Hawaiian Reopens Inter-island Drive-Thru Check-In at Honolulu Airport

12 July 2002

Hawaiian Airlines today announced the reopening of its Drive-Thru Check-In service for customers departing Honolulu International Airport on inter-island flights. 

Hawaiian had suspended the service in conjunction with a flight schedule and staff reduction following the events of September 11. The company has since recalled furloughed workers and hired additional personnel to fill more than 200 positions in excess of those reduced in September. Hawaiian now employs over 3,500 people, most of whom are residents of Hawaii.

"We're pleased to be able to restore this service for the convenience of our customers flying from Honolulu to the Neighbor Islands," said John B. Happ, Hawaiian's senior vice president - marketing and sales.

The Drive-Thru Check-In area is located on the ground level, outside the mauka end of Honolulu International Airport's Inter-island Terminal. Vehicles can easily access it from either the H-1 Freeway or Nimitz Highway. The facility provides two check-in lanes staffed by Hawaiian ticket agents, who check in customers and baggage and provide directions to parking and boarding gates. Passengers being dropped off can take an adjacent escalator up one level and proceed directly to the security checkpoints and boarding gates. 

Hawaiian's Drive-Thru Check-In service is open daily from 4:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. 

For interisland flights, Hawaiian recommends that customers arrive 90 minutes before their scheduled departure time to allow for processing through security checkpoints and carry-on baggage screening. 

In another step to enhance customer convenience, Hawaiian reopened its Curbside Check-In service for customers of both transpacific and inter-island flights. 

Using a portable, automated kiosk at curbside fronting Hawaiian's ticket counter lobby on the second level of the Inter-island Terminal, Hawaiian Airlines customer service agents check in passengers and baggage and provide seat assignments. Customers then proceed directly to the security checkpoints and boarding gates. 

Curbside Check-In is offered daily from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Hawaiian's busiest time for transpacific departures from Honolulu to the mainland. 

For transpacific flights, Hawaiian recommends that customers arrive two hours before their scheduled departure to allow for processing through airport security checkpoints and carry-on baggage screening. 

Hawaiian operates 24 transpacific flights per day between Hawaii and eight western U.S. cities. Its weekly South Pacific service links Honolulu with American Samoa and Tahiti. The company operates approximately 140 inter-island flights daily between Hawaii's six major islands using 13 new Boeing 717-200 narrow-body aircraft. 

Hawaiian is in the process of replacing its transpacific fleet with 16 state-of-the-art Boeing 767-300ER wide-body aircraft. The carrier presently has six new B767-300ER jets in service with the full conversion on schedule for completion by mid-2003. 

Founded in Honolulu 72 years ago, Hawaiian Airlines is Hawaii's longest-serving and largest airline. The nation's 12th largest airline, it is also the second-largest provider of passenger service between the West Coast and Hawaii. The airline has earned numerous international awards for service in recent years, including the 2001 Zagat Survey's award for Best Overall U.S. Airline in the Premier category, and the 2001 Diamond Award for In-Flight Service from Onboard Services magazine. Hawaiian was rated third highest in Travel & Leisure magazine's most recent ranking of the Top 10 U.S. Airlines.