to get to, especially with all the traffic around Ward. Another great restaurants at Ward is Ryan's Grill -- but on the the pricey side.

Might try Aloha Tower Marketplace for lunch? There are a lot of great resturants there, again touristy, but good food. Aloha Tower Marketplace is on Nimitz, which is one of the ways to get to the airport, so it's on the way and can make a nice little stop.

Ala Moana has a few restaurants you can try, including The Plantation Cafe in Macy's, etc. Personally don't like the Plantation Cafe, but it can give you a good taste of upscale local food.

poolmom,
Have you considered taking a later flight from OGG? Aloha Airlines (AQ) is really good at accomodating flight changes. You might have to fly stand-by, which wouldn't be a good idea, but it's nice to check to see if they can place you onto a later confirmed flight. This would allow you to spend your four hours in Kahului rather than stuck at HNL. Aloha also has a flight to YVR from HNL leaving at 12:10 p.m. I'm guessing this flight was sold out given that the AQ agent didn't book you onto it. This might also be another thing to ask about, which would allow you to forgo the connection in SEA. Or, if you want to extend your stay in HNL, you could get on the Air Canda flight to YVR, which leaves HNL at 1 a.m. Options are always nice to have.

Hope this helped and enjoy your visits to the islands!

ALOHA http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttr...orum/smile.gif

[This message has been edited by slippahs (edited 07-20-2003).]