Car Hire Honolulu Airport

Honolulu Airport Mini Guide

Why Should I fly to Honolulu?
Honolulu is the capital of the US State of Hawaii and the centre of the Hawaiian tourist industry. Nearly 10 million visitors go to Hawaii each year with nearly two thirds of them arriving via Honolulu. From there, many of the quieter islands are reached by boat or small plane and whilst Honolulu has little evidence of the island way of life, being a major financial centre for the Pacific, there are typically Hawaiian towns and villages within minutes of the capital. People go there too for the friendliness of the locals, the beautiful beaches, so different from the Caribbean, and the fresh tropical food.

How do I get Into Honolulu?
Honolulu Airport is one of the busiest airports in the US, handling 22m passengers last year. It serves flights from all over the Pacific Rim, from Sydney in Australia to Tokyo and on to Vancouver and Los Angeles. Most flights from the UK and Europe stop over at either San Francisco or Los Angeles. The airport is only three miles from the central part of Oahu and transport from the airport is available either by bus, taxi, shuttle or hire car.

What is the Airport Like?
It’s got three terminals and two concourses linked by the Wiki Wiki Web Bus. It’s currently in the latter stages of a $1.7bn expansion and renovation program which will improve security and customer care at the airport. Currently the gates and checking in points are so far away as to warrant a bus journey between the two. The airport’s design could best be described as functional rather than attractive but it has a good range of amenities.

What can I Expect When I arrive?
As you disembark you’ll find yourself on one of the concourses where you’ll be bussed to the arrivals hall of the terminal. There, you’ll pass through security before heading down to baggage reclaim. On the way you’ll pass several information kiosks which can give you information about the airport and the less than easy route through it. Once you’ve collected your luggage you can think about your onward transport which may be by hotel transfer or local bus. Both of these options depart from outside the terminal buildings and signs showing the way to them are easy to understand. Car rental can be obtained from the baggage reclaim areas where the company desks are located.

What About on my Return?
After check in you’ll be able to look through the shops in the public area and stop for a meal at one of the many restaurants. Each terminal has a common range as well as one or two exclusive shops and restaurants. The variety on offer is excellent with sweeping malls of shops offering anything from high fashion to Hawaiian gifts. The restaurants are amazing too with local cuisine, standard American fare or international food to suit the tastes of foreign visitors. Wi-Fi is available across the airport for a fee and computer terminals are available for those that don’t have their own laptop.

Honolulu Airport (airport code HNL) has more than 20 million annual passengers which makes it one of the busiest US airports. Because of that we advise those looking for car hire in Honolulu Airport to advance book to ensure availability and low prices, particularly in the winter season when the weather is fine. At that time of year the huge waves bring surfers from all over the world to Honolulu airport on their way to the North Shore.

From HNL not only can you catch connecting inter island flights but there are also routes to Tahiti and other Pacific islands. Look out for good deals with the national airline Hawaiian Airlines. Honolulu Airport is the biggest airport in the state of Hawaii.

We have an excellent guide to driving in Hawaii and all other states in the USA, read more about the author here, we hope you find it useful.