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Lihue, HI

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Southwest Airlines

3.1 (16 reviews)

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Getting ready for takeoff (05/12/23)! @SouthwestAir #SWAPic #LihueAirport #Lihue #Kauai #Hawaii #Airport #Travel
Jeff B.

(Traveled 05/12/23 FR @ 2:00pm): Sometimes you wanna get away from the southwest and roam elsewhere and at great prices! I recently had the pleasure of flying with Southwest Airlines LIH on my way to Honolulu HNL from Los Angeles LAX with this layover. Generally speaking, Southwest Airlines has been my favorite domestic carrier for years (I wished they flew internationally!). Routes to the Hawaiian Islands was a fairly new development for the airline with more expansion to come. So, how was my first time flying with them to Hawaii out of the island of Kauai!? PURCHASE One-Way Airfare ($123.30): Since this was a layover, the original ticket fare was purchased out of Los Angeles LAX. However, I would imagine the fare from Lihue to Honolulu would be cheaper than this. I normally didn't book one-way flights mainly because of the usually less advantageous fare versus roundtrip airfare, but I wasn't quite sure when I wanted to return back to California from Hawaii. Since I booked the flight one month before its departure, I felt this fare was reasonable within my comfort level of $150.00 for any domestic air travel during the medium season (Memorial was two weeks away). On an afternoon layover flight that arrived in Honolulu around 3:00pm the same day, it was all good https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=o-3Wd435kZM70m3_FEpJKg&userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw! Checked Luggage - 1 Piece (FREE): Actually... your first two checked luggages were always free - hooray! FLIGHT EXPERIENCE ~Check-in: I checked-in online 24-hours prior, had my QR code boarding pass on their app, and traveled with only a checked luggage and backpack, so I was ready to go! Because this was a layover and my luggage was being transferred through to its final destination, I didn't have to deal with security checkpoints and the necessary TSA pleasantries. When it was time, passengers were queued-up in order of their boarding letter and number (i.e. A/B/C and 1/2/3, etc.). The flight was bumpy at times but arrived on-time at our final destination. ~Seats: Come on, it was the same sardine can like all airplanes these days, so unless you were in Business or First Class you got to know your neighbors to the left, right, front, and back of you! ~In-flight Meals (Varied; n/a this instance): Because of the extremely short flight and minor turbulence, no drinks or snacks were handed out. ~Lavatory: I got my business done at the one in the back of the plane. Plenty of toilet paper, paper towels, and facial tissues... but could've been cleaned more often. ~Service & Amenities: All uniformly-dressed flight attendants were adequate and spoke perfect English. None of the seats had video monitors for movie/show watching, music listening, and games playing. The seats themselves were roomy enough. No blankets, headphones, or pillows were provided. Again, because of the flight turbulence, the drink/snack cart didn't come around which was fine in this case. There were no carry-on baggage fees. PARKING (Varied; N/A this instance) I was traveling through and had no need to park. However, the airport offered onsite parking structures with rates that ranged from FREE to $15.00/daily maximum. Because this was located within the main terminal of departing flights, you had to already be an outgoing or incoming passenger to even get here, so parking would be a moot point. ATMOSPHERE, DÉCOR, AMBIENCE In this instance, I was in the main terminal (I believed there was only one) Gates 7-8 where the waiting area was a bit congested and tight due to its lack of room and size, with several long rows of seats, and generally a dated appeal. There were sufficient places to sit throughout the terminal with plenty of natural and electric lighting. Once on the airplane (Boeing 737 MAX8), it seemed like any other, so nothing really needed to be said or seen here. ATTIRE Totally casual, so I would normally be in a t-shirt, boardshorts, and flip-flops. I liked to be unencumbered and unfettered, so the least amount of clothing, especially while I traveled through an airport, the better! OVERALL My one-way layover flight on Southwest Airlines out of Lihue LIH was fine and got me to Honolulu safely which truthfully was all that mattered to me on any domestic flights. I wished there were seat video monitors that helped pass the time. In any case, I'd fly and recommend them again. I found very good value based on the prices, service, and experience noted above (TOTAL paid experience was around $123.00 BEFORE any discounts and/or tip). And, they accepted my credit card of choice...AMEX! 4.0 STARS

13 minutes to go through the Southwest hawaii pre clear line at San Jose airport
Robert C.

Southwest airlines going to and from Hawaii during the pandemic. Was traveling from San Jose to Lihue November 6, 2021, and return November 13, 2021. Picked Southwest over Alaska Airlines as Alaska Airlines was triple it's usual price going to Lihue. Hawaiian Airlines direct flight flew out of San Francisco, with the flight out of San Jose having a stopover in Honolulu. Purchased tickets In June. By October, the ticket prices had fallen about $168 for two round trip tickets. Phoned up Southwest and got the new lower ticket price, with a $168 voucher to use by June 2022. We purchased the $25 per person per trip early bird check in, which automatically assigns you a boarding gate position between A31 and A99, 36 hours before the flight. In our case A42 and A43. People in Economy without early bird check in have to check in 24 hours in advance on the web site to determine their boarding positions , which will be after we board. People in the lowest fare group board last. Loaded my vaccination certificate into the Hawaii Safe Travels internet site account, and filled out a health questionnaire for our trip 24 hours before flight. QR code sent to my e-mail. Day of the flight, stood in line for 13 minutes near gate 28 at San Jose airport to get the pre clear program for all Southwest airlines flights to Hawaii. Had to show ID, the Hawaii safe travels QR code on my cell phone, and my original vaccination certificate. Wore a pre clear armband which allowed me to skip Hawaii's check of arriving vaccinated passengers. At the boarding gate, business class passengers A1-A15 board first. These people will invariably take the emergency exit rows, with added leg room. We take seats 7A and 7C, left side of the plane. Only disadvantage is that the shoulder of 7A is on the window frame protruding out. There are 47 open seats on the flight, so the Boeing 737 max-8, with 175 seats, was 75% full. Flight leaves 90 minutes late, due to repairs in the luggage compartment. There is no meal service for the 6 hour flight. They serve 1 bag of snack mix, crackers and Welch's fruit snack and chocolate brittle along with two drinks. Passengers must wear masks at all times, except while eating or drinking. No wifi, and no in flight entertainment, and no chargers on the Boeing 737-max 8, the same plane with two crashes in 2019! Got to bring battery boosters, as you don't want a dead battery cell phone when presenting your QR vaccination code on your e-mail upon arrival to the Hawaii authorities! Advantage of seating far forward, is that it's a quick route to the 1 forward bathroom, which has an indicator light of occupancy on the overhead. 2 bathrooms in the back, or 3 bathrooms altogether for 30 row, 175 passenger capacity Boeing 737-max 8. Landed without incident and waved through vaccination checks by Hawaii authorities when they saw our pre clear red wristbands. Fast forward 7 days. Saturday November 13 noon. Huge lines awaiting security checks at the front of Lihue airport. We go to the much shorter pre check TSA line due to our Global Entry cards. At the Southwest boarding gate area, the A1-A29 boarding line is packed, as is the A30-A99 area. Our positions are A42 and A43 We sit in 7A and 7C again, with wife taking the window seat. Flight delayed 25 minutes to pick up passengers who missed an earlier flight on United airlines due to long security lines. Had to endure off and on crying tantrums from 3 year old sitting one row ahead of us. And of course she was not wearing a mask the entire time! Delay in arriving at San Jose until 1030pm on a Saturday, with Uber charges of normally $27 for 13 mile trip exploding to $89 for surge pricing. 1 video visible in business photos

Getting ready for flight
Lisa P.

Flew from Kauai to Los Angeles. The flight was perfect with no issues. The staff was polite and willing to assist. The seat space was relaxing. Out connecting flight was on time and we got home on time and safely.

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Review Highlights - Southwest Airlines

“Grateful I get to visit the island we spent our honeymoon, 27+ years ago.”

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Hawaiian Airlines - Inside the premier club

Hawaiian Airlines

2.4(158 reviews)
0.1 mi

I always like flying with Hawaiian airlines, either direct flight from continental or hopping…read morearound the Hawaiian islands. They have the most convenient and frequent flights from and to most destinations, despite it may not be the most cost efficient option, their local staff, flight attendants, and captains are friendly.

Well we are on our way back home. I always preferred Hawaiian Airlines to Alaskan but now they took…read moreover. I knew it would change. Hawaiian was the last airline to feed you on coach. Now that is gone. No more hot food for free. It's a sad state but that's how it goes. Not the great service it used to be. Boarding announcements were fine and the gate and boarding was pretty smooth. The place was pretty empty but I couldn't get a first class set. Those were all taken and the premium too. The rows across from me were empty. Other people slept in them throughout the flight. The seats are horrible now. My butt hurt both coming and going home. They are not as padded as the old ones. Cheaper and less padding. yuck. I think I have to get one of those pads that inflate to help my butt. heheh. This time the flight attendant wasn't going to give my wife and I a full can of POG. but then he said ok. Kind of weird with less passengers on the flight you think it would be stocked enough. Oh well always looking to cut prices even though we are paying bigger prices. I know they are slowly painting all the Hawaiian planes and soon Hawaiian will be gone totally. The end of another era.

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Hawaiian Airlines - Waiting for plane from Honolulu

Waiting for plane from Honolulu

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Hawaiian Airlines - Sun rise

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Lihue Airport - LIH - Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 Aircraft

Lihue Airport - LIH

3.4(637 reviews)
0.4 mi

This is probably one of the best and easiest airports I've been through. I live next to Long Beach,…read moreand that's usually my go-to when I need an easy airport to fly in and out of, but Lihue is definitely a close second. My only real complaint would be going through security. It was very hot--they had fans, but with the humidity in Hawaii, it still felt intense. Once you get into the terminals, though, there's air-conditioning, and it honestly feels like a relief if you're not used to that kind of humidity. The staff was very friendly, and the airport itself was easy to maneuver. I also found it simple to grab a shuttle to and from getting a rental car. Plus, there's a Starbucks located inside, which was convenient while waiting. The bathrooms were also clean, which I really appreciate--especially when you're traveling. Another win: there were plenty of places to plug in and charge my computer before we took off, which made the wait a lot easier. The only other thing I wish there were more of: food options. It seemed like there was really only Starbucks and one other restaurant. Prices were pretty high too--like $8 for a spam musubi and close to $10 for a Costco hotdog. If you might have a wait before boarding, I'd recommend bringing snacks or your own food. Overall, it's a smooth, user-friendly airport--just plan ahead for the heat at security and limited food options.

Too many travelers for this small, outdated airport. Gates…read moreare over crowded, not enough seating or standing space. Seemed under staffed on this day. Guess you can write it off as island charm...

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Lihue Airport - LIH - Penny press machine

Penny press machine

Lihue Airport - LIH - Long TSA line

Long TSA line

Lihue Airport - LIH - Squished pennies available for $0.50 + 1 penny. 1/7/2023

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Squished pennies available for $0.50 + 1 penny. 1/7/2023

Alaska Airlines - Plane arrived 18 minutes early.  Waiting for a gate.

Alaska Airlines

2.7(35 reviews)
0.0 mi

Was super pleased with our flight from Ligue to San Diego. We are just about to land…read more First time I heard all cross body bags must be stowed for take off and landing. Unable to charge cell phone cuz didn't have the proper charger so very glad I powered up my power bank and brought it along. Luckily we got seats in row 2. The flight attendant was very polite, pleasant and worked hard ALL flight serving drinks, mixed snack(tasty),meal, dessert(guava cheesecake-perfectly delicious and just the right size) and another snack before landing single handedly. Please give her a raise. We had a choice of cheeseburger, short ribs or chicken. Accompanied with a roll, salad, lomi salmon, and a cooked veggie. Hand strength prevented me from engaging recline button. Old fashioned type foot rest. Wide seats up front but for some reason my derrière felt like it needed more padding which is strange cuz I have my own natural supply. We were given pretty blankets to use but no pillows. I found it interesting that most passengers up front were up on their lap tops and watching movies. Their free WiFi allows you to catch your accounts of Netflix, prime, Disney, etc. Smooth flight but announcement was made cleaning up cabin early due to some turbulence upon landing. One thing I found strange that hubs pointed out was we had a choice of water, pig, mimosa once seated served in Dixie type paper cups. The other beverages were in glass cups. Glad we chose to go from Honolulu to Lihue to catch this flight to San Diego. Good flight. Mahalo. Coming in for a landing. Over and out.

With Alaska Airlines acquisition of Hawaiian forced to work with their customer service. Inner…read moreisland flight with rep from Idaho was wonderful. Mainland flight to NC. to treat a patient reps (5) was a nitemare! Deceitful, rude, unhelpful uncomunative,. I must insist, I will avoid alaska at all costs. Not because of their flights but because of their incompetent and rude customer service from the people who answer the phone to their supervisors.

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Alaska Airlines - Seasoned flight attendants in first class

Seasoned flight attendants in first class

Alaska Airlines - Atmos Status levels

Atmos Status levels

Alaska Airlines

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American Airlines - Arriving to the Big Island.

American Airlines

1.8(19 reviews)
0.0 mi

I personally would never choose to fly American Airlines to Hawaii if possible. Nothing beats my…read morefirst flight into Hawaii on Hawaiian Airlines where they provide free snacks, meal, and complimentary pour of Kauai's Koloa Rum. My husband, and I were definitely disappointed at the lack of in-flight complimentary meal for a 5+ hour flight both ways. They offer limited snacks - a pack of two Biscoff cookies, or salted pretzel mix, and water, soda, juice, tea or coffee. Other things are available for purchase, however the options are extremely limited. We purchased a cheese board for 10 dollars, and they only had enough sparkling wine for my first in-flight beverage on the way there. On the way back, we were told that the return flight had only been provided two sparkling wines for the whole flight, so I ordered red instead. They had no more cheese plates for the return flight, so the only item available for purchase was a 5 dollar can of mini Cool Ranch Doritos. Because we knew how limited their menu was, my husband and I made sure to pick up some spam musubi before our flight home, which was a great idea because we got into LAX at about 10:30 PM. I was also disappointed they had me check my carry-on even though it fit in the their luggage sizer on the way to the Big Island. The staff who worked both flights were friendly, and helpful, but American Airlines was otherwise a disappointment.

This airline doesn't care about its customers. It flies planes that are not functioning. Two plus…read moreflights have had out of service lavatory-s. No food for first class passengers on 4 plus hour flight. They do not take care of their paying customers. Flights delayed for stupid reasons. Don't fly this airline!!!!!

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American Airlines - Do I have to go home?

Do I have to go home?

American Airlines - Cheese plate and sparkling wine for purchase - 10 dollars each.

Cheese plate and sparkling wine for purchase - 10 dollars each.

American Airlines

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Delta Air Lines

Delta Air Lines

3.2(9 reviews)
0.0 mi

With the island of Kauai being a popular vacation destinations from the mainland, Delta continues…read moreto have daily flights into the Lihue airport on the SE corner of the island. From Los Angeles, there are six airlines that run direct flights. This competition is good for ticket prices, with roundtrip tickets from LAX during shoulder season running about $350 for Economy Main (lower if Basic Economy). Delta has direct flights to its West Coast hubs in Los Angeles and Seattle. From Los Angeles, there is a 6 hour flight landing at 7 pm. This same plane then is taken back to Los Angeles as a redeye, taking off at 9:25 pm, and landing into LA around 5:30 am. This is the roundtrip that my wife and I took during April of '26. Both legs of the trip were on-time (actually one of the very few times on a Delta flight where we officially took off within 5 minutes of the scheduled departure...this is unusual since the scheduled departure really talks about the time when the plane leaves the gate...which is what the flight crew can somewhat control). Even though the flight goes over uninhabited areas of the Pacific, free usable Wi-Fi was provided on both legs (though it wasn't working for much of our return trip). There was little turbulence so the LA based flight crew on both flights were able to provide both snack and beverage service. Along with the entertainment screen at each seat, and the extra legroom provided by Comfort+, the 5 hour flight went by pretty quickly. This was the earliest we've arrived into a domestic LAX terminal, and still found it to be relatively busy, even at 5:30 in the morning. But Delta still delivered our one checked bag on-time, and we were on our way to the Metro system before 6. Loved it...knowing that even if morning LA rush hour traffic was horrible on this Monday, we would get home at a reliable time.

Premium Economy seats? What Delta Airlines says is Premium Economy seating is closely-packed…read moreseating. Delta Airlines? NEVER, EVER AGAIN!

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Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines

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Southwest Airlines - airlines - Updated October 2026

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