Get oriented
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HNL Note |
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Luggage carts rent for US$2 and are located throughout the airport. |
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Coin-operated lockers are located opposite Gates 12, 13, 14, 23, and 24 in the Main Terminal. A staffed baggage storage centre is located on the ground level of the parking structure opposite the Main Terminal.
Honolulu International Airport has three terminals: Overseas, Interisland, and Commuter, which are connected via a free shuttle bus endearingly called the Wiki Wiki bus. If you choose to walk between terminals, be forewarned that it's a 10–15 minute walk from the Main Terminal to the Interisland Terminal and up to a half-hour walk over to the Commuter Terminal.
Most services and activities are clustered in the Main Terminal, which is officially named the John Rodgers Terminal, in honor of the pilot who first tried to fly from the mainland to Hawaii back in 1925. The Main Terminal has open-air breezeways and three concourses: Diamond, Central, and Ewa (which refer to which side of the Island you're facing). The Diamond Concourse serves United, Northwest, and Continental airlines while the Central Concourse serves Continental, American, and Delta. Most international flights come and go from gates in the Ewa Concourse.
It takes about 15 minutes to walk from one end of the Main Terminal to the other, but since the corridors are open-air and there's plenty of seating, you won't mind that a bit. If you need directions or information along the way, you'll find information booths located in the baggage claim areas, near Gate 22, and on both ends of the lobby.
Take care of yourself
Eat: Stinger Ray's, in the centre court of the main terminal, is a sit-down Polynesian-themed restaurant serving pork sandwiches, salads, pupu platters, and burgers and fries. A nearby food court offers fair-priced noodle soups, sandwiches, baked goods, and other straightforward fare. Elsewhere you'll find noodle shops, pizza and burger stands, and snack bars. Lappert's Ice Cream, a local favourite, is dished up near Gates 12-13 and in the Interisland Terminal.
Relax and refresh: There are three lovely and tranquil cultural gardens—Japanese, Chinese, and Hawaiian—located on the lower level of the Main Terminal (post-security). Linked seamlessly by a series of pathways and bridges, the gardens feature native plants, lily ponds, a contemplative pagoda, and pools filled with giant carp. Sorry, no fishing allowed.
Just across from Stinger Ray's Restaurant, on the second level of the Main Lobby, you'll find a hair salon with a licensed bilingual masseuse (English/Japanese) offering services that range from 5-minute neck and foot rubs to hour-long full table massages. Hours: 6 AM–4 PM, Monday–Saturday. +1 (808) 833-6484.
If you need to freshen up, drop by the 17-room Honolulu Airport Mini-Hotel, located opposite the main terminal's centre stage. (+1 (808) 836-3044). You can take a shower here for US$8.50 (the rate includes towels, soap, shampoo, and shaving equipment) or rent a room for a 2-hour shower and nap for US$20. For US$35, you can rent a single room for up to 8 hours.
If you're feeling ill, don't fret: The Queen's Airport Medical facility is open 24 hours and a registered nurse is always on duty. It's located near the Japanese gardens.
Smoking is permitted in several outdoor areas around the airport.
Take care of business
Most major airlines have club rooms here, but non-members can still take care of business at the Business Center located in the Central Lobby of the Main Terminal. It's open 8:30 AM–4:30 PM weekdays; +1 (808) 834-0058. Services include fax and copying, workstation rentals, and postal services.
Explore the airport
Shop: Go ahead, buy some pineapples and other tropical fruit. Just be sure you get the packages that are USDA-inspected and packaged for export. Other popular Hawaiian souvenirs, such as Kona coffee, colourful flower leis, and chocolate-covered macadamia nuts are plentiful here as well. You'll also have no trouble finding those other classics: aloha wear, T-shirts, and a wide variety of hula-girl emblazoned items.
Shops in the Galleria portion of the Main Terminal offer a variety of more unusual items ranging from sculpture and ceramics to food items and jewelry. Surf's Up Hawaii carries beachware, and Hawaiian Isle Memories stocks handmade quilts and a wide variety of Pacific Islands craft items. The Hawaiian Market offers foodstuffs that include dolphin-shaped pasta, chocolate seashells, and strips of sugar cane.
The Pacific Aerospace Museum in the Central Lobby of the Main Terminal (see "Sightsee" below) has a large shop chock-full of toys, books, models, and other aviation-related gift items.
Sightsee: If you're at the airport on a Wednesday or Friday morning between 10:30 and noon, head over to the stage area just outside Stinger Ray's in the Main Terminal. If there's a hula troupe or a live band scheduled to perform that day, that's where—and when—you'll find them.
Even if there's no live entertainment, there's still plenty to do. The Central Lobby of the Main Terminal is home to the Pacific Aerospace Museum (Admission: US$3). It's open daily, with varying hours. This is a hands-on place, complete with a flight simulator, a full-scale mockup of a space shuttle flight deck, films, and aviation exhibits ranging from the tale of the flight of the demigod Maui to the Apollo moon landings. No admission is charged to enter the gift shop.
Also, the corridors of the both the Main Terminal and the Interisland Terminal are dotted with display cases filled with children's art and artifacts such as instruments, tools, cookware, and other items reflecting local ethnic cultures. And don't forget, there are three cultural gardens in the center of the Main Terminal, on the lower level.
Lookout: Most any gate waiting area or breezeway in the airport offers a good view of the airfield.
Play around: Kids will enjoy the space museum, rides on the Wiki Wiki bus, and perhaps a walk through the gardens, where they'll be able to get up close to the giant carp. On Wednesday and Friday mornings there are often hula troupes, artists, or musicians performing on the stage in the center of the Main Terminal, by the museum. There's also an arcade located near the entrance to gates 6–11.
Go into town
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Airport information |
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For more information about Honolulu International Airport, call +1 (808) 836-6413. |
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Outside of rush hour, it's about a 20-minute cab ride from the airport to Waikiki. The fare will run between US$20 and US$25. The Airport Waikiki Express shuttle bus from the airport to any Waikiki hotel is US$8. Or try public transportation: The city bus routes 19 and 20 go to downtown Waikiki and other points for US$1.
