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Airports and Airfields

Honolulu International Airport Guide

USATODAY
Just three miles from Honolulu's airport, the USS Arizona and Pearl Harbor are a meaningful way to spend a layover.

Contact information and flight status

Checkpoint savvy

Busiest times: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Workarounds: Inter-Island Terminal Gates 49 to 61 are accessible from Inter-Island Checkpoints 1 �� Mauka (Towards the mountains), and 1 – Makai (Towards the ocean); Overseas Terminal Gates 6 to 34 accessible from Overseas Checkpoints 3, 4 and 5. The Commuter Terminal (Gates 62 – 80) has its own checkpoint. Checkpoint #2 no used exclusively by airport employees and flight crews.

TSA PreCheck: Main Terminal, Checkpoint 3 (Alaska, American, Delta, United, US Airways).

Parking

Parking information: 808-861-1260.

Most convenient: Garage parking, $18/day. First 15 minutes are free.

Least expensive: Economy lot, $15/24 hours.

Cellphone lot: Two lots are available, at Diamond Head and Ewa. No amenities.

Transportation to/from city

Most convenient: Taxi to Waikiki: approximately $40.  Travel time: 30 minutes to one hour; depending on traffic. See more options.

Least expensive: The Bus Routes #19 and #20, $2.50. Large suitcases or bags not allowed. Travel time to Waikiki: One hour. See more options.

Wi-Fi and charging stations

Paid Wi-Fi is provided by ShakaNet. There are also 23 computer workstations throughout the airport. Workstations also available at Business Centers in Main and Interisland Terminal.

Power outlets: 15 free power recharge stations are located throughout the airport.

Go local

Good choice for local gifts: Hawaii Market (packaged foods), Hawaiian Isle Memories, flower carts. See all options.

Good choice for local food: The Local (Overseas Lobby), Lahaina Chicken and Ribs (Inter-island Terminal food court and by Gates 14-23) and Stinger Rays Tropical Bar and Grill (Interisland Terminal). See all options.

Tips and tidbits

HNL has business centers, a post office, pet relief areas and a USO Center. The airport offers a regular schedule of live Hawaiian music and hula dancing in the lobby and a wide variety of art exhibits and historic displays throughout the airport including a large mosaic commemorating the 50th anniversary of Hawai'i's statehood (1959). Three linked cultural gardens (Chinese, Hawaiian and Japanese) with ponds, lush landscape, pathways, bridges and seating area surround the Main Terminal Lobby and Y Concourse.

Nearby layover option

The USS Arizona Memorial (Pearl Harbor) is three miles from HNL.

Your tips and picks?

Please share your time- and money-saving tips, favorite restaurants, bars and stores in comments below.

These guides are written by Harriet Baskas, who is the author of six books, including the airport guidebook Stuck at the Airport and a blog of the same name.

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